‘It’s His Facial Expressions for Me’: Tia Mowry and Her Son Take on a New TikTok Challenge That Has Fans Laughing and Reminiscing

Tia Mowry is having some mother-and-son bonding time with her son Cree. On Feb. 24, she uploaded a TikTok video to her Instagram of her and her son doing the “90s check.”

The rules are to identify or sing along with the songs that play and “if you know all of these songs” then you get the privilege of saying “you grew up in the 90s.”

Tia Mowry and her son Cree doing a TikTok challenge (Photo: @tiamowry/Instagram)

She wrote, “#cree and myself are at it again! He thinks I’m #crazy #90s #check #singing
He has no idea what’s going on! This has turned into a little ritual. We watch @tiktok before we go to bed! ❤️ #mother #son #love.”

While the video continued, Mowry sang along with some of the hottest R&B artists from the ’90s like Aaliyah, Usher, Lauryn Hill and more. Mowry was able to sing along to all of the songs, proving that she did indeed grow up in the ’90s, however, Cree sat through every song making confused facial expressions not being able to identify even one of them.

Fans could not help but laugh at the 9-year-old’s reaction to the songs. One person said, “It’s his facial expressions for me.” Someone else sympathized with him, saying, “Well Cree that’s Not your era .. ❤️.”

The video made other followers reminisce on the ’90s. “So many memories to these songs!! I play 90s R&B everyday,” wrote one person.

A few people were distracted by how much the two looked alike. “TWINSSSSS!!! SHEESH! You guys would definitely win a look alike contest. No issues” said one fan.

Mowry welcomed Cree into the world with her husband, Cory Hardrict, in June 2011. After struggling for years with infertility due to endometriosis, Mowry was happy to discover she was pregnant again, this time with a girl named Cairo, whom she gave birth to in May 2018.

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top