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Kennya Baldwin
Even if the name Kennya Baldwin isn’t familiar to many people, the Brazilian graphics designer is known in many Hollywood circles for being the wife of actor Stephen Baldwin, and mother of top model Hailey Baldwin – as well as mother-in-law to the A-list singer Justin Bieber. Born on 24th October 1968, in New York City, USA, the elusive brunette is famous in her home country for being the daughter of legendary pianist and composer Eumir Deodato, who won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance, and is dubbed a legend of the Bossa Nova music genre.
Nevertheless, Kennya has always led a low-key lifestyle in the States. After matriculating from York Preparatory School, she studied graphics design at the Parsons School of Design. In 1987, she reportedly met her future husband Stephen Baldwin in a New York subway station; the pair embarked on a relationship almost immediately, tying the knot three years later in an intimate ceremony surrounded by friends and loved ones.
The couple welcomed their first daughter, Alaia, in January 1993, completing the family with the addition of Hailey in November 1996. Kennya has always supported her husband in his professional endeavors, meaning that she home-schooled their daughters when they were young due to Stephen’s work commitments which led to the family always being on the move.
Financial Troubles
Kennya’s parents divorced in the early 2000s; the Brazilian musician allegedly remarried soon afterwards, finding love again with his second wife, Mary Ellen. A few years later, trouble struck the Baldwin family as Stephen and Kennya defaulted on over $820,000 in mortgage payments. Their luxurious 1.4-acre home in Rockland County, New York, went to public auction in June 2009 – the following month, Stephen filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, claiming to be over $2.3 million in debt. According to court papers, Stephen owed over $1 million on two mortgages on one of his New York properties, with the other $1 million in debt stemming from taxes and credit card spending. The downturn in Joseph and Kennya’s fortunes saw them have to move in with his brother Alec for a time.
Nevertheless, Kennya remained by her husband’s side and publicly supported him when he entered the Celebrity Big Brother house in January 2010. The born-again Christian frequently read his fellow housemates Bible passages during his stay in the house, but failed to win over the public, and was the fourth housemate to be evicted. The actor’s reputation and public profile took quite the hit, as after the eviction, a now-defunct website named restorestephenbaldwin.org began asking for cash donations in his name to “improve his career”.
Stephen’s luck continued on a downwards spiral in the following years, as he filed a $3.8 million lawsuit against Kevin Costner in December 2010, but was awarded no damages when the jury sided with Kevin in June 2012. In March 2013, the actor made headlines yet again after pleading guilty to failing to file income taxes from 2008 to 2010. Claiming to have received bad advice from his accountants and lawyers, Stephen reached an agreement with the court, and agreed to pay $300,000 within a year to avoid five years’ probation.
Religious Views
Throughout the embarrassing ordeal, Kennya maintained a dignified silence, refusing to give any interviews despite being hounded by media outlets. As fans of Stephen know, the “Celebrity Apprentice” alum has often credited his wife with helping him return to his faith. Kennya, who is said to be a devout Christian these days, reportedly lapsed as a young adult, whereas her husband has had his fair share of drug abuse problems which seem to run in the family.
When the couple had their first daughter, they allegedly hired a Portuguese nanny named Augusta who often sang Alaia religious songs; when asked, Augusta told the Baldwins that she had “received prophetic word” that she would work for the family and help bring them back to faith. Despite being skeptical at first, Kennya soon began attending a nearby Brazilian evangelical church, which later convinced her husband to return to his religion as well. These days, they consider themselves born-again Christians, with Stephen having decidedly conservative views.
In September 2006, Stephen discussed at length in his book his return to the journey of becoming a born-again Evangelical, “The Unusual Suspect”. Other topics discussed included highlights from his personal life, career anecdotes, and his murky experiences with drugs. In the same year, the actor founded the Breakthrough Ministry with Bobby Brewer and Mario D’Ortenzio, followed by the for-profit organization, Antioch Ministry in late 2008, and a third ministry named Now More Than Ever in 2009.
Alaia & Hailey Baldwin
Alaia is known for being one of the quieter members of the Baldwin family, who’s managed to keep her name scandal-free over the years. In 2017, the beautiful brunette married executive producer and Wayne State University alum Andrew Aronow after years of being in a steady relationship. Andrew, who has a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and Government, likes to keep his private life under wraps – but also loves to post Instagram photos of his wife and their daughter, Iris Elle Aronow, who was born in August 2020.
Meanwhile, Hailey’s career and fame has eclipsed that of almost all the Baldwins, with the exception being her uncle Alec. The socialite and model did her first commercial campaign in 2014 when she was just shy of 18 years old, making her catwalk debut for Topshop months later. Since then, she worked with some of the top brands around the globe, including Phillip Plein, Ralph Lauren, and Tommy Hilfiger.
Although Hailey’s rise in the fashion industry has been one for the books, her public profile was also boosted tremendously after becoming engaged to Justin Bieber in July 2018. Mere months later, the couple confirmed that they were married, with the news making headlines and sparking furor due to the shotgun nature of their relationship (the lovebirds dated from December 2015 to January 2016, reconciling in June 2018).
Hailey and Justin currently reside in Cambridge, Ontario, and celebrated their second wedding ceremony in South Carolina in September 2019. Despite being raised as an Evangelical Christian and attending the same church as her husband, Hailey and her father have opposing political views, with the blonde model endorsing Joe Biden and abortion right,s while Stephen is a staunch supporter of Donald Trump.
