How JAY-Z’s mom Gloria Carter finally came out to her son

JAY-Z’s mother Gloria Carter discusses how she came out to her son, his tearful reaction, and why she initially rejected the track inspired by her revelation.

JAY-Z broke down when his mother Gloria Carter came out to him as a lesbian after spending a lifetime in the closet. But when she heard the track inspired by her story, she hesitated to allow her son to include it on his platinum-selling album 4:44.

Speaking out for the first time, she told D’USSE Friday:

"I just finally started telling him who I was. Besides your mother, this is the person that I am, you know? This is the life that I lived. So my son started actually, like, tearing because he was like, ‘That had to be a horrible life, ma.’ I was like, ‘My life was never horrible. It was just different.’ So that made him want to do a song about it."

The New York-born rapper translated his mother’s moving story into “Smile,” the third song off his latest critically-acclaimed album. On it, he raps:

"Mama had four kids, but she’s a lesbian /Had to pretend so long that she’s a thespian / Had to hide in the closet, so she medicate / Society shame and the pain was too much to take / Cried tears of joy when you fell in love / Don’t matter to me if it’s a him or her / I just wanna see you smile through all the hate / Marie Antoinette, baby, let ’em eat cake"

Carter was initially hesitant to publicize what was intended to be a private confession to her son. But after the media began openly speculating about the identity of her partner, often naming random friends and acquaintances, she decided to take control of the narrative while “helping out” her famous son.

On a flight to Los Angeles, she wrote beautiful, heart-wrenching poem and the outro to “Smile” was born. Although inspired by his mother’s coming out story, JAY-Z has also emphasized the song’s overarching, deeply relatable message.

“There are gonna be bad times, and those bad times can do two things,” he told iHeart Radio. “They can get you in a place where you’re stuck in a rut, or it can make your future that much better because you’ve experienced these things.”

Listen to the full podcast below.

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Tell us what you think of “Smile” and the story behind it in the comments below.