In a new interview with BBC Radio 4 on Sunday, John Legend opened up about why he was hesitant to share photos of his late son, Jack, in the aftermath of the baby’s death. On Sept. 30, 2020, Jack, Legend’s and his wife Chrissy Teigen‘s third child, was stillborn when the couple experienced a pregnancy loss at 20 weeks. The heartbreak for the couple was immense, but Teigen decided to post black-and-white photos of her son on Instagram as a way to share her story with others who have been through a similar experience.
Teigen penned an essay in October 2020 discussing her decision to share her intimate family photos with the world. “I had asked my mom and John to take pictures, no matter how uncomfortable it was,” she wrote. “I explained to a very hesitant John that I needed them, and that I did NOT want to have to ever ask. That he just had to do it. He hated it. I could tell. It didn’t make sense to him at the time. But I knew I needed to know of this moment forever, the same way I needed to remember us kissing at the end of the aisle, the same way I needed to remember our tears of joy after Luna and Miles. And I absolutely knew I needed to share this story.”
At the time, Legend wasn’t completely on board with Teigen’s decision. “I was hesitant to share it,” he told BBC Radio 4, per The Guardian. “But I think Chrissy was really right. Way more people than anybody realizes go through this and they think they are alone. It was a really powerful, wise decision by Chrissy to share it.”
“Way more people than anybody realizes go through this and they think they are alone. It was a really powerful, wise decision by Chrissy to share it.”
In the two years since they lost Jack, the singer has been turning to music to help him process his grief. During the interview, he revealed that some of the songs on his upcoming album, “Legend,” will deal with what he and his family went through in the aftermath of their loss. “There’s no real comfort and you’re always going to feel that loss,” he said. “It kind of spreads over time, so it doesn’t feel as heavy, but you’ll never forget it.”
On Aug. 3, Teigen announced that she and Legend are expecting again. The couple are already parents to Luna, 6, and Miles, 4. In her announcement on Instagram, the cookbook author revealed that her pregnancy has been especially emotional this time around.
“[T]he last few years have been a blur of emotions to say the least, but joy has filled our home and hearts again,” she wrote on Instagram. “1 billion shots later (in the leg lately, as u can see!) we have another on the way. Every appointment I’ve said to myself, ‘ok if it’s healthy today I’ll announce’ but then I breathe a sigh of relief to hear a heartbeat and decide I’m just too nervous still. I don’t think I’ll ever walk out of an appointment with more excitement than nerves but so far, everything is perfect and beautiful and I’m feeling hopeful and amazing.”