Rickey Smiley tragically lost his 32-year-old son, Brandon Smiley, after a drug overdose in January 2023. However, just one year later, the Atlanta-based radio host got the surprise of a lifetime.
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During a recent interview on the Smitty and Dee podcast, Smiley, 56, recalled being contacted by an ex-girlfriend in January 2024.
The ex, whom he was still friendly with, revealed that that Smiley was the father of her 5-year-old twin daughters. She found out the paternity during a court battle with one of her other ex-boyfriends.
The news was a shock, especially as Smiley had known the girls since they were born. However, he added, it was also a blessing for the grief-stricken father.
“When I tell you, that’s the first time I saw the sun again during that dark hour. The sun came back out,” he marveled.
Radio Host Rickey Smiley Opens Up About Long-Lost Daughters
According to Smiley, after learning the news, he was able to see himself in his daughters.
“One of them looks like me when I was 5, and the other one has my personality,” he shared.
He surprised his family with the news during a memorial dinner for his son. Already emotional, he said “they lost it” upon meeting the girls.
Smiley shared that his daughters have become part of his “big happy family.” They’ve even taken a trip together to Disney World.
After revealing his news, Smiley shared a throwback video of the special memory on his Instagram page, calling his girls “#MyLifeSavers.”
“Me with my #daughters on their #firstflight last year when we were headed to Disney World,” he captioned the adorable clip.
“I like how he took a whole year to just bond with them before sharing them to the world,” one fan commented.
From Smiley’s perspective, while he may have missed out on some years of fatherhood, he’s grateful for the new blessings he’s been given.
“At the end of the day, God is still good because it could have been worse, and that is a good perspective to live off of,” he said on the podcast.