Rickey Smiley recently learned that he is the father of 5-year-old twin daughters after getting a phone call from an ex-girlfriend.
As a guest on The Smitty and Dee Show with host Toni Dee, Smiley opened up about finding out the news around the time of the first anniversary of his son Brandon Smiley‘s accidental death in January 2023.
“I didn’t feel Brandon’s death until one year later during the anniversary because when he died, I had to take care of everything and make sure everybody was straight and console my kids, console my mother, make sure my other son’s other parents was straight and did the best I could to support them and keep everything together,” he said. “So, when that one year came, it was like somebody whispered to me and told me that Brandon had passed away. The only difference was I didn’t have no casket or no flowers, no obituary.”
Smiley’s ex discovered the twins’ paternity in a court hearing.
“She went to court with her ex-boyfriend about her identical twin daughters, found out her identical twin daughters was not her ex-boyfriend’s,” he said. “And we dated after she ended that relationship. Come to find out, I have five-year-old identical twins. Beautiful daughters that I am head-over-heels in love with.”
The kicker? Smiley has known the girls from day one. He waited one month before telling his family so he could have time to begin developing a father-daughter relationship with them without distractions.
“They been coming over to Grayson’s birthday parties and playdates. Playing on the swing set, all that stuff,” he said. “When I tell you that’s the first time I saw the sun again…During that dark hour, the sun comes back out.”
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As Blavity reported, Brandon Smiley graduated from Alabama State University with honors. He had plans to attend graduate and law school and practice injury and criminal law. Unfortunately, though, Brandon died of fentanyl and ethanol toxicity after a years-long addiction to painkillers, according to People. He was just 32 years old.
