Chrissy Teigen Recalls Racist Incident With John Legend

Chrissy Teigen has recalled a “horrifying” racist incident she experienced with her husband John Legend.

In an interview with Marie Claire for their Fall 2020 cover story, the model opened up about the experience. According to Teigen, while driving in Fredericksburg, Virginia back in 2010, she and Legend were followed by two “neighborhood-watch-type” white men, who questioned why they were there.

“We were in a nicer neighborhood at night, driving slowly, looking for John’s godmother’s home,” Teigen began. “These two guys were in a pickup truck slowly tailing us, flashing their lights and trying to speak to us. When we pulled over, they were like, ‘What are you guys looking for?’ and we gave them the address. They literally said, ‘Get your asses out of here!’ and proceeded to follow us all the way into her driveway. They got out of the car and stared at us as we knocked on the door and went inside. It was a terrible, scary experience.”

“That was my first taste of seeing what happens to Black men every day,” Teigen added through tears. “It was horrifying and could have gone wrong so quickly. I was sobbing afterward for hours, and I noticed John wasn’t emotional about it. Seeing that he wasn’t very thrown by it was really upsetting because he obviously had experienced it before.”

Teigen, who shares daughter Luna, 4, son Miles, 2, with Legend, also spoke to Marie Claire about how she and her husband plan to educate their kids about being Black in America. Though Luna and Miles are young, Teigen said they try to talk to their kids “like little adults.”

“There are books that I read when I became a mom that would explain to them hard and traumatic situations,” Teigen explained. “But it’s really hard to teach them about their privilege; there are no books for that. But regardless of money or status, they’re always going to have their skin color.”

She continued, “When it comes to them being treated differently because of the color of their skin, I’m going to look to John for a lot of help with that because while they are Asian and white too, their skin color is Black. We just try to talk to them like little adults, saying it in words they’ll understand, making it known that it’s very serious, and letting them ask as many questions as they need.”

Teigen went on to open up about starting therapy during coronavirus quarantine, including why she decided to still post on social media despite the advice from her therapist.

“I’m barely online anymore, and that was at the request of my therapist. I didn’t start therapy until quarantine. I used to avoid it and make fun of the idea of it, and then I found the right person and it changed my world,” she said. “People think I’m tough, but I’m such an empath, and I take on other people’s pain and sadness as my own. And when I let people down, I’m hyperaware of it.”

Though the “Lip Sync Battle” host said that it’s “good” for her to take breaks from social media, she noted that it’s “not the right time to go silent.”

“It does feel very selfish and weird to say that my mental health is important when there are people being murdered by police and murdered in their own homes,” Teigen said. “Who gives a f–k about someone making fun of me when people’s livelihoods are being threatened just for telling their stories? I have Black children, so is it really the right time to not want to step on anyone’s toes?”

While Teigen told Marie Claire she’s “barely online,” the mother of two took to Twitter Monday morning to clarify, saying that her previous statement is no longer valid.

“Narrator: she never did go offline,” joked Teigen, who is expecting her third child with Legend. The cookbook author also revealed her Marie Claire photoshoot took place shortly after she had her breast implant removal surgery back in June.

“I shot this a couple days after having my implants out – the surgery I had a false negative pregnancy test for!” she tweeted. “So will probably hang this puppy in the office!”

Meanwhile, Teigen, who is vocal about her dislike of President Donald Trump — especially on social media — explained why she and Legend are voting for Joe Biden.

“We are proud to stand behind Biden. We’re not only voting for Biden because it’s not Trump,” she said. “We’re voting for him because we think he’s going to do an incredible job of bringing a bit of healing to the country.”

“We are a divided, hurt nation that needs to be brought back together. [Biden is] someone who looks into issues with clear eyes, empathy, and understanding from being involved in politics,” she continued, adding that she wants a president her kids can “look up to.”

“I don’t see that in Donald Trump or any of his family.”

Teigen also said she “could not be more thrilled” about Biden choosing Kamala Harris as his vice president.

“Women all over the world are seeing a piece of them in a woman of power, and that kind of influence is paramount in what we need to continue this future of badass women in politics,” she explained. “Between people like Kamala and AOC, I have more hope than ever.”

Check out more from Teigen’s cover story, here.

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