Putting their child first. Idina Menzel and Taye Diggs split in 2013, but they’ve remained committed to amicably coparenting their son, Walker.
The Frozen voice actress and the Chicago star welcomed Walker in 2009, six years after tying the knot. The former couple met while starring together in the original Broadway production of Rent, later reprising their roles in the 2005 film adaptation.
While their romance didn’t last, Diggs has said that he’s proud of the legacy he and Menzel left on Rent, which became one of the longest-running shows in Broadway history.
“Someone just asked me what it has meant, what it means to me, and it’s so much,” the Private Practice alum explained during a January 2021 interview on The Drew Barrymore Show. “I met my baby mama there, it’s the beginning of my career, and even today, we’re still getting together and moving people over Zoom, doing Zoom charity concerts and whatnot.”
Diggs added that he’s proud to share Rent‘s legacy with Walker, who was born one year after the show closed. “[Idina] made history in that show and continues to make history with her singing and whatnot,” the All American star explained. “And to know that I was right there, I loved sharing that with my son. Like, Daddy was there when the world first listened to her.”
Menzel’s turn in Rent made her a star onstage, but in 2013, she began reaching a new — and much younger — audience when she voiced Elsa in Disney’s Frozen. Her son, however, remained unimpressed.
“He’s seen it maybe twice. He hates it,” the Tony Award winner told Us Weekly in 2018. “It’s princess-y and it’s Mommy singing, so it means that she has to work and go sing the stupid song, and it takes me away from him.”
While Walker doesn’t actually like the animated movie, he’s at least proud enough of his mom to tell other kids at school that she’s the voice of Elsa. “That’s his game,” Menzel quipped.
After her split from Diggs, the Uncut Gems star moved on with Rent costar Aaron Lohr, whom she wed in 2017. She later opened up about the couple’s attempts to conceive a child via in vitro fertilization in the documentary Idina Menzel: Which Way to the Stage?
“I didn’t think I wanted to have a baby,” she explained in the film, noting that she’s since given up on having another child after multiple rounds of unsuccessful treatments. “But then Aaron has been the most amazing man to my son — who has a wonderful dad — but has found a way to have his own incredible relationship with Walker.”
Diggs, for his part, has been dating Apryl Jones since late 2021. The Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood star shares two children with ex Omarion.
Keep scrolling for Diggs and Menzel’s quotes about parenting Walker: