Yahoo Finance All About Idina Menzel and Taye Diggs' Son, Walker Nathaniel Diggs
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Idina Menzel and Taye Diggs may not be together anymore, but they have a great co-parenting relationship.
The two Broadway actors met on the 1996 production of Rent and got married in 2003. The former couple welcomed their son, Walker Nathanial Diggs, 13, in September 2009. A few years later, they split amicably, but they still speak highly of each other.
When asked about co-parenting during a 2022 interview with PEOPLE, the Best Man actor had nothing but praise for Menzel.
"She runs the show," he said. "She has a career and she has her own relationships and she still makes sure that Walker is where he needs to be when he needs. He's got the best coaches and the best teachers, and we're at the best schools, and it's all because of her."
Menzel has shared similar sentiments about co-parenting, telling PEOPLE Now in 2016, "Your child comes first, that's all." She added, "He comes first and you have to get past your own egos and you never talk bad about each other."
The Frozen star has also spoken candidly to PEOPLE about what she's learned from being a mother.
"It was actually really liberating when I became a mom, because everything was so focused on the self. And when you had these beautiful, little humans that you have to worry about, it teaches you priorities and perspective," Menzel said.
She continued, "And you screw up every day in some way. But if you come from a place of love and forgiveness and try to be a stable, strong sort of rooted tree for your kids, and they know that you're not going to — you may bend — but you're not going to break. I think that's the greatest way to show them that you will always be there and that you love them."
Keep reading for everything to know about Idina Menzel and Taye Diggs' son, Walker Nathanial.
He was born on Sept. 2, 2009
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Walker Nathaniel Diggs was born on Sept. 2, 2009.
Ahead of his birth, Diggs spoke to PEOPLE about how excited he and Menzel were to welcome their son.
"We have a spot in New York and one [in Los Angeles]. [Idina] has both nurseries done. She did them herself, painted them, and today she's putting together a bassinet," he said.
"Everyone keeps telling me how amazing it's going to be. Once the birth happens, everything is going to change on every level," he continued. "I'm very excited."
He's a sneaker collector
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Fashion runs in the family: Menzel launched her own clothing line with QVC, titled Encore, in May 2022, but she claims her son is more fashionable than she is. While speaking with PEOPLE, the proud mom shared that Walker loves sneakers and has a large collection of them. Luckily for Menzel, she wears the same size as her 13-year-old son, though Walker was not happy when she showed up to pick him up from school wearing a pair of his Yeezys.
"I've been stealing his [shoes]. We're now in the same size for sneakers, which is very exciting because he's got a sneaker collection," Idina told PEOPLE. "The other day I was too lazy to run up the stairs to get my own shoes, and I was running to pick him up at school, so I put on a pair of his Yeezys."
The actress said when she arrived to pick him up, he gave her a "look of death" because he was worried she wouldn't take proper care of his shoes.
He's sweet to his mom
During a 2021 interview with Glamour, Menzel admitted that she had a "hard time" turning 50 and that the milestone birthday had made her feel self-conscious. Her son, however, helped her overcome her insecurities.
"I am ashamed to say it, but I was having a hard time with it. I think it was subconsciously bothering me more than I let on, in regards to my relevance as a performer and actress. I'm feeling like the old lady sometimes, and that's not who I am," Menzel said. "I feel very young at heart."
She went on to share the advice Walker gave her. "He says, 'Mom, don't look in the mirror and worry about how you look. You're beautiful.' "
The singer also noted that she wants to make a conscious effort to set a good example for her son, remembering how her own mother would pick apart her insecurities whenever she looked in the mirror, despite Menzel thinking she was beautiful.
And Menzel is sweet to Walker, too — she told PEOPLE that she often leaves him special notes in his lunchbox "whether they're embarrassing him or not."
He's a tattoo artist for his dad
Taye Diggs Instagram
Speaking to PEOPLE Now in 2018, Diggs shared his Father's Day plans, which included having Walker draw him some art for a tattoo.
It was not the first time the proud dad had one of his son's drawings made into a tattoo. When Walker was just 5 years old, Diggs turned one of his doodles into a tattoo on his left forearm. Diggs showed off his new ink on Instagram, which reads "I Love Daddy" with all the D's written backward.
Diggs also had the word "WALK" tattooed on his left forearm in 2010 for Walker's first birthday, as he explained during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
He inspired his dad to write children's books
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Diggs has released several children's books, including Chocolate Me! and Mixed Me!, which touch on identity and race.
Upon the release of The Festival of Creatures, a children's book written for Baskin-Robbins, Diggs spoke to PEOPLE about his inspiration as an author.
"I very much enjoy writing children's books. When [Walker] was born, I took a special interest [in writing] and I've had a really great time doing it," he said.
The Private Practice actor has also spoken openly about how his book Mixed Me! was directly inspired by Walker. "This one was inspired by my little boy, Walker Nathaniel Diggs, who is a product of a blended relationship," Diggs said in an interview with Today. "His mom's vanilla, and I'm dark chocolate."
One of his books, I Love You More Than..., is a love letter from a dad who doesn't live full-time with his son, telling him all the ways he loves and misses him.
He and his dad bonded over sports
Diggs spoke about his son during a Feb. 15, 2023, appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers. The Rent alum said that playing a coach on All American helped him as he became more involved with Walker's athletic interests.
"I was able to kind of use what I was doing at work with my son at his games and whatnot," the actor explained. "It was a life-changing role, I'm very thankful."
He doesn't care that his mom is famous for Frozen
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Walker may have two movie stars for parents, but their fame doesn't phase him — not even Menzel's big Disney role as Elsa in Frozen.
"Honestly he does not care about Frozen!" Menzel told PEOPLE of Walker. "When he was in kindergarten and wanted a couple of cool crayons from a girl, he was like, 'Hey, my mom's in Frozen, I could get you an autograph.' But other than that, he tells me to shut up in the car. I'm not allowed to sing."
However, Walker's reason for not always wanting to hear his mom sing is actually kind of sweet, as Menzel explained to PEOPLE in 2016.
"He doesn't like to hear Mommy sing! The few times I've tried ... he started to cry!" she shared, adding, "He said, 'Mommy, it makes me miss you.' I said, 'What do you mean? I'm here!' He said, 'It just makes me think about when you go onstage and I miss you.' "
