Kayla Phillips has built a career for herself on the internet. Now, she’s hoping the internet can help her build a family.
The model and Instagram star met Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver DeSean Jackson on social media in 2014 and the two officially announced their relationship the following January. Just a few months later, the pair announced, with an Instagram post, that they were expecting a child together.
Phillips was featured heavily on Jackson’s reality show, DeSean Jackson: Home Team, and the two are joining their mutual star power on social media as well. Here’s what you need to know about Phillips:
1. Phillips Gained Fame on Social Media Sites Like Instagram & Vine
Phillips, who was born in Virginia in 1991, got her start as a model and Vine star with the channel “imKaylaPhillips.” She also gained popularity with her Instagram posts and now has over 850,000 followers on the social media site.
She and Melvin Gregg co-starred in a handful of Vine videos together and Phillips used her internet presence to promote the clothing collection, Civil Women’s Fall Hear Us Roar, which she regularly modeled for. The line is available at a handful of stores across the country, including PacSun, Nordstrom and Zumiez.
2. She Announced Her Pregnancy With an Instagram Post
Of course, with so much of her life already posted on social media, it should come as no surprise that Phillips announced she and Jackson were expecting with an Instagram post. The photo’s caption didn’t detail much about the pregnancy but did, in true social media fashion, included a handful of emojis.
The photo came just a few months ago after Phillips and Jackson confirmed they were dating in January 2015 after meeting, naturally, online.
Jackson and Phillips also hosted a sports-themed baby shower for their soon-to-be-born child in July of 2015.
Desean Jackson Jr, was born October 26, 2015. The couple announced his birth with several adorable Instagram posts.
3. Phillips Was Previously Linked to August Alsina & Justin Bieber
Only a few months before she went public with Jackson, Phillips was rumored to be dating August Alsina for several years. She even took to Twitter to support the R&B singer after he teamed up with Chris Brown and Trey Songz:
After Phillips and Alsina broke up in 2014, she returned to the music pool when she was spotted on a date with Justin Beiber at Chris Brown’s Skate Jame Party in Glendale this June. According to The Daily Mail, Bieber appeared to put take her phone number and the two spent most of the evening together.
4. She Also Has a Son From a Previous Relationship
Although this is Jackson’s first foray into parenthood, Phillips already has a son from a previous relationship with Omyn Newkirk. The pair met in high school, when he was a standout football player and she was on the cheerleading squad.
Newkirk didn’t mince words when he told the gossip site Bossip that Jackson should not trust his girlfriend:
She’s trying to portray herself as this innocent girl who got pregnant by DeSean Jackson. She’s a money-hungry female who’ll probably do anything —and I mean anything—to be part of someone with a little bit of money. She’s willing to trap whoever.
And Newkirk wasn’t the only one who suspicious about Phillips. In one episode of his reality show, DeSean Jackson: Home Team, the standout pass-catcher flew his girlfriend in to meet his family and it didn’t go well. Cameras weren’t allowed in the house when Phillips met Jackson’s mom, sister and older brother but her post-introduction reaction on the show alluded to a rather icy welcome.
5. Jackson Was Most Linked to Pop Singer Ashanti in 2014
Jackson, who rose to prominence with the Philadelphia Eagles before being released from the team in 2014, was most recently romantically linked with Ashanti. According to The Washington Post, the two dated for nearly a year and were spotted out and about in downtown Washington D.C. in December of 2014.
Ashanti seemed to confirm the relationship in an interview with Access Hollywood. She described herself as “super single” but added that she got “a lot of texts.” The pop star, who had recently split from long-time boyfriend Nelly at the time of the interview, said “The last famous dude who texted me? DeSean Jackson.”