Getty Kennya Baldwin and Stephen Baldwin
Daily Mail reports that actor Stephen Baldwin has been having an affair with a Latin American masseuse named Ruth Perez Anselmi. A friend of Anselmi claims that Baldwin has been seeing her for nearly two years after meeting her at a physical therapy class in Los Angeles.
Baldwin, 52, has been married to his wife Kennya since 1990. The couple have two children, Alaia and Hailey, and the actor frequently praises his wife in interviews and on the red carpet. Learn more about Kennya and her marriage below.
1. Kennya Is a Graphic Designer Who First Met Baldwin In 1987
Kennya was born Kennya Deodato in Brazil. She moved to the United States as a child, and studied at the York Preparatory School, New York, where she graduated in 1984. She later attended Parsons School of Design and completed her graduation in graphics designing. She then worked as a designer for several companies in the New York area.
According to Puzzups, Kennya met Stephen Baldwin on a subway in 1987, and began dating shortly after. After three years of courtship, the couple tied the knot on June 10, 1990. Baldwin was an actor on the popular TV series The Young Riders, and the Guardian reports that he was battling drug and alcohol addiction at the time. The actor had first tried cocaine at his high school prom, but was clean by the time he and Kennya were wed.
Kennya used to accompany Baldwin when he traveled for film and television commitments. She also home-schooled their two daughters; Alaia, who was born January 24, 1993 and Hailey, born November 22, 1996. “We went on all of the sets for months at a time,” Alaia wrote on Instagram. “It ended up being boring sometimes because you are sitting in a trailer eating a Subway sandwich.”
2. Her Father Is Grammy-Winning Composer & Songwriter Eumir Deodato
Kennya’s father is the legendary Brazilian composer Eumir Deodato. Deodato is known for his eclectic mix of genres such as pop, rock, disco, and Latin music. Some of his best known compositions include the Kool & the Gang singles “Ladies’ Night”, “Celebration”, and “Too Hot.” He’s also produced and arranged music on more than 500 albums for artists like Björk, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and the aforementioned Kool & the Gang.
Deodato also achieved success as a solo artist in the 1970s and 80s. His 1973 album, Deodato 2, reached number 19 on the Billboard album chart, and the lead single “Rhapsody in Blue” reached No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100. His 1979 single “Night Cruiser” earned him a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Instrumental Performance, and a pair of 1985 tracks, “S.O.S. Fire In The Sky” and “Are You For Real”, reached the top 20 on the Billboard dance chart.
Deodato has written the scores for the films The Gentle Rain (1966), The Black Pearl (1977), The Onion Field (1979), and Bossa Nova (2000). He continues to release new music, with his latest album being 2010’s The Crossing.
3. She & Baldwin Became Born Again Christians In the Early 2000s
After their daughter Alaia was born, Kennya hired a Brazilian woman, Augusta, as a housekeeper. The Guardian reports that the housekeeper encouraged both she and Baldwin to reconnect with their faith. Some time later, Kennya became born again.
“She says, ‘Honey, sit down. I’ve got to talk to you. I’ve accepted Jesus Christ tonight as my Lord and Savior,” Baldwin recalls. “‘I’ve been baptized in water. I need you to know that, from now on, what I need to do each day to the best of my ability is to become the most obedient servant to Jesus Christ that I can. Now, I need that to be clear, and I need you to understand. I don’t know what you’re going to do, but that’s what I’m going to do.’ Then I watched her go through this radically beautiful metamorphosis. It was amazing.”
Baldwin was initially reluctant, but he ultimately chose to join Kennya after the events of September 11, 2001. “I live in New York. And I thought, ‘What’s up with that?'” he said. “It was the prophetic, supernatural, spiritual impact of 9/11. Something shifting for no logical reason – well, then, Jesus Christ could come back for real. Things are no longer as they were before. Now the impossible is possible. And if the impossible is possible, and a woman came and told my wife that we would lead a ministry…”
4. Both Their Daughters Are Models & Hailey Is Currently Engaged to Justin Beiber
Both of Kennya’s daughters are supermodels. Alaia, 25, is currently represented by VNY Models in the US and the Squad in Great Britain. According to the Famous People, she has also worked for D’Management in Milan, the State Management in New York and has modeled for the Calvin Klein brand. She cites Danish model Freja Beha Erickson as her biggest career inspiration. Alaia got married to Andrew Aronow in September 2017. The wedding was held at the Blue Hill restaurant in Westchester County, New York. Aronow is a writer and producer whose credits include the documentaries Fandom and Iconoclasts.
Hailey, 21, is currently represented by IMG Models and posed for such notable publications as Vogue, H&M, Marie Claire, and Glamour Magazine. She has also appeared in runway shows for the likes of Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Philipp Plein. Hailey became engaged to pop singer Justin Beiber on July 7, 2018. While there was some confusion about whether they had married in private, Hailey took to Twitter on September 14 to confirm that they are still engaged.
“I understand where the speculation is coming from, but I’m not married yet!” she wrote. The tweet was deleted shortly after. Beiber obtained a marriage license in September, meaning that the couple have until December 12, 2018 to get hitched. Otherwise, they will need to obtain a new license.
5. Kennya Has No Social Media Accounts But Her Daughters Often Post About Her
Kennya has no Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook accounts, but her daughters frequently post about her on their respective profiles. On October 1, 2017, Hailey Baldwin posted a throwback photo of her and her mother with the caption: “Happy birthday my beautiful Mommy. Love you endlessly, would not be who I am without you.”
She posted a similarly celebratory photo on Mother’s Day 2018, which you can check out below. On September 3, 2017, Hailey posted a video of her and her mother dancing to the Drake song “Ice Melts” with the caption: “Just harassing my mom.”
Alaia also posted several birthday messages to her mother. “Happy Birthday to my momma,” she wrote. “Thank you for teaching me how to be a confident woman, and how to be a #wifey. I love you more than you’ll ever know.”
The 2018 post includes a photo with her father Stephen Baldwin. “Happy Birthday to my most beautiful mama, inside and out,” she added in 2018. “My glowing vixen queen. I love you.”