Fans Are Divided As Ice-T Fires Back At Critics Of Wife Coco Breastfeeding Their 5-Year-Old Daughter

Aug 06, 2021 by apost team

When Coco Austin, wife of “Law & Order SVU” star and rapper Ice-T, revealed to her followers in March 2020 that she still breastfeeds her daughter, many people were not so supportive. While most were not against the idea of her breastfeeding her daughter Chanel, Austin came under fire because her daughter was nearly 5 years old at the time. Now, her daughter Chanel is 5, and Austin is coming under heat again for still breastfeeding her daughter. While some fans are outraged by Chanel’s actions, others are taking her side.

In an interview with US Weekly on July 31, 2021, Austin said she continues to feed Chanel because she likes it, and Austin doesn't want to just tell Chanel “no.” The interview was focused more generally on parenting do's and don'ts, but most of the attention from readers honed in on Austin’s choice to continue breastfeeding. While Austin’s daughter Chanel does have a well-balanced diet outside of being breastfed, many have written hateful comments directed at both Austin and Ice-T for their parenting choices.

While many mothers stop breastfeeding after the age of 2, other mothers continue to breastfeed until the age of 5 or 6, and in many countries, it is quite normal. However, just as many criticized Austin last year, she's being criticized again this year for continuing to breastfeed. Ice-T has stepped up to defend his wife yet again amid the controversy.

Read on to learn more about what fans are saying about the breastfeeding controversy and how Ice-T stepped up to defend his wife's decision to breastfeed their daughter Chanel.

Nicole Natalie Marrow, a 41-year-old actress, better known as Coco Austin, has been married to American rapper Ice-T since the early 2000s. Fast forward more than a decade later to 2015, and the star couple had their first child together, Chanel Nicole, who turned 5 at the end of November 2020. The scrutiny and criticism surrounding Chanel Nicole and her mother came about back in September 2019 when Austin posted a picture of her nursing her daughter, according to USA Today. At the time, Chanel was 3 years old. As part of the controversial Instagram post, Austin wrote:

"A mothers calling.... I'm so blessed to have this unbelievable experience in this thing called Nursing," she captioned the series of photos.

"I had a hard time breastfeeding the 1st week of when Chanel was born, I almost gave up but my family told me to hang for another week. They told me I dont want to miss this special moment you have with your child," she continued in September of 2019. Since then, Austin has come under fire again. In March 2020, she posted another photo of herself breastfeeding Chanel, who is nearing five years old.

In a more recent July 31 interview with US Weekly, Austin said:

"Chanel still likes my boobs. It’s a big bonding moment for a mother and your child. Why take that away from her? … If she doesn’t want it, all right, that’s where you stop it. But I’m not just going to say no."

The coupling of the comment and her parenting choice has sent people into an internet frenzy.

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“It’s completely unnecessary to breast feed a child for this long. Why she continues is something that needs to be addressed. Inappropriate and absolutely odd that they would share this with the world,” Hayley Marie Elisabeth commented in response to apost.com’s coverage of this story.

Laura Benedetto echoed Elisabeth’s concerns regarding the family’s lack of privacy.

 “Why in the world does anyone post pictures of themselves breastfeeding their children at all. Those pictures are out there forever and at some point in her school years someone will repost her nursing at 5 and children are cruel. Nursing is great, world doesn’t have to know all your details,” Benedetto commented.

Husband Ice-T fired back on Twitter to defend his wife. He wrote:

"News Flash! We feed Chanel FOOD... She just likes to suck moms boob every now and then... Me Too!!!"

Besides the numerous negative comments that Austin received regarding her decision to continue breastfeeding, she has also received many supportive ones.

“This topic is always funny to me. Society made breastfeeding unacceptable when they sexualized women’s bodies. Wonder back in ‘the day’ what that natural cut off was?” Kathleen Mary O'Carroll wrote in defense of Austin, responding to apost.com’s story.

Latreash Hobbs also took Austin’s side, noting that how long a mother breastfeeds her child is a personal choice.

“The comments!! First it's her business not the world. It is also a part of parenting. Some breastfeed longer than others,” she wrote. “I personally wouldn't go past two but sometimes a child needs to nurse because it helps them emotionally. Every family and child are different. It is sad that people have (made) nursing into a sexual thing.”

What do you think of breastfeeding a 5-year-old child? When and why should mothers stop breastfeeding their kids? Let us know — and be sure to pass this on to get your friends and family members’ opinions.