Rev Run is the head of one of the most popular and beloved families in showbusiness. However, one tragically less-known member of this extended family is the mother of three of Rev’s children.
Vanessa, Angela, and Jojo Simmons were all born to Rev and his first wife Valerie Vaughn. Such a significant figure within the family flying so low under the radar after splitting with Rev is actually a pretty sad thought.
But a few years ago, she was pulled into the headlines for something even sadder. In 2020, Angela and her siblings mourned the loss of their Grandma June, who was Valerie’s mother. The devastating news was marked by all three siblings on their social media accounts.
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Angela took to Instagram with a heartfelt post. She wrote that she couldn’t believe that she was even typing out.
Coming just two years after another horrific tragedy in Angela’s own life, this loss probably hit her really hard. She went on to say that she missed her grandma already, which was echoed by similar messages from Angela and Jojo.
Although Valerie remained pretty quiet about her loss herself, the media attention on her famous children at this time pulled her back into the spotlight. This led many fans to become curious about Valerie and what happened between her and Rev.
With their relationship coming to an end several decades ago, little has been reported about Rev’s first wife. Here’s what we know.
Valerie and Rev Had a Positive Relationship
According to Rev’s Wikipedia entry, he married Valerie in 1983. Although the year of their split is not listed, several online outlets have alleged that they split up in 1992. Despite this, it seems like the relationship between Valerie and Rev remained positive.
In 2012, Valerie gave an interview which was uploaded on YouTube. In the comments, many fans praised Valerie after seeing her appearances on the Run’s House show.
One commenter described them and their children as a “very sweet blended family.” Another gave Valerie credit for “not allowing her divorce from Rev Run to cloud her judgment of what was in the best interest of their three children.” In the interview, Valerie was full of gratitude about her family situation.
She revealed that she came from a small family, having only two brothers. She explained that she had “always wanted sisters.” Instead, she got four daughters to make up for it.
According to an online biography of Valerie, she also has another daughter from a previous relationship named Dayan Danielle, as well as the boy and two girls she shares with Rev.
Valerie stressed in her interview how well Dayan was doing. She said she was happy that her daughter was doing something constructive.
Vanessa Has Been Incredibly Successful
Most recently, she had a daughter named Tiffany, who she shares with her husband Alfonzy Vaughn III. In her interview, Valerie said that both Dayan and Tiffany looked up to Vanessa.
Since growing up and leaving Run’s House behind, both daughters have continued to work in TV as well as other successful ventures. The eldest, Vanessa, now 39 years old, has a family of her own as well as a multi-faceted career.
She’s dabbled in acting, working on shows like Guiding Light and movies like Boogie Town. More recently, she also starred as Caroline in Monogamy.
Vanessa also hosted shows like Project Runway: Threads and the talk show Asking for a Friend. She briefly worked as a model, making it onto Maxim Magazine’s Hot List in 2006.
As well as an actor, Vanessa is a successful entrepreneur with 3 businesses. She owns the skincare line Sugar Me, the clothing brand Glitter and Lace, and co-owns the footwear line Pastry with her sister Angela.
In 2021, the sisters’ brand was named the No. 1 dance sneaker in the US. The brand partnered with 22 NBA dance teams and 15 NFL teams.
Valerie Now Has Grandchildren
Valerie became a grandmother when Vanessa had a daughter with her boyfriend, Mike Wayans. Angela, Valerie’s second daughter with Rev, also gave her a grandchild when she gave birth to her son Sutton. Sutton was named after his late father, who passed away in tragic circumstances after an attack outside his house.
Valerie’s third child and only son with Rev, Joseph Jr, is better known as Jojo Simmons. The 34-year-old spent his early years trying to follow in his dad’s footsteps by becoming a rapper. According to Essence magazine, he recently delivered a verse on an R&B song called “Mary Jane.”
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In his younger years, Jojo was reportedly caught up in some serious trouble as a result of his hip-hop ambitions. After Jojo reportedly released a diss track aimed at fellow rapper Juelz Santana in 2013, XXL magazine reported that some associates of Juelz allegedly had an altercation with Jojo. Whatever happened was enough for Jojo to reportedly call Juelz to apologize for his track.
Jojo’s Life Changed Drastically
Luckily, things have reportedly calmed down for Jojo in the years since. The main reason he gives for this was the birth of his daughter Mia in 2016. He shares Mia with his wife Tanice Amira, who he married in 2019.
His newfound domestic life made him look at things a little differently. In an interview with Hollywood Life in 2018, Jojo stated that his daughter had “forced him to mature.” He’d become more “focused” since her birth.
Jojo has also retired from rap, choosing instead to follow his uncle, legendary Def Jam founder, Russell Simmons. He started the recording label Who’s House Entertainment with his friend Femi Iloyi.
Jojo and Femi had worked together on music for TV networks and shows before taking this huge step, and it looks like it’s paid off. His business ventures combined with a regular spot on Growing Up Hip Hop from Season 5 onward have seen him secure a net worth of $2 million.
Rev Found Love Again
In her interview, Valerie talked about how proud she was of all her children. With so many of her kids starting families of their own, Valerie will surely continue to be a hugely important presence in their lives.
It’s also good to hear that Valerie has continued to share a positive relationship with Rev since their marriage came to an end. Rev went on to marry Justine Simmons, with whom he has grown his family even further. Together with his second wife, Rev actually wrote a book in 2020 to share what they’ve learned about maintaining a happy marriage.
Despite the many successes of their own marriage and children, Rev Run and Justine’s lives have also been marked by tragedy. Their daughter Victoria was born in 2006 with a birth defect. Justine gave birth via a C-section, but tragically, Victoria didn’t make it.
Justine opened up about her loss in the couple’s book, Old School Love. She described Victoria in the book as a part of her that she felt every day.
Following the loss of Victoria, the couple adopted their daughter Miley. In their Ebony interview, Justine said that adopting was amazing, and that all the women who cannot have babies should know that.
While tragedy has marked the lives of both of Rev’s wives, their large family will always be there to support them through tough times.
