For KJ Smith, her journey to partnership and marriage started with a prayer. Smith and I first became acquainted at the 2024 NAACP Awards, where she exclusively told me her previous prayer for her future partner, years ago, which resulted in a loving relationship and now marriage to her husband, Skyh Black. “I wrote a list in my journal 10 years ago. I showed him [Black] the list, and he has all the qualities I wanted as a partner. Write the vision and make it plain. I prayed with my plan and vision, and God blessed me,” she reflected on the carpet. Black said, “She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
The two married later that year, on September 3rd, 2023. They had a dreamy, star-studded wedding at The Malibu Dream Resort, with 150 guests, including Tyler Perry, Eva Marcille, Loni Love, and the casts of the hit BET shows, Sistas and All The Queens Men, as the two are lead actors on those shows.
Now, the couple is living in another answered prayer: They are expecting their first child together, and they couldn’t be more elated, rightfully so, but initially, Smith was hesitant to have any children, as she is career-driven, had fibroids, and suffered from PCOS. Meeting Black changed her mind. “People told me the number one symptom of cs infertility. Perhaps I had convinced myself that I didn’t want to have children because I knew that, so I had completely taken myself out of the motherhood race,” Smith says.
The couple went to a fertility specialist to consider IVF treatments, but became pregnant on their own. “I had an appointment to go back to that fertility specialist who told me I was infertile. I had an appointment in January to go back to that fertility specialist and start my IVF treatments, and I found out I was pregnant on January 19, 2025,” she says.
Smith continued, “I didn’t want kids at all. I aspired to be a rich auntie. I did not meet my husband until well into my 30s, so I had already decided. And then when he came into my life, and you meet a man who is responsible and a leader who takes charge and wants to be a father, wants to have a family, my mind changed as we grew and as we became a couple and married. He [Black] was the main reason I wanted a child. I said, ‘This would be a good experience with you as my partner and husband.’ So I didn’t anticipate having kids at all, and now I want as many as I can have,” Smith says.
As for Black, he’s known for a long time that he’s always wanted to be a dad. “My biological father was very absent in my life. So personally, it’s something that I’ve always looked forward to. It’s something that I’ve always dreamed of, how I was going to connect with my kid, or foster their dreams, so I’m elated,” he shares.
Although the Blacks never had a formal conversation about kids, they knew cultivating and building a family was important to them. Now, they hope to have 2-3 children. “We never had the ‘Do you want kids?’ conversation. She knew family was important to me, but we never formally discussed it. But with a strong relationship, growth happens, allowing us to progress to the next step,” Black says.
Smith is now five months pregnant and recently came out of her first trimester, which was difficult for her due to experiencing prenatal depression and having high levels of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin. “I was crying myself to sleep, because I was just like, ‘What is going on?’ I don’t even understand this. And it was very confusing for someone who has tried to maintain control of their life, to lose control of my body and my mind. It was terrifying, and I had to lean heavily on my faith because I had to relinquish control and surrender to God. I said to him, ‘You know what you’re doing. You know you’ve never led me astray before.’ I am so incredibly blessed, and my husband was there with me every step of the way, when I’m crying in the sink, or when I’m on the toilet, Smith reveals.
Black said she was also shooting season nine of Sistas during her first trimester. “It was a mental game for me because if you can focus on the mental, you’ll get through the physical. So I had to tell myself this is part of the journey, and women do this daily. Some women have had worse circumstances, who managed and made it through and had beautiful, healthy pregnancies. I honestly use the power of my ancestors a lot of prayer, and the encouragement of other women who’ve been in this situation,” she states.
Smith continues, “When I think about my mom, she worked a 9-5 job the entire time she was pregnant with me. So I called her daily, and asked her for advice: ‘How’d you do this? How did you manage it?’ she says.
When the Blacks first found out that they were pregnant, it was a surprise, as Smith randomly decided to take a pregnancy test due to having a hunch that she might be expecting due to her irregular period.
Black tells me, “She’s normally very regular.” Smith shares, “My cycle was like clockwork. So I decided to take a test casually while on the phone with my family. I put them on speakerphone and checked the test, and it was positive. And then I took another one, and that one was positive. Then I panicked, thinking, ‘What does this mean?’ And I’m a planner. I have kind of a type A personality.”
She later surprised her husband with the news when he returned home from work, and they both cried joyfully. “I surprised him. I was just so excited. But I will say that as a career woman who prides herself on being a career woman, motherhood is another job that I did not anticipate. It takes research. It takes time. You have to go to a ton of appointments. We have a doula, a midwife, and a gynecologist. You have to go to a chiropractor, you have to go to a Black midwife,” Smith shares.
To also prepare for motherhood as a working actress who is dedicated to her craft, Smith enlisted the help and advice of her friends who are also in the entertainment business and who are working mothers. “I got on the phone with women who have done this before. That was important because I needed to understand how to navigate this new space. I thought, Will I be punished for having a child in my industry? After the excitement, the stress came from trying to understand this new endeavor. Then came hope, because my industry peers assured me I would be just fine,” she says.
Currently, the couple is nesting and preparing for their baby with the help of a loving village. They noted that they don’t want a baby shower at the moment but would like to receive emotional support instead. “I’m asking my community to help me nest, because this is my first child. I don’t know what I’m doing, and I’m finally okay with the not knowing, but I have a community of women who’ve done this before. Instead of asking for a large party, which I may change my mind about this decision, I’m opting for support. I need that real support. I need someone to help me do the laundry, cook, or clean. I need family. I need my community present,” Smith says.
Between the award show appearances, several hit television shows, and red carpet events, the couple remains busy but grounded in their purpose for their growing family. “I’ve been praying since day one that God blesses us with a healthy and happy baby. I think I have pressure that I put on myself, especially now being a father, and I want my kid to look at me and say, ‘Wow, that’s my dad.’ I want to make them proud of me. I think that is a subconscious thing that I must admit out loud: ‘Hey, your kid is going to love you, but do the best you can,’ And I am. I just want my kid to be proud of me. I want my kid to know that they can come to me. I want to be Superman,” says Black.
There’s no doubt in my mind or in Smith’s that Black will be a good father because he’s already proven he is. “He tells the baby good morning every morning and says, ‘You’re amazing. You’re beautiful.’ He gives the baby positive affirmation. So it’s a sweet little morning ritual we all have,” she says.
As for Smith, she’s feeling empowered and hopeful about her pregnancy and life after having her baby, “I feel pretty fearless at this point. I experienced something that I never thought I would experience. It’s a reminder of God’s love, right? God loved me enough to allow me this opportunity and this experience. And so I feel like God’s going to bring me through it. And so I lean heavily on my faith, because that first trimester, I was terrified. I’m so blessed to have a supportive village,” she says.