Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker's Kids Through the Years (PHOTOS)
The Real Housewives of Atlanta couple share four kids together: Riley Burruss, Kaela Tucker, Ace Tucker, and Blaze Tucker. Learn more about the RHOA family!
Throughout Kandi Burruss's 14-season stint on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, she has shared her personal life with fans, including her journey as a mother. When Kandi initially joined the show in Season 2, she was a single parent raising her daughter, Riley Burruss, who was 7 years old at the time.
Since then, Kandi's life has changed tremendously, becoming a wife and a mother to three more children.
Kandi married her husband, Todd Tucker, in a lavish Coming to America-themed wedding back in April 2014. When the couple solidified their union, they became step-parents to each other's children. Todd's daughter, Kaela Tucker, who he shares from a previous relationship, made her first appearance on RHOA in Season 11.
Who are Kandi Burruss' Children?
Two years into Kandi and Todd's marriage, they welcomed a son, Ace Tucker. And in 2019, the parents welcomed another child, a baby girl named Blaze Tucker.
Fast forward to today, the Burruss-Tucker siblings are thriving in more ways than one, with the two older kids living it up in New York City and the youngest two keeping their parents busy in Atlanta.
Continue below to see just how much Kandi and Todd’s children have grown up over the years.
Kandi Burruss’s Daughter Riley Burruss, 21
Riley was born on August 22, 2002, to Russell “Block” Spencer and Kandi. As mentioned earlier, Riley made her debut on Season 2 of RHOA, where fans watched her grow from a bubbly little girl to a determined young adult.
On Riley’s 13th birthday, her mom took to Instagram to share a video compilation of her daughter from over the years, along with a heartfelt message, writing, “I can’t believe I officially have a teenager!”
With Riley having a parent in the music industry, it was only a matter of time before she followed in her mother's footsteps. In 2017, when Riley was 15 years old, she released her R&B-influenced track, "Better Late Than Never.”
A year later, Kandi announced on social media that Riley had started her journey toward pursuing a law career. Taking to Instagram in July 2018, Kandi posted a few photos of Riley with the caption, "Yesterday was a big day for my baby girl!" She continued by sharing that her daughter had begun her "first day" at Stanford University in California for the Envision Law and Trial program.
Riley graduated from high school in the summer of 2020 and went on to attend college at the illustrious New York University, which viewers saw on Season 13 of RHOA.
When Riley was a freshman, she spoke with Bravo Insider to give an update on how life away from her family was going. "I'm still learning, it's a lot of pressure as well, but I'm getting a lot of help,” Riley said at the time. “I just talk to my mom when I'm stressed… I think I've definitely learned that I depend on, like, my household more than I realize.”
In October 2022, Riley appeared on In the Know by AOL web series, where she chatted alongside fellow Real Housewives kid Brooks Marks to share an update on everything happening in her life. She mentioned how she was in her “third year at NYU” and that she was interning at a music label to “get more in the music industry.”
Since 2023 rang in, Riley’s life has been anything but chill. In January, the RHOA daughter shared a photo of her in the studio that had social media in an uproar. “Don’t play wit it,” she captioned the Instagram post of herself sitting behind a mixing board.
During a February 2023 interview with the Sharpton Sisters, Riley opened up about how her mom’s career inspired on her career choices today.
“Since [Kandi] was in the music industry, ever since I was younger, I knew I wanted to do something related to the music industry… and I don’t think I would’ve known that without her,” Riley said. “Seeing my mom in the studio, collaborating with other artists… I really like R&B and hip-hop, but I want to focus on Atlanta music.”
To be more specific, Riley “really want[s] to work on AR and developing more artists coming from Atlanta,” she clarified.
Speaking of Kandi’s influence, she attended the Clive Davis pre-Grammy Gala with Riley in February 2023, where they stunned in coordinated looks. The mother-and-daughter duo also made an appearance at the 2023 Grammy Awards. Riley posted about the spectacle on her Instagram, captioning the post, "iconic weekend with iconic people."
In August, Riley officially turned 21, and you better believe she celebrated the occasion in the most epic way. Riley, along with Kandi, Todd, Kaela, and a few of Riley’s closest friends took a trip to Turks and Caicos.
A few of Riley's birthday festivities included popping bottles of champagne, having a floating breakfast in the pool, and spending a day on a yacht enjoying the beautiful Caribbean sea. Kandi even stepped out of her comfort zone for her daughter's special day by taking a shot with Riley.
Of course, Kandi couldn’t let her first baby’s day go by without a special tribute. Taking to her Instagram feed on August 22, Kandi shared a series of photo along with the sweet caption, “Happy birthday to my first born [Riley]! I can’t believe my baby is 21. I love you so much!!!!”
She continued, “You’re beautiful, intelligent, strong, [and] a leader. This is the beginning of your next chapter. I know you will do amazing things,” Kandi added. “Always know that even though you’re officially grown, you will always be my baby [and] I will always love you [and] have your back! Let’s make this next year your best year yet!”
Todd Tucker’s Daughter Kaela Tucker, 27
Kaela is Todd’s first daughter from a previous relationship; she was born on June 17, 1996.
On Season 12 of RHOA, Kaela opened up about her plans to move to New York City and study at the Fashion Institute of Technology after she and Todd took a trip to Europe, where she met a fashion designer to learn the ins and outs of the business.
"I feel like I'll be able to meet more people, be around people that are in [fashion]," she explained about her potential move to the Big Apple.
In July 2020, Kandi showed her stepdaughter some love on social media with an adorable appreciation post and teased her fans that Kaela had something special in the works. “When I look at this pic of [Kaela Tucker] I keep hearing [Beyonce] singing 'Brown skin girl, your skin just like pearls, the best thing in the world, I never trade you for anybody else,'” the RHOA mom wrote in the caption. She added, “Follow [Kaela Tucker] she got some [fire] coming!”
For Kaela’s 25th birthday, the Burruss-Tucker family gathered in NYC to celebrate her special day. Kandi highlighted the family reunion on her Instagram, writing, “Our whole gang was out celebrating [Kaela's] BIG 25 last night!” She continued, “My [heart]s.”
Todd also showed some love to his daughter on his social page by posting an adorable selfie of the two. He wrote in the caption, “Wow [you're] 25 [years] old. Where does the time go. I love you so much! You are growing to be an amazing, beautiful young lady. Continue to live and love life! Love you with all my heart!"
A year later, Kaela celebrated a major accomplishment when she graduated from the Misa Hylton Fashion Academy in New York.
In April 2023, Kaela and Riley took a break from their big city lives to support Kandi at a concert, where she performed with her fellow XSCAPE members. Of course, Kandi took to Instagram to rave about the sweet moment, writing, "Our babies came to DC to see [XSCAPE] perform last night!"
Weeks later, Kaela shared an update on her relationship with Riley. The 27-year-old posted a collage of pictures to her Instagram Story in a “June [photo] dump.” One of the snapshots showed Kaela and Riley posing for a cute selfie.
Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker’s Son Ace Tucker, 7
Ace is Kandi and Todd’s first son together, he was born on January 6, 2016.
In January 2020, Ace launched his own YouTube Channel, Ace Plays and Giveaways, which has since then garnered over 17,000 subscribers. Ace’s channel offers a glimpse into his life and shares formidable tips on toys with his “best friends on YouTube.”
At the age of 4, Ace landed his first-ever movie role. Kandi announced the news on her social media in December 2020 by sharing a photo of her son holding onto a script and studying his lines. “I’m so proud of my Acey Pooh! He got his first role in a movie [and] they had their first table read today,” she captioned the post.
Todd found a new sense of inspiration by watching his son succeed in his acting career. The RHOA dad reflected on the matter in a December 2020 Instagram post by writing, “I want to Thank [Ace Tucker] for inspiring me.”
He continued, “I haven’t been chasing my dreams because I’ve lacked confidence, I’ve been chasing money and I’ve been helping other people chase their dreams I’m focused and I’m ready to do what I love!”
On Season 14 of RHOA, Kandi shared an update on Ace’s acting career, noting that she had found him an acting coach to tune up his skills. “Ace is acting now, so we do audition tapes together,” she shared. “I go over his roles with him. I think it’s fun.”
In December 2022, Todd revealed that Ace was filming a Christmas movie after sharing a photo of a camouflage trailer with Ace’s name on the door with the movie’s title: Favorite Son Christmas.
Two stars unite! Ace and Kandi got to put their acting skills to use when filming their KFC commercial. Kandi teased behind-the-scenes clips from the epic day on her social media. The commercial began with them sitting at a dining table as they prepared to eat the delicious nuggets. But before they dug in, Ace offered his mom some "nuggets of wisdom."
You can hear more from Ace on what he's up to, below.
While Ace is provoking to be a force to be reckoned with in the acting world, he is ready to take on his next challenge – music. On September 1, Todd took to Instagram to show off his son’s piano skills.
“All right, a little piano in the morning from my boy, Ace to the boogie,” said Todd while his little one played an adorable rendition of “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”
Todd continued, “What are you playing today? Tell the people what you’re playing.”
“I am playing ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb,’” Ace replied while keeping his song in key.
Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker’s Daughter Blaze Tucker, 3
Kandi and Todd welcomed their first daughter together on November 22, 2019.
Blaze was born via surrogate. In August 2020, Kandi reflected on her decision to use a surrogate for her third child when she appeared on an episode of Parents magazine's We Are Family podcast, per PEOPLE. At the time, Kandi revealed that it was a "tough decision" to get behind, but “now that it's all said and done, I wouldn't change a thing. It was the best decision that we could have made."
For Blaze’s 3rd birthday, Kandi and Todd threw her a magical rainbow-themed party. Kandi captured the party vibes on her Instagram Story, sharing photos and videos from the event. The birthday girl was decked out as she wore a long-sleeved gray dress with a sparkly rainbow print tulle skirt. When it came to Blaze's glam, she rocked braids with rainbow-colored beads and her nails were painted light pink and purple.
Like mother, like daughter! Blaze takes after Kandi in many ways, but the 3-year-old took that to a whole new meaning after donning one of her mom’s wigs. In an April 25 Instagram post, a carousel of pictures showed Blaze with a curly dark brown wig on her head. The caption read, “I get it from my mama.”
On July 7, Blaze and her big brother Ace supported their mom, Kandi. and her fellow XSCAPE group members at the R&B Music Experience concert in Brooklyn, New York.
While it was a fun summer indeed for Blaze, the time has finally come for her to return back to the books. And, of course, Kandi made sure her mini-me was doing it in style.
Back in August, The RHOA mom gave a glimpse at her kids, Ace and Blaze, the first day of school outfits. Ace wore a blue dinosaur print sweatsuit with 3D spiky embellishments, while Blaze donned a pink sequined dress covered in smiley faces and matching shoes.
“Dropping some cuteness on your timeline! It’s almost time for my babies to go back to school,” Kandi captioned the Instagram post.
Originally published Jul 30, 2023.
