Doja Cat Opens Up About Childhood and SA Dad ‘Abandoning’ Her: “I Had a Tough Childhood”

• American star Doja Cat recently opened up about her tough childhood and being raised by a single parent
• The Paint The Town Red hitmaker accused her South African dad, Dumisani Dlamini, of abandoning her
• She further spoke about how proud and grateful she is for her mother, who was able to raise her alone

Yoh, Doja Cat recently shared a revelation about her childhood that left many stunned, not forgetting she also slammed her South African father, Dumisani Dlamini.

The Paint The Town Red hitmaker has always been vocal about her father not being a part of her life since she was born, and how he never took care of her. In a recent podcast interview that was released on Friday, 3 October 2025, on Instagram, Doja Cat opened up about her tough childhood and what she had to go through.

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During the interview, the rapper also accused her father, the former Sarafina! actor of abandoning her.

"I had a fun childhood, I had a very tough childhood. I think growing up with like a single mother is a hard thing to do, and she had five kids. I could never. She's incredible, like the strongest mother, but it taught me a lot of things, and I think it also made me in some form stronger. My mom is so supportive and proud of me, and she tells me that every other day," she said during her interview.

The interview was captioned:

"Behind every strong woman… there’s usually another one. Shout out to all the single moms who did their big ones your child’s success is a reflection of all your hard work. @dojacat’s mom may be proud, but now she’s getting her flowers right back. From gushing on mama bear to sharing her with the world in her latest video, @dojacat is grounded in love & pushed by purpose. Full episode is now streaming on YouTube + everywhere you get podcasts!

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Watch the video below:

Netizens react to Doja Cat opening up about her childhood

Shortly after the interview with Doja Cat was shared on social media, many netizens flooded the comment section with their reactions. Here's what they had to say below:

ladidaix wrote:

"I’m so glad you interviewed Doja. You’re the only one who could have this kind of in-depth conversation with her."

bonjour.bridget commented:

"I love Doja, she’s so down to earth."

golden_tourmaline responded:

"Her album is actually pretty good. You can tell a lot of thought and dedication were put into it."

hippy1460 replied:

"@t3gster Doja Cat interview with Angie Martinez is awesome! You gotta watch it, sweetie."

Khaya Dlanga talks about meeting Doja Cat

In more entertainment news, Briefly News reported that Khaya Dlanga finally shared the story of when he first spoke to Doja Cat. At 14 years old, the rapper contacted Dlanga with hopes of finally meeting her dad, Dumisani Dlamini, and the writer tried by all means to make it happen.

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Famed writer Khaya Dlanga finally opened up about having been in contact with Doja Cat in 2010. This was after an old article by the To Quote Myself author was leaked by Twitter (X) user beyspope, in which Khaya attempted to help Doja Cat connect with her family and hopefully, her father, Dumisani Dlamini.

Source: Briefly News