Cheetah Girls' Kiely Williams hits back at shamers who called her mom guilt dramatic: 'You don’t have a heart’
3LW and Cheetah Girl alum Kiely Williams shared her first experience with separation anxiety.
On Thursday, the 34-year-old singer and actress shared an emotional video on Instagram describing her struggle being away from her daughter, Rowan, 3, whom she shares with husband Brandon Cox.
"I’m here at this lavish hotel for work. I haven’t traveled without my kid since she was born. That’s like almost three years. I like to take her with me if I had to go someplace. But COVID, you know. Every time I talk to her, she’s like, ‘Mommy come home,’" Williams revealed as she began to cry.
In a second video, she praised working mothers as superheroes.
"I don’t know how you guys do it,” Williams said. “Especially if you have to leave for a long time. I just feel like I’m failing her, and my heart is broken. I gotta stop crying. This is only like the first or second day so I guess it'll get easier, right? I just miss her and I know she misses me."
Fans took to Williams' comments to show their support, including fellow singer Nivea.
"I truly, truly feel your pain love...just know that you are working for her future as well! Keep praying and try your best to stay positive! Remind yourself and her that this is temporary, not forever. She is going to be so proud of you for continuing to work on your dreams," Nivea wrote.
"I feel you! I remember I went on vacation for the first time since I had my baby. She was 2 at the time and she was left with her grandparents lol I cried and felt guilty I called like 5 times a day. Lol I got on the grandparents' nerves," a fan said.
"When you making money to be a provider for her that’s your motivation. You grab her some type of souvenir to remind her of your journey," another person added.
"Aw stay strong you got this," a user continued.
Not long after posting her initial video, Williams followed up with fans on Instagram Live to let them know that she was feeling better and to also respond to some of the backlash she received from people who said that she was being dramatic.
"A bunch of f*****g insensitive, ugly-hearted people came on to tell me that ‘it’s not that serious’ that ‘people are dying in Texas,’ like I’m not aware of that, that ‘I’m horrible and stupid,’" she reacted. "They all came from The Shade Room, I don’t know these people. So it actually did work, it pulled me out of my spiraling cascade of depression because now I’m like ‘f**k you people. What’s wrong with you? You don’t have a heart? You don’t understand that a person, any person could go through separation anxiety, could be experiencing mom guilt. Feeling just f**ked.’"
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