Cam Newton is prolific both on and off the gridiron. The quarterback – who found himself without a team in the summer of 2021 – is the proud father of seven kids. He even said so himself in an Instagram post he published on Father’s Day 2021. “A Daddy isn’t defined as the man who makes the child (NOT in all instances) but rather, a MAN who extends his hands and time to help with the child’s raising,” he wrote in his trademark style, utilizing umlauts, Yuan symbols, carets, and other keyboard characters. Cam said that a father is also someone who dedicates their “heart to love the child through anything! Blood doesn’t always make you ‘Daddy.’”
“Being a dad comes from the heart,” he added. “Anybody can make a baby, but it takes a real man to raise a child. Kudos to all the real men worldwide. Happy Father’s Day to us!” From there, Cam named his seven children: Jaden, Shakira, Chosen, Sovereign-Dior, Camidas, Caesar, and Cashmere. He added the “shine thru the shade” and “not for likes just for life” hashtags. So, who are these seven kids and their mothers?
CHOSEN NEWTON
Chosen Sebastian Newton is Cam Newton’s eldest and best-known child. Born on Dec. 24, 2015, Chosen is the first child of Cam and Kia Proctor. “My longtime girlfriend and I were extremely blessed to have a son last week,” Cam tweeted at the end of the year. “Our family is excited, and thank you all for the well wishes!” In a second tweet, he wrote, “I’ve been quiet about this because I didn’t want to create a distraction for my team and appreciate the privacy in this joyous time.”
As to why Cam christened his son with that name, he explained during a 2016 chat with reporters (h/t the Washington Post). “I wanted something that would be masculine, but yet unique,” said Cam. “I’m not a big fan of juniors, and every person that I’ve had this conversation when I say ‘I don’t want to have the pressure of him being a junior,’ they reply, ‘What the hell do you think Chosen’s going to bring?’ ”
SOVEREIGN-DIOR NEWTON
Cam and Kia Proctor welcomed their second child in 2017. In December 2016, Cam’s father, Cecil Newton, spilled the tea on the pregnancy and how she was nine months pregnant at the time. “We are excited,” Cecil told NBC Charlotte reporter Michelle Boudin, who then tweeted about the pregnancy. Cam’s mother, Jackie, said, “I have no idea what this one is going to be called, but we will be happy.” Cam ultimately revealed the name of his second child – a girl — in April 2017: Sovereign-Dior Cambella Newton. He would keep her identity a secret until debuting her face in that year’s Christmas card.
CAMIDAS NEWTON
Camidas Swain Newton arrived in this world in 2018. Cam and Kia announced the pregnancy in March of that year with an Instagram pic that showed Proctor in her second trimester. “Big Mama,” she captioned the photo. Four months later, on July 6, 2018, Camidas was born. However, Kia wouldn’t reveal the first photo of her and Cam’s second son until November. In that Instagram gallery that gave the world its first glimpse of Camidas, the newborn is shown sleeping peacefully in most of the pictures (though the fourth snap shows the boy with his eyes open, laughing in a huge smile.)
CASHMERE NEWTON
Cam and Kia announced in May 2019 that they were expecting their fourth child, just ten months after they welcomed Camidas into the world. “Blessed [heart emoji] #anotherone #momof5,” Kia captioned a selfie that hinted at a growing baby bump. The news came a few months after Cam said he was taking a break from sex to “challenge myself in different ways,” hinting that this abstinence came after he and Kia successfully made another baby.
Cashmere Saint Newton was born on Sept. 30, 2019, but fans didn’t get to see him until December of that year when Kia posted an Instagram photo of them wearing matching red plaid pajamas while sitting in front of a Christmas tree. In 2020, Cam posted a picture of him with Cashmere in honor of his son’s first birthday.
SHAKIRA PROCTOR
When Cam wrote in 2021 that “a Daddy isn’t defined as the man who makes the child,” this was in reference to Shakira, Kia’s daughter from a previous relationship. Cam has a close relationship with the woman he considers his stepdaughter, and he elaborated on it in a 2017 Instagram post (per ESPN.)
“Happy Birthday to the real girl who changed my life ever since we first met five years ago,” wrote Cam. “You have challenged me in ways you will never know, because in retrospect, you were my first child. This message isn’t to brag or to even complain about my situation, but this is just real talk. Being labeled a stepdad is hard on the parent just as much as it is for the child to accept it. It is hard work for both parties, and I respect any stepparent that takes full responsibility of a God sent child.”
“I remember the first day you called me daddy, and I was scared as hell,” he added. “But when I thought about it, I was honored for you to think of me as not only a male figure in your life but also as a father figure you could learn from as well. Your mom and I are not married, but no one can tell you that I’m not your father, and they damn sure can’t tell me that you’re not my daughter. I love you, or better yet, Daddy loves you Kirry. Happy Birthday Shakira aka Kirry aka B1 Gsissy (as ChoCho calls her).”
CAESAR NEWTON
In January 2020, Sports Gossip reported that claimed Cam and Kia ended their relationship after he fathered a secret child with Instagram model La Reina Shaw. La Reina showed off the alleged baby at the end of January 2020, per The Blast, posting an IG Story which appeared to show a baby in the stroller. On July 4, 2020, Cam showed off the child – born Caser Lorenzo Newton – while celebrating his first birthday. “I have grown so much with you being here on this earth,” wrote Cam, “and I am constantly reminded what my purpose, discipline, and drive is. Thank you, son. Enjoy your day.
JADEN AMARRIO
There was one more name that Cam wrote in that Father’s Day post: Jaden. This led to some confusion. Cam is very protective of his private life – did he have another secret child that no one knew about? It turns out that Jaden is Jaden Amarrio, La Reina’s child from a previous relationship.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY [Jaden],” La Reina wrote in a Feb. 18, 2018, Instagram post. “Being a mom means that your heart is no longer yours – it wanders wherever your child goes, feels whatever your child feels. It’s one of life’s greatest blessings. And there’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do for you [Jaden]. I love you.”