The mother of The Voice Coach shares her son’s features and singing talents. 

John Legend posted rare pictures of his beautiful mother for her 70th birthday, and the two share a clear resemblance.

On March 6, The Voice Coach, whose real name is John Stephens, shared heartwarming snapshots of his lookalike mama, Phyllis Stephens. In the pictures, we see them giving big, matching smiles together. Phyllis wore a sparkly black dress, and Legend wore a streamlined black suit. We also caught a glimpse of Legend’s sister Phyllis “Missy” Stephens posing with the family, before a picture of Phyllis confidently singing to a crowd. (Now we know where Legend get his musical talents from!) The gathering took place in the EGOT winner’s hometown.

‘We celebrated my beautiful mother Phyllis Stephens and her 70th BIRTHDAY back home in Springfield, Ohio, this weekend! We love you deeply, Mom!” he captioned the post.

Happy birthday, Phyllis!

What to know about John Legend’s mother, Phyllis Stephens

Along with Legend, Phyllis Stephens shares three other children with his father Roland Stephens: Ronald Stephens II, Vaughn Anthony Stephens, and Missy. The family grew up in Springfield where Phyllis worked as a seamstress and frequently made clothes for her kids.

For Mother’s Day 2023, Legend made a sweet Instagram post with Phyllis, where they went through childhood photos together and Legend ”reflect[ed] on the ways [his] mom made [him] feel good growing up.”

 

“I made this suit for you…your mama loved sailor outfits!” Phyllis commented on one photo.

“You liked making outfits for us. Why did you make so many outfits for us?” Legend asked.

”Because I wanted y’all to look good and have confidence in yourselves,” she replied.

Legend attributes his success as a musician to his mother. In an interview that Legend gave with The Guardian, he said that she was the choir director of the family’s local church. ”Every setting that I spent time in was filled with music. and by seven I had begged my mother to let me into the choir,” he said.

John Legend and mother Phyllis Stevens attend a party to celebrate his album “Evolver” at RdV on October 28, 2008 in New York City. Photo: Bennett Raglin/WireImage

The ”All of Me” singer also said that Phyllis saw his musical talents from a young age and motivated him to pursue his passion. “Whenever we had opportunities to sing in church or in school, my mom would suggest that I do it. She always encouraged me,” he told People.

In 2019, Phyllis was at the 40th birthday party of Legend’s wife, Chrissy Teigen, and he also took his parents to the set of The Voice that year.

“She’s a good grandmother and is in such a good place,” Legend told The Guardian.