Model Christine Diane Teigen, also known as Chrissy Teigen, wife of soul crooner John Legend, tells Marie Claire about encountering racism while with her husband in the state of Virginia back in 2010.
In an exclusive interview with Marie Claire, where she is on the current cover, she speaks about an incident where she and Legend were followed and harassed by two “neighborhood-watch-type” white men in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
“We were in a nicer neighborhood at night, driving slowly, looking for John’s godmother’s home. These two guys were in a pickup truck slowly tailing us, flashing their lights, and trying to speak to us. When we pulled over, they were like, ‘What are you guys looking for?’ and we gave them the address. They literally said, ‘Get your asses out of here!’ and proceeded to follow us all the way into her driveway. They got out of the car and stared at us as we knocked on the door and went inside. It was a terrible, scary experience.”
“That was my first taste of seeing what happens to Black men every day,” Teigen says through tears. “It was horrifying and could have gone wrong so quickly. I was sobbing afterward for hours, and I noticed John wasn’t emotional about it. Seeing that he wasn’t very thrown by it was really upsetting because he obviously had experienced it before.”
In the revealing interview, Teigen also states why she is choosing to vote for Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden this upcoming election.
“We are proud to stand behind Biden. We’re not only voting for Biden because it’s not Trump. We’re voting for him because we think he’s going to do an incredible job of bringing a bit of healing to the country. We are a divided, hurt nation that needs to be brought back together. [Biden is] someone who looks into issues with clear eyes, empathy, and understanding from being involved in politics. I also look at a presidential candidate as someone I want my kids to be able to look up to. I don’t see that in Donald Trump or any of his family.”