Few musical artists have had as lengthy of a career as Joseph Simmons (better known by his stage-name Rev. Run) has. The 56-year-old rapper was one of the founding members of the classic rap act Run-D.M.C., who have produced numerous hits like “King of Rock” or “It’s Tricky.” Outside of his musical career, Run was also the star of the reality show Run’s House from 2005 to 2009, which gave fans a look into his daily, family life.
Run has been married twice. His first wife was Valerie Vaughn from 1983 to 1992, and then to Justine Jones since 1994. Run had three kids with each woman and later adopted another baby girl with Justine. From watching Run’s House, it’s clear that the rapper is truly a family man and values his relationships with each of his children. Find out more about all of Rev. Run’s children here!
Vanessa Jean Simmons
Valerie gave birth to Run’s oldest daughter Vanessa, 38, in August 1983. Vanessa is best-known for being a part of Run’s House, but she’s also dabbled in acting with her most recent role being Caroline in the TV series Monogamy, via IMDb. Other than being an entertainer, she’s also an entrepreneur and owns three businesses, including the skincare line Sugar Me, the footwear line Pastry, and the clothing brand Glitter and Lace. Besides her professional career, Vanessa is also a mom! Her and her boyfriend Mike Wayans welcomed their first child in 2014. She had a daughter named Ava Marie Jean.
Angela Simmons
Rev. Run’s second daughter Angela, 34, was born in September 1987! Angela is a co-owner of Pastry footwear with her big sister, and she also starred on Run’s House. More recently, she’s been a star and producer for the reality series Growing Up Hip Hop. Angela is also a close friend of rapper Bow Wow and even starred in his music video for “Shortie Like Mine.” She was most recently romantically linked to boxer Daniel Jacobs. The news of her relationship with Daniel in 2020 came two years after her fiancé Sutton Tennyson was shot and killed in 2018. Angela has one child from her relationship with Sutton: a son named Sutton Joseph, born in 2016.
Joseph Simmons Jr.
Run’s oldest son and namesake Joseph Jr., 32, was born in September 1989. The rapper’s eldest boy, nicknamed Jojo, has also appeared on Run’s House albeit in only 14 episodes. He’s also made appearances on Growing Up Hip Hop, and he’s taken on a few acting roles, most notably as Drew in both King of Newark films. In 2016, Jojo’s now-wife gave birth to his first daughter Mia. “I had a lot of troubles, but me having a child matured me in a crazy way. It made me look at life way differently and just made me way more focused on things,” he told HollywoodLife in a 2018 interview. Jojo married his wife Tanice Amira in 2019, having been together since 2010, via People.
Daniel Dwayne Simmons III
Run’s second son and oldest child with Justine Daniel Dwayne, 30, was born in March 1991. Other than appearing on Run’s House, Daniel, better known by his nickname Diggy, has set out to follow in his dad’s footsteps and pursued his own career in rap. Diggy’s released two of his own albums Unexpected Arrival in 2012 and 2018’s Lighten Up. His most recent single was 2020’s “Knowing Me, Knowing You.” While primarily being a musician, Diggy has also dabbled in acting, taking on the part of Doug in the hit comedy Grown-ish from 2018 to 2021. Daniel is also named after Run’s older brother, the acclaimed artist Daniel Simmons.
Russell Simmons II
Justine gave birth to Run’s youngest son Russell, 25, in August 1997. Just like Daniel, Russell (also known as Russy) was named after Run’s older brother, music icon Russell Simmons. Like his other siblings, Russell appeared on Run’s House, but he also starred in some of his dad’s other reality shows, like Rev Runs Around The World, which he was the host of, via IMDb. When his son turned 25, Run made a sweet Instagram post to show how proud he was. “HERE’S NO WAY YOU’RE 25 TODAY HAPPY BDAY RUSSY,” he wrote at the time.
Miley Justine Simmons
Not much is known about Run’s youngest daughter Miley, 14, who was born in 2007. The little girl was adopted years after the loss of Run’s youngest daughter. Miley’s adoption came up in season four of Run’s House, and since then, she’s appeared in other series alongside her dad like Rev Runs Around The World, via Essence.
Victoria Anne Simmons
Justine and Run’s youngest daughter was a heartbreaking story. Justine gave birth to Victoria in September 2006. She tragically suffered from a birth defect called omphalocele, which causes a child’s internal organs to grow outside of their body during pregnancy, according to People. Justine gave birth via C-section and Victoria sadly didn’t make it. Justine opened up about her daughter’s death in the couple’s book Old School Love in 2020. “I had carried Victoria Anne full-term; she was in me, a part of me. I could feel her every single day in me,” she wrote, via People. “Joey found comfort in God and being with me. I found comfort going under the covers. For the most part, on most days, I was trying to heal my body, heal my sadness, heal my sorrow, and heal my heart … I was lonely for my child.”