At the Golden Globes, Teyana Taylor reminded everyone why she deserves every bit of success she has earned over the course of her multi-hyphenate career.
She won Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for her performance as Perfidia Beverly Hills in One Battle After Another, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, in a moment that felt like the culmination of years of persistence and self-belief.
Visibly emotional as her name was announced, Taylor paused before speaking to acknowledge her daughters, who were watching elsewhere in the hotel.
‘Y’all better be off them damn phones and watching me right now,’ she joked, drawing laughter from the room. She went on to thank Anderson for ‘your vision, your trust and your brilliance,’ calling her appreciation ‘endless’.
The win placed her ahead of a formidable field that included Emily Blunt, Ariana Grande, Elle Fanning, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Amy Madigan.
But the most resonant moment came at the close of her speech, when she addressed Black and Brown women and girls watching at home. ‘Our softness is not a liability. Our depth is not too much. Our light does not need permission to shine. We belong in every room we walk into. Our voices matter, and our dreams deserve space.’
As awards-season buzz grows around Taylor, here is everything you need to know about her life, career, and the reality TV roots that first introduced her to the world.
Teyana Taylor’s reality TV history, including My Super Sweet 16
Raised in Harlem, New York, amid music, dance and fashion, Taylor was encouraged from an early age by her mother Nikki Taylor, who later became her manager.
Taylor was just 16 when she appeared on MTV’s My Super Sweet 16 in 2007, instantly memorable for her confidence and flair.
Soon after came Making the Band, where proximity to industry power structures proved formative.
Years later, she returned to reality television on her own terms with VH1’s Teyana & Iman, a more considered portrait of family life and creativity alongside NBA player Iman Shumpert.
Teyana Taylor’s music career
Taylor’s musical journey began remarkably early. At just 15, she choreographed the video for Ring the Alarm by Beyoncé, a breakout moment that led to her signing with Star Trak Entertainment, an imprint of Interscope Records founded by Pharrell Williams.
She went on to appear as a dancer in a video for Jay-Z, before gaining wider recognition through guest appearances on Kanye West’s Dark Fantasy and Hell of a Life from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
Her debut album VII arrived in 2014, but it was 2018’s K.T.S.E., produced by West, that marked her true breakout.
The Album and The Album (Deluxe) both entered the Billboard 200 top ten and featured collaborations with Missy Elliott and Lauryn Hill.
In 2020, Taylor announced she was stepping away from music, writing candidly to fans about feeling underappreciated and unsupported by the industry machine. She described it as retiring a chapter, not abandoning her art.
Them, in 2025, Taylor returned with Escape Room, her fourth studio album, which earned a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album.
What movie roles is Teyana Taylor known for?
Taylor’s acting career has quietly but steadily gained momentum over the past decade.
Early roles included Stomp the Yard: Homecoming and Madea’s Big Happy Family, but it was her performance as Inez in A Thousand and One that earned her a National Board of Review Award for Breakthrough Performance and reframed industry perception of her as an actor.
That trajectory led directly to One Battle After Another, a career-defining collaboration that has already earned her multiple critics’ awards alongside her Golden Globe win.
She has also appeared in Coming 2 America, the Fox series Star, and Ryan Murphy’s legal drama All’s Fair. Upcoming projects include the action mystery The Rip, produced by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
Alongside acting, fashion has remained a constant language. Known for blending athletic silhouettes with high glamour, Taylor has walked runways, fronted campaigns, and shaped visual culture far beyond music.
Is Teyana Taylor currently in a relationship?
Taylor began dating Iman Shumpert around 2013, and the couple married in 2016.
They share two daughters, but in September 2023, Taylor announced their separation, emphasising mutual respect and co-parenting. Their divorce was finalised in 2024.
Teyana often speaks about her daughters as grounding forces who shape her priorities and choices.
Teyana Taylor’s relationship with Aaron Pierre
In early 2025, Taylor was linked to actor Aaron Pierre, with speculation beginning after the pair were seen together at the Fifteen Percent Pledge Gala.
Further appearances at the American Black Film Festival Honors and the Vanity Fair Oscars afterparty added to the buzz, particularly after Taylor shared photos of them together on Instagram.
By June, Taylor made the relationship public with a birthday post for Pierre, who also appeared in her music video for Long Time from Escape Room.
The couple made their red carpet debut later that year at the London premiere of One Battle After Another.
In December 2025, outlets confirmed they had split after roughly a year together.
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