Motherhood has given Coi Leray a new perspective on one of the most complicated relationships in her life. Following years of public disputes and periods when she wanted nothing to do with Benzino, she says she and her father are finally in a better place.
During a recent appearance on The Jason Lee Show, Leray revealed that they now speak regularly, with much of their communication centered around her daughter, Miyoco.
“Me and my dad are really cool now. Like, I love him so much,” Leray said. Seeing him embrace his role as a grandfather has been meaningful to her, especially since she did not grow up with the same kind of bond with her own grandparents. She explained that the timing feels right for them to reconnect because she is now able to have conversations with him that she would not have been equipped to handle in the same way years ago.
Taking on the role of primary provider for her own family has also changed the way she views certain aspects of Benzino’s life. Leray said she can now look at him as a man in his 60s who built himself up, lost much of what he had, and experienced his own highs and lows. That perspective has not erased what happened between them. “We forgive, we just don’t forget,” she said.
Their relationship had been particularly strained in the public eye. Leray famously spoke about feeling let down by her father on 2021’s “No More Parties,” while tensions resurfaced after Benzino prematurely revealed Nicki Minaj’s involvement on “Blick Blick.” By May 2024, Leray said she had not spoken to him in more than a year and wanted nothing to do with his interviews or public decisions.
Their reconciliation also meant confronting that pattern head-on. Leray told Lee that she asked Benzino to stop speaking about their relationship publicly, and he apologized. “I’m sorry, you’re right, I’m sorry,” she recalled him saying. They ultimately agreed that whatever happens between them should remain private instead of turning into another social media debate.
That boundary means even more now that Miyoco is part of the picture. Late last year, Benzino publicly revealed that he had yet to meet his granddaughter. That has since changed, and Leray says watching her daughter light up whenever her grandfather calls has helped ease some of the distance that once existed between them.
