Mario is about to step into fatherhood for the very first time — and he couldn’t be more excited.
On Wednesday (Aug. 27), the “Let Me Love You” hitmaker shared the big news on his Instagram Story, proudly showing off girlfriend Esmerelda Rios’ baby bump. While her face wasn’t revealed, she was glowing in a neon pink outfit.
“It’s a whole universe in there!” Mario captioned the post. “I can’t wait.”
Since the big reveal, Esmerelda Rios seems to have made her Instagram account private. While Mario hasn’t posted any photos of her on his own socials, screenshots from Rios’ page — shared by X user @KiOnDaRockz — show the singer sweetly kissing her baby bump. Capital Xtra later reposted the same images.
Back in June, Mario stirred up mixed reactions when he shared a Story of Rios with Lauryn Hill’s “The Sweetest Thing” playing in the background. Some fans criticized him, accusing him of only dating white women.
The singer later addressed the backlash in an Instagram DM, making it clear he cares more about love and energy than race. “I like good energy and who loves me the way that’s healthy,” he wrote. “Could be black, white, Mexican, alien… I dated a alien before it was was [sic] great.”
In December, Mario opened up about his relationship during a chat with Angela Yee, describing Rios as his “safe place.”
“She’s a good person, I trust her,” he said, also confirming that Rios is Mexican.
It’s still unclear how long Mario and Rios have been together, but the singer has spoken in the past about his views on fatherhood.
In a 2023 interview with V-103 Atlanta (via People), Mario shared, “I don’t take having kids lightly. Everybody I know [has] kids. Some of my friends [that are] younger have kids, some of my friends [that are] older have kids, and it comes with a lot of pros and cons. And I also grew up without a father. So, I want to do it right when I do do it. You know, I got time. So, I’m not rushing into that.”
