Who Is Doja Cat's Dad?

BYDemi Phillips6.7K Views
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65th GRAMMY Awards - Arrivals
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 05: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Doja Cat attends the 65th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
Doja Cat has reportedly been estranged from her father since birth.

Doja Cat went on a seemingly random post spree directed towards her dad on May 27. She took shots at the man on both her Instagram and X, leaving many people to wonder who exactly her father is. Moreover, the burning question for some is what he did to deserve her harsh words. Here’s everything you need to know about Doja Cat’s dad. 

Who Is Dumisami Dlamini?

Dumisani Dlamini is a South African actor and dancer. He is best known for starring in the film adaptation Sarafina! alongside Whoopi Goldberg in 1992, after starring in the musical. Overall, he has more than three decades of both stage and film performances to his name. He met Doja’s mother, Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer, in the 90s while he was performing Sarafina! on Broadway. They shared a brief relationship, which resulted in the birth of Doja, whose real name is Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini. However, Doja Cat was raised by her mom in the U.S. 

Doja Cat’s dad married a woman named Ophelia Mulela in 2023 and has been engaged twice in the past. He seemingly left her mother after her birth. Since she rose to fame, however, he has shown his support for her a few times on his social media. On occasion, he has shared pictures and videos of her, and left comments on her posts. Additionally, while there’s no clear evidence on whether they have indeed met, Dlamini shared that he and Doja connected before she blew up. While chatting with Metro FM in 2022, he insisted that “the company that runs her entertainment has been blocking me. They know that if I could get hold of her, maybe she will disappear from the picture.”

Why Did Doja Cat Slam Her Dad Online?

On May 27, Doja Cat took to both her Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) accounts to leave some scathing remarks about her dad. She first updated her X bio to read, “My dad’s a deadbeat, but I did well.” The bio has since been deleted. Soon after, she followed up with an Instagram post featuring a closeup of her face and the caption, “Dad, lemme know when/if you need me to re-up your makeup cabinet cuz you a b***h.”

She also tagged him on the post, adding, “@official_dumisanidlamini I got Urban Decay, I got Pat Mcgrath labs, I got Fenty, I got Scott Barnes, let me know. I got your back, sis.” When a fan left a comment on the post saying, “You are messing with the wrong one. Zulus don’t play… your ancestors will humble you,” Doja simply replied, “Go give the deadbeat a kiss on the lips for me.” 

Despite her evident vitriol towards her father, however, she later changed the post's caption. Around midnight, she edited it, and it now reads, “Jk love you I was mad.” She also limited comments on the post. While she didn't offer any explanations as to what led her to make the initial post, it is not too hard to speculate, as Doja Cat has been candid about her estranged relationship with her dad in the past. Unsurprisingly, fans were divided in their response to Doja’s targeted posts towards Dlamini. 

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About The Author
Demilade Phillips has been a Features Writer for HotNewHipHop since 2023. The self-proclaimed music fanatic deals with most things Hip Hop and RnB, while also covering film, television, and the entertainment industry at large. When he’s not working, the International Relations graduate is either binging anime, immersing himself in the underground EDM scene, or crafting up original pieces.
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