Joe Budden's Birthday Celebration Turned Into a Double Announcement: An Engagement and a Baby Girl

The rapper-turned-podcaster proposed to longtime partner Shadée Monique as the couple celebrated another milestone: they are expecting their first child together, a daughter.

Muhammad Ali Akbar

9/1/2026

Illustrating image of Joe Budden and her fiance expecting a baby
Illustrating image of Joe Budden and her fiance expecting a baby

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Joe Budden and Shadée Monique are engaged and expecting a baby girl. The two announcements emerged from a birthday celebration held just before Budden turned 46 on August 31. The couple have been together for seven years and this will be their first child together.

Joe Budden entered his 46th birthday with two major pieces of personal news.

The former rapper and host of The Joe Budden Podcast is engaged to his longtime partner, entrepreneur and podcast personality Shadée Monique. At the same celebration, the couple also revealed that they are expecting a baby girl.

People reported that Budden proposed during a gathering with close friends and family shortly before his August 31 birthday. Monique accepted, turning what was already a milestone celebration into an engagement party.

The baby news made the night even bigger

The engagement was only half of the announcement. Monique also revealed that she and Budden are expecting a daughter. The baby will be the couple's first child together. Budden is already a father to two sons from previous relationships. The new arrival will make him a father of three.

Budden and Monique have been together since 2019 and recently marked seven years as a couple. Their relationship has increasingly become part of Budden's public life, with Monique appearing around his podcasting world and co-hosting Pod Wives.

Why the announcement drew so much attention

Budden's career has changed dramatically since his early-2000s rap success. After becoming widely known for the 2003 single Pump It Up and later joining the hip-hop group Slaughterhouse, he moved away from recording and built one of hip-hop media's most recognizable podcast brands.

That shift has made his personal milestones especially visible to an audience that has followed him through several different phases of his career. The engagement and pregnancy announcement arrived together, giving fans a rare update that was less about music-industry debate and more about the life Budden has built outside it.

For now, the couple have announced that they are engaged and expecting a daughter. No wedding date or public due date had been confirmed in the reliable reports reviewed at publication.