Fat Joe reveals autistic son Joey has lifelong love for tennis balls

By Paul Chavez For Dailymail.com

02:51 29 May 2024, updated 02:51 29 May 2024

Fat Joe revealed that his autistic son Joey finds solace while holding a tennis ball on Tuesday while promoting the upcoming US Open tennis tournament in New York.

The 53-year-old Bronx native while recording his voice for the US Open’s 2024 marketing campaign ‘Spectacular Awaits’ opened up about his son.

‘My son Joey’s autistic and every day of his life …You know the autistic kids they need something. Some kids like keys, some people. He has a tennis ball in his hand for his whole life,’ the rapper said in video shared on his Instagram Stories and by the US Tennis Association.

‘You look on my social media, on his birthday me and him had the tennis. We throw him tennis ball cakes. That’s his favorite thing, I don’t know why, that feels like protection to him. Every day of his life, every moment,’ he added.

Fat Joe narrated a pair of 30-second videos promoting the next-generation talent and fan experience at the US Open while promoting ticket sales.

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‘Engaging a New York City and cultural icon like Fat Joe with our campaign is a great representation of the US Open experience,’ said said Nicole Kankam, managing director of pro tennis and entertainment for the U.S. Tennis Association.

‘His presence is undeniable and he’s the perfect match for the growing energy, excitement and profile of the US Open,’ she added.

The 2024 US Open is scheduled to be held from August 19 though September 8 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the Flushing area of New York City.

Coco Gauff, 20, won her first major singles title last year at the 2023 US Open and she was featured in the Spectacular Awaits campaign.

The non-profit USTA owns and operates the US Open, which is one of the highest-attended annual sporting events in the world.

The US Open set an attendance record last year with 957,387 fans and has set the goal of surpassing 1 million attendees this year.

Tickets to the US Open are going on sale to the general public on June 3 via Ticketmaster and USOpen.org.

Fat Joe last month shared a sweet snap with his son Joey Cartagena, 33, as he celebrated World Autism Day on Instagram.

‘WORLD AUTISM AWARENESS DAY Joey this one’s for you,’ the musician – real name Joseph Antonio Cartagena – captioned the snap. He included an array of blue heart emojis.

The 17th annual World Autism Awareness Day was observed on April 2, 2024. April also marks Autism Acceptance Month.

Ever since the United Nations General Assembly designated 2 April as World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD) in 2007, the United Nations has observed the day as a means to affirm and promote the full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for autistic people on an equal basis with others,’ reads a description of the day on the UN’s website.

Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain, as per the CDC, and those who are diagnosed often struggle with ‘social communication and interaction, and restricted or repetitive behaviors or interests.’

The rapper previously said he was ‘so proud’ of his son as he opened up about his family and then-opening memoir The Book of Jose back in 2022.

‘He has been above and beyond. He is autistic. And he’s the Don of the family. When we sit down together for Thanksgiving, he sits in her seat and he looks and everybody and he just laughs,’ the father-of-three said on The View.

‘He inspires me. He’s such a blessing in our life, he’s almost like an angel. It’s the gift that keeps giving, little Joey, and I’m so proud of him.’

Joey was born when the rapper was just 19-years-old.

‘Well I’m 19, we’re having Joey, once the doctors tell me that he wouldn’t be normal, his mother said we should give him up for adoption,’ he explained on ABC News in 2022.

‘That wasn’t the case. Me and my mother, my father, raised Joey, we said, “Nah he’s ours.” He’s brought so much joy to this family and I feel like he’s the biggest blessing to me and my career and my family and Joey’s just always, always happy, he’s a bundle of joy.

‘Now of course, you know kids on the spectrum, they’re hard to deal with, a lot fathers run away, a lot of parents run away from the responsibility because it’s not easy.

‘Raising a kid on the spectrum and with autism, I told the world, “listen guys, we’re all normal, we all have situations in this world, we love our kids and we here to support them” and I just want to encourage any dads, any parents out there that are having a tough time with their kids, man to stick in there and just know they’re our biggest blessing.’

In December, the Lean Back hitmaker marked his son’s birthday with playful snaps of them holding massive tennis balls.

‘God bless my First born lil Joey. I love you with all my heart ❤️ Happy Birthday Joey, you are the Biggest blessing in the world. more life, more greatness. i will always be by your side,’ he posted.