Idina Menzel And Taye Diggs' Son Is Growing Up Fast

Taye Diggs and Idina Menzel are two of the most legendary stars of Broadway to cross over and find success in Hollywood. Menzel and Diggs met while appearing together in the Broadway musical "Rent" and married in 2003. The couple welcomed their only child, son Walker Nathaniel Diggs, in 2009 before divorcing in 2013.

While Walker was raised out of the spotlight, he has occasionally made appearances alongside his famous parents. He stepped out for the movie premiere of "Wicked" with his mother, who won a Tony Award for her leading role in the musical's original Broadway production. The teenager bore a striking resemblance to both his mother and father, as he wore a chic suit jacket and matched his mom in all black attire. Walker added a casual twistto the red carpet by donning black sneakers by A Bathing Ape that features white soles. 

Not much is known about Walker, but his talented parents have excitedly spoken about raising their son and have sung  his praises over the years.

Being a parent isn't easy, but it comes with unforgettable memories that parents can cherish forever. Idina Menzel opened up about one of those moments by sharing a story about her son's sweet nature and how he helped her overcome her insecurities upon turning 50. "I think it was subconsciously bothering me more than I led on, in regards to my relevance as a performer and actress. I'm feeling like the old lady sometimes, and that's not who I am ... I will be honest and say I have to combat a lot of my own neuroses," she candidly told Glamour. Luckily, Walker came to the rescue by telling his superstar mother, "Mom, don't look in the mirror and worry about how you look. You're beautiful." And that beautiful exchange gave Menzel a new outlook on aging. 

Taye Diggs also values the conversations he has with Walker. "It's a trip," he joked to People in November 2024. "I'm an adult and I'm hanging on every word of this 15-year-old. It's fun. It's really, really fun and eye-opening." He adorably shared, "I try not to show him how excited I am just when he says three words to me, but it can be difficult." Clearly Walker's biggest fan, the proud father called raising his teenage son "humbling."

Taye Diggs has been vocal about how fatherhood has changed his life, but being a parent has influenced Diggs' career as well. After welcoming his son, Walker, Diggs' was inspired to write children's books. (To date, he has written five.) The books deal with topics such as racial injustice and self image. In 2015, Diggs released "Mixed Me" and spoke with NPR about how his son's experience being bi-racial inspired the book. "I wrote the book just in case there were questions and to definitely highlight who my son is and how he should feel about himself regardless of how he's viewed by the outside world," Diggs explained. 

Walker even starred alongside his famous father in a "Got Milk?" advertisement in 2013. Walker was three years old at the time, and the ad was the perfect way for Taye to share his passion for performing and philanthropy with his son. Partnering with Kellogg's for a campaign entitled "Share Breakfast," the two are seated together at the kitchen table sharing a dish of cereal and tall glasses of milk. The two flash big smiles to the camera while wearing matching milk mustaches. "Being able to shoot the Got Milk? ad with my son was one of the better times in life just because, obviously, the ad is going to last forever," Diggs told People of the experience.

Idina Menzel is well known for her Broadway ventures but perhaps her biggest role was when she voiced the character Elsa in the 2013 Disney movie "Frozen." The movie became a global sensation and grossed over $1 billion at the box office worldwide. Menzel became immortalized in the universe of Disney ballads with her solo "Let It Go" which won the Academy Award in 2014 for best original song. Children everywhere became obsessed with the song, but Menzel's own son, Walker, was not a big fan.

The actor told Attitude Magazine in 2017, "My son does not want to hear his mother sing! And it's very confusing for him when he hears that song because he says 'My mommy sings that,' and everyone else says 'My mommy sings that too!'" Walker didn't appreciate his peers talking about how their moms casually sing "Let It Go" when his own mother is the sweet soprano voice that is featured in the song! "He's like, "I don't understand what you are talking about!' So it's a complicated issue," Mendel revealed.

She also told Us Weekly that Walker isn't impressed with "Frozen." Menzel was blunt about her son's opinion of the movie, saying (via CloserWeekly), "He's seen it maybe twice. He hates it. It's princessy and it's mommy singing, so it means that she has to work and go sing the stupid song, and it takes me away from him."

While Idina Menzel and Taye Diggs are no longer married, they are forever bonded by their son. In 2020, Menzel emphasized how son Walker is the former couple's primary focus. "Your child comes first, that's all. It's all about that," she told People. "He comes first and you have to get past your own egos and you never talk bad about each other." Diggs expressed a similar sentiment, telling People, "He's our main objective. He's what's most important for us, so we're still there as a family." Diggs said of his relationship with Menzel, "We were friends to start out with, but especially when you have a kid in the mix, there's no time for any negativity."

After the couple divorced, Diggs told Entertainment Tonight that he and Menzel had established a good groove when it came to co-parenting their son. "As people can imagine, it gets rough at times just because we're not in the same city, but we still love each other and what's most important is we love our son," he said. "That stabilizes us. I'm thankful for him."

Diggs shared that while co-parenting can be a challenge, the best thing to do is to make the child the top priority and then the rest will fall into place. "A lot of times when couples split up, it's very easy to, kind of, make it about you. But as long as you're thinking about the child first, I think it's pretty difficult to go down the wrong path, and that's what we do," he told Us Weekly.

With two Broadway mainstays as parents, it would make perfect sense for Walker Diggs to have a career in musical theater. His mother Idina Menzel is a Tony winner, and his father Taye Diggs has been in five Broadway musicals. But Diggs told Us Weekly that his son is much more interested in sports for now. "He doesn't feel the need to follow in our footsteps. He's doing all this stuff that I didn't get a chance to. He's a really great athlete. He plays basketball every day and when he's not playing basketball, he's running around throwing a football."

He even joked to Entertainment Tonight that his son's strength has motivated him to hit the gym. "He's a fierce athlete and he's beaten up on me a lot. So I gotta stay in shape just to keep up with him." Taye expressed that he is inspired by how his son is so well rounded, saying, "He can act. He can sing. He can dance. He's teaching me how to be a better adult." And the proud dad wouldn't be surprised no matter where his son finds success. When asked whether Walker would choose between performing or sports as a career, Taye answered, "Athletes are entertainers, so probably both."