Toni Braxton’s Autistic Son Is a ‘Handsome’ Model Who Looks ‘Like His Mother’

• Toni Braxton feels like she has three children.
• Diezel's hair has been compared to his mother's curls on the cover art of her sophomore album "Secrets."
• The "Braxton Family Values" reality star is "so proud" of Diezel.

Toni Braxton blamed herself when her youngest son, Diezel Braxton-Lewis, was diagnosed with autism when he was three. She had a staunch religious upbringing as a preacher's kid, which influenced how she perceives the world.

In her 2014 book, "Unbreak My Heart: A Memoir," the Grammy winner was embarrassed to discuss having an abortion. She carried the guilt with her for many years.

Although she did the procedure primarily for medical reasons, she thought her child's autism was divine retribution. Speaking to Hoda Kotb on "Good Morning America," Toni admitted:

"I remember when they told me that my son was autistic, I thought, 'Okay, you had an abortion, and this is God's way of punishing you.'"

In another interview, she gave context surrounding her circumstances when she decided to terminate her first pregnancy. When she fell pregnant, she was on heavy-duty acne medication, Accutane, which has detrimental side effects on fetuses.

In addition, she felt selfish because she was going through bankruptcy and was fearful that she could not provide a potential child with a future. On if she still felt guilt, she said:

"I often tell myself I have three kids. I have two boys, but I often have to tell myself I have two kids. But in my head, I feel like I have three kids."

The R&B icon had Denim and Diezel with her ex-husband Keri Lewis, the keyboardist for Mint Condition. The former couple married in April 2001 and announced their breakup in November 2009.

When the divorce was finalized in mid-2013, her representation stated that it had been "an amicable split" and the exes would "both be actively involved in raising their two sons."

Toni Braxton Debunked a Common Myth about Kids with Autism

Toni can remember the signs that her youngest son was different than other children. The "little things," like his lack of eye contact and very little communication, gave her pause.

Once the three-year-old Diezel was diagnosed with autism, they could give him the specialized care that he needed. The "Breathe Again" singer has dispelled the misconception that children with autism cannot learn.

"They learn differently," she said on a morning show in 2015. She had come to see through the non-profit Autism Speaks, which she has partnered with, that there is nothing wrong with her baby, nor is there anything she could have done differently.

The star highlighted the advantages of early diagnosis and celebrated that her then-12-year-old is a "typical peer." Diezel's Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapist was with him all the time then, even when he and Denim joined their mom on her first tour of South Africa and Asia.

For all the help that she received when first learning about her son's autism, Toni has used her celebrity to pay it forward by raising awareness of all the tools available to families, like ABA and other therapies.

Fan's Praise Toni Braxton's 'Gorgeous' Son

Whenever Diezel posts on social media, his comments are swamped with users noting how attractive he is. He accentuates his natural good looks with immaculate grooming and dressing in designer streetwear.

He casually showed off his twist-out natural hairdo with photos of him sitting on a kitchen island in September; and one commenter wrote, "Ur so handsome," punctuated with a fire emoji.

Another echoed, "Very handsome." He got similar feedback on another haircare post captioned "Good Hair Days" in 2022. "Handsome young [man emoji]," one commented.

"Dope hair," someone said, "it's like your mum Ms Braxton's second album 'Secrets.'" A second agreed, writing, "You look so much like your mama. She had some handsome young men."

On a post in June this year, another person saw the resemblance, and expressed, "Omg, he so handsome like his brother he looks like his mother Toni Braxton."

"Look how gorgeous they are," TV host Kelly Ripa said of a photo of Toni and her sons at a "Men in Black" theme party when the singer went on her show at the start of 2018.

The "Spanish Guitar" star revealed that Diezel, then 14, was becoming a model. He came closer to this goal when he signed with Wilhemina Models the following year and later moved to the Maverick Agency.

When the male model walked the runway of Marcell Von Berlin's spring 2022 collection with his brother, their mom and aunt, Tamar Braxton, were in the audience to support them. The brothers had previously collaborated with Toni for Uncle Bud's Hemp & CBD beauty campaign.

Since early childhood, Diezel has been interested in acting, idolizing Denzel Washington and "Black-ish" funnyman Anthony Anderson. In a social media bio, he writes, "I dress up and pretend to be other people for a living!"

Some of the characters he has dressed up as are Young Ant in the 2019 short film "Ant," for which he won Best Young Actor at the Oniros Film Awards, Derrick in "Family Time;" and Arthur in the fourth and fifth seasons of "Chicken Girls."

He was featured in the music video of "When I Grow Up" by Dimitri Vegas and "Like Mike" featuring Wiz Khalifa in 2018, and acted opposite David Banner, Robin Givens, and Romeo Miller in the feature "Never Heard."

Denim, a year Diezel's senior, was very interested in sports, especially basketball, when his little brother started his modeling career. Their mother attended games but admitted that her children "hated it" when she did. He is now an entrepreneur.

"Mom is so proud of you," Toni wrote when Diezel graduated from high school in June 2021 and rejoiced that he was heading to Howard University that fall.

Diezel has been his mother's plus one to red-carpet events such as the American Music Awards and the opening night of a musical. He presented with her the night she wore a viral cutout dress at "An Evening of Stars" in Atlanta in 2015.