Common's Mom Says Her Son Didn't Drink Alcohol in Front of Her Until He Was Almost 35: 'We're Not Friends'

Dr. Mahalia Hines, Common's mother, appeared on 'The Jennifer Hudson Show' on Thursday, May 2

Common's mom has some strict parenting rules she's abided by over the years.

During the Thursday, May 2 episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show, Dr. Mahalia Hines — the mother of Jennifer Hudson's singer/rapper boyfriend — appeared on the show to discuss her book Tomorrow's Children: How to Raise Children to Stay Human in a High Tech Society and share some of her experiences parenting.

While on the show, Dr. Hines discussed one of her favorite chapters about parenting and friendship.

Related: Common and Jennifer Hudson's Relationship Timeline

"You are not your child's friend — you are their parent," she told the host, 42. "And your job is not to be liked, it's to be right. One of the things I say, if you give up that authority, you're gonna lose respect because they will begin talking to you and acting like you."

Dr. Hines then pointed out that what happens then is that when you try to "check them, it doesn't work."

"My son did not drink around me until he was almost 35 — and that was at a dinner," she told Hudson. "The reason being, we aren't friends. I'm not gonna sit around and drink with you."

She added, "We can be friendly, but we're not friends."

The Dreamgirls star then presented Common's mother with a bouquet of flowers and a framed photo of a letter the "Testify" artist wrote for his mother that appears in her book.

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Related: How Common Told His Mom About His Childhood Molestation

Hudson and Common, 52, first sparked dating rumors back in 2022, when they worked together on their film Breathe, but have known each other for a long time. Over the years, the two have mingled at various charity events and award shows. The couple has been seen stepping out for a number of appearances together, including sitting courtside at basketball games.

During an interview on The Jennifer Hudson Show in January, The Hate U Give actor seemingly confirmed his romance with the Respect star as she asked him about his relationship status. The actor laughed before answering that he is in fact dating someone. While he didn't say Hudson's name, everyone was in on the joke.

Common later addressed his appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show (and going public with Hudson) during an interview on Today with Hoda & Jenna.

“We had a little fun,” Common said of the appearance. “I felt like, why not just be loving and honest with who I am and who we are. And it felt good, it was fun, we had a good time.”

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