Jeannie Mai Jenkins Says Daughter Monaco Is Her 'North Star' amid Divorce: 'I'm Thankful to Have Her'

"I'm so thankful to be a mom and I'm thankful to have her," shared 'The Real' alum

Jeannie Mai Jenkins expressed to Sherri Shepherd how essential her relationship with her toddler has been amid her divorce.

On Thursday's episode of Sherri, the television host, 55, sat down with Mai Jenkins, 44, and chatted with the TV personality about her daughter, Monaco, 22 months, whom she shares with estranged husband Jeezy.

“Monaco? That is my North Star. And I can definitely tell you that, I don't know if I would handle this the same way without her,” The Real alum said.

She continued, “Because today, I'm able to look at her and I can say what would I advise you? If you were in my shoes? And it changes everything. So I'm so thankful to be a mom and I'm thankful to have her.”

Shepherd added that she felt similar emotions toward her son, Jeffery, when going through her divorce with her ex-husband, Jeff Tarpley. “You go through stuff like this, and you look at your child and you go, ‘Thank you for this gift because I needed this gift right now.’ ”

The View alum continued to express her adoration for Mai Jenkins’ toddler, noting how one video the mother shared on Instagram caught her eye because of the mother-daughter bond between the two.

The Instagram post included a carousel of photos and videos of Mai Jenkins' daughter arriving at the airport with her grandmother, and later being greeted by her mother. On the fourth slide, there’s a video of Mai Jenkins welcoming her daughter outside, who then greets her mother in a special dance to express her excitement.

But the mother quickly revealed to Shepherd that Monaco has a mind of her own.

“Monaco is funny, because she's definitely a mood, and on her best days she’s a schmood. Like she really isn't about the kisses and hugs. She's really like, ‘Mommy, mommy, not now.’ She's usually like that,” said Mai Jenkins.

“But every so often, she looks at me and she's like, ‘Where you been? I've been missing you,’ ” continued Mai Jenkins. “And we have this dance... You can already picture it. If we're at the club 20 years from now, I don't know! But, that is my everything, and we have that vibe and we see each other and she knows I got her.”

Related: Jeannie Mai Jenkins Breaks Silence After Jeezy Divorce Filing: 'Need to Take a Break and Disconnect to Heal'

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Mai Jenkins and Jeezy welcomed Monaco in January 2022. Prior to the birth of their daughter, the former couple tied the knot in March 2021 at their home in Atlanta.

In September, Jeezy (né Jay Wayne Jenkins) filed for divorce in Atlanta, Georgia, according to documents obtained by PEOPLE. The filing says the pair are "currently living in a bona fide state of separation," and that their marriage is "irretrievably broken" with "no hope for reconciliation."

The divorce document also states that Jeezy wants to share joint legal custody of Monaco. He's also a dad to two children from previous relationships.

Related: Jeannie Mai Jenkins Is Proud to Show Daughter Monaco 'What It Looks Like to Have a Working Mom'

Ahead of her appearance on the daytime talk show, a source told PEOPLE how “hurt and devastated” Mai Jenkins was at the news of Jeezy’s filing.

“They’ve had issues for a long time, but things got really hard over the last few months,” shared the source.“She obviously knew they had problems, but she wasn’t expecting a divorce. Now she’s trying to figure out what her future looks like and where she’ll be living.”

The TV personality first broke her silence on Wednesday and posted an Instagram with a photo of a notebook with the words: “Sometimes, you need to take a break and disconnect, to heal” — which were written on the photographed page.

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