All About Louis Tomlinson's Son Freddie

Louis Tomlinson shares son Freddie with ex-girlfriend Briana Jungwirth

Louis Tomlinson became a father during One Direction's extended hiatus in 2016.

The “Walls” singer welcomed a son, Freddie Reign Tomlinson, with stylist Briana Jungwirth in January 2016. The pair briefly dated in May 2015, and that July, PEOPLE confirmed they were expecting their first child together.

“Louis is happy and very excited about becoming a dad and he thinks Briana will be an amazing mother,” a mutual friend of the two told PEOPLE. “It was a surprise at first, but he and Briana are very, very close friends and this has brought them even closer.”

Though Tomlinson and Jungwirth tend to keep Freddie out of the spotlight, the singer isn’t shy about sharing his love for his young son. In January 2022, Tomlinson marked Freddie’s 6th birthday by writing a sweet message on X (formerly known as Twitter) to him.

“Happy birthday to my incredible son Freddie! You make me proud every single day,” he wrote. “So lucky to have such a kind and outgoing little lad. I love you!”

Related: One Direction: Where Are They Now?

Speaking with SiriusXM in January 2017, Tomlinson opened up about whether he’d like to expand his family. “Definitely, in the future, yeah,” he said. “But at the moment … I’ve got Freddie and I’m trying to stay career-driven.”

From how he helped his dad mature to his first word, here's everything to know about Louis Tomlinson’s son, Freddie.

He was born in January 2016

Tomlinson and Jungwirth welcomed their baby boy on Jan. 21, 2016, in Los Angeles. The next day, the “Back to You” singer confirmed Freddie’s birth with a post on X.

“I’m pleased to say my baby son was born yesterday. He is healthy and pretty amazing,” he wrote. “I’m very happy!!”

When Freddie was 6 days old, Tomlinson shared the first photo of his newborn on Instagram. The sweet image showed the singer cuddling his son.

“Meet my little lad, Freddie 👶,” he wrote in the caption.

He lives in Los Angeles with his mom

Freddie lives with Jungwirth in L.A., where she works as a stylist. During a 2019 interview with Metro UK, Tomlinson said he constantly travels between the U.K. and L.A. to spend time with his son.

“I try and spend as much time in England as I do L.A. and vice versa ... to be there to see and go out with Freddie and all of that,” he said. “Then I have my family in the U.K., who I make sure I see plenty of. It’s a bit of a juggle at times but it’s all part of life.”

His parents protect his privacy

Tomlinson and Jungwirth want to give their son a normal childhood by maintaining his privacy online. While Jungwirth occasionally posts snaps of Freddie on her Instagram, she and the singer prefer to mostly keep him out of the spotlight.

After Tomlinson filed for joint custody of Freddie in June 2016, he released a statement asking for privacy and respect for himself and his son. The singer’s rep said Tomlinson wanted his son to “have a normal, private and protected childhood” and that “the levels of paparazzi attention on Freddie” posed security issues and were “intolerable and completely unjustifiable.”

Tomlinson’s spokesperson further explained that the excessive media attention was affecting his visitation time with his son, as well as Freddie’s day-to-day life.

“Louis appreciates, respects and values his relationship with the media and we hope he and his son are afforded the same respect on this matter,” the rep added.

His birth encouraged Louis to “grow up”

Since becoming a father, Tomlinson has been vocal about how having a child at a young age helped him to mature. “Yeah, it was unexpected and I had to grow up very quickly,” he told Fabulous Magazine about welcoming Freddie at 24, per Irish News.

“It was another one of them moments — being faced with the reality of a situation and having to step up. It was a very maturing time in my life,” he continued. “And, again, I’ve kind of got between two head spaces. I’m the responsible dad and brother some days and other days I’m still the reckless idiot chav I used to be. I’m still trying to work out a happy medium.”

‘Dada’ was one of his first words

During an appearance on The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show in August 2017, Tomlinson revealed that then-18-month-old Freddie was “saying a few words here and there” like “dada,” “ball” and “car.” He also shared that while he hopes his son will adopt a British accent, it’s “tough” to steer him in that direction.

A few months earlier, the former One Direction member opened up to Billboard about how much he enjoys fatherhood and witnessing Freddie’s milestones.

“Any time he can do something new — I know he’s not a dog [laughs], but … for example, he just started taking his first few steps, which is like nothing else, but before that he was a little bit vocal. It’s constantly changing, but the whole thing is super cool,” he said.

His parents celebrated his 1st birthday together

For Freddie’s 1st birthday in January 2017, Tomlinson and Jungwirth came together to celebrate their baby boy’s milestone. Jungwirth shared a video on Instagram of the pair presenting their son with a special cake, complete with a “1” candle and the inscription “Happy 1st Birthday FREDDIE.”

Tomlinson also gave Freddie a birthday shout-out on X. “Had a special day today with my birthday boy. Thanks for all the lovely messages!” he wrote.

He looks just like his dad

Though Freddie has blond hair, in contrast to Tomlinson’s brown locks, he closely resembles his dad. In the rare photos that Jungwirth shares of their son’s face, it’s apparent how much he and the singer mirror each other in the looks department.

"When I look back to baby photos of myself and he does look very similar it's real nice, and he's at a good age at the moment so it's really fun,” Tomlinson said in a 2017 interview with Planet Radio.

He gets excited to watch his dad perform

In 2022, Freddie watched his dad perform for the first time at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood. During an appearance on the Zach Sang Show, Tomlinson opened up about the “really special show” and how it was the “most nervous” he’s ever been about playing a show.

“Bless him, he’s such a good lad, and he was so excited, and he brought a little banner,” he said. “He stayed up throughout it, absolutely loving it. So, obviously, I know he’s going to have a good time, but in the back of my mind, I’m like, it’s the first time your son’s going to see me perform, I better deliver.”

Tomlinson added, “I got really emotional as well the first time I kind of locked eyes with him in the room. Because that room is big but still small enough for you to be able to see and that was emotional man. That was probably one of the most emotional times I’ve had on stage, really. It was amazing. He was just beaming. He was so excited to be there.”

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.