What Happened to Doja Cat's Dad? He Believes That the Rapper's Mom Turned Her Against Him

Family issues are something we all have to deal with, whether we're famous or not. Life has a way of serving up highs and lows, but it’s believed that family should be able to come together after folks atone and take accountability. However, that’s not the way things go, especially when egos get into the mix.

In the latest development of celebrity family drama, Doja Cat is unfortunately in the limelight. Fans of the rapper are aware that she’s been estranged from her father, Dumisani Dlamini, for years. And after the “Demons” femcee took to social media to share her disdain for her father, he decided to clap back. So, what exactly happened to Doja Cat’s dad? Here’s everything that we know.

According to TMZ, Dumisani feels disrespected after Doja called him out for being a deadbeat father. Over the March 20, 2026, weekend, Doja took to TikTok to share that she invited her father to her show in South Africa. And while she was coming from a good place, things went left when he declined.

"I was messaging my father, because he’s here in Africa, and he said he couldn’t make it to my show because I don’t message him enough, and I didn’t call him on WhatsApp," she said.

After feeling that his reasoning was asinine, she decided to get some revenge.

"So, I sent him gay p--n, and said if you go to this link, you can get a ticket,” she said. “He said, 'I will send this to my management, my management will handle all of this. At the moment, I’m just very busy dealing with costumes and rehearsals.”

However, she explained that he claimed he was working, but he continued messaging her, saying that “he’s busy right now” and that he “can’t get to this at this moment.” After getting the same message from him over and over, Doja sent him the website again, and he inquired about it.

After getting the site, he questioned her about the gay p--n and asked if it was a scam. She then joked about his reaction, mimicking his accent, and also laughed about the whole ordeal.

Once Dumisani got wind of Doja’s claims and her TikTok video, he decided to speak his peace.

He claimed that Doja’s claims are wrong and that he was never a deadbeat. He shared that since Doja’s career blew up, Doja’s mother, Deborah Sawyer, ruined his reputation and painted him as the bad guy.

“I want to tell you the facts,” he said in a now-deleted video obtained by The Shade Room. “I’ve worked hard to make my name, my reputation. I’ve worked hard, I’ve fought for this country. I’m not going to be used by a white woman with three kids. I was feeding those kids with the money of ‘Sarafina.’ I love my kids, and I took care of her kids. Three white kids; they hated me."

He continued: “That white woman brainwashed my baby, saying that I left her. I never left my kid. She played the cards because of being influenced by her mother. She came to South Africa. She’s got the power to see me, and she faked it.”

In case you’ve been out of the loop, Dumisani is a South African actor known for his role in the 1992 film Sarafina.

As expected, Dumisani’s response has been all over social media. And while he stands firm in his belief that he wasn’t a deadbeat, many folks aren't buying what he is saying.

“A page right out of the deadbeat dad playbook,” TV host Kamie Crawford commented under The Shade Room post.

“If you didn't fight for your kid, and you were not around, you left your kid,” another individual shared.

“He can take the time to make this, but not the time to go to his daughter’s concert,” another fan asked.

Doja is currently busy with her world tour, Tour Ma Vie World Tour. But, given her stance on her father, it’s unlikely that she’ll respond to his claims.