Fans of Orange Is The New Black star Dascha Polanco were stunned when she announced her newest role: grandmother.
The 40-year-old actress shared her excitement about the family’s new bundle of joy with a post on Instagram.
“I just got a promotion,” she captioned the sweet photo, which featured Polanco cradling her daughter Dasany Gonzalez’s baby bump.
Gonzalez, who is 20 years old, revealed her pregnancy via Instagram late last month. “The butterflies in my belly turned into two little feet 💙✨.. I can’t wait to meet you King!” she wrote at the time.
Polanco’s post was filled with comments congratulating the star and her daughter on the new addition. Several fans were even more shocked that the Samaritan star was at the age to become a grandmother.
One follower provided a fitting title for her new role: “Congratulations !!!! Oh my God !!! Glam-ma loading ❤️❤️❤️ God bless ! 🙏🏽”
Another said, “Yassss sis finna be somebody fine ass Abuela!”
One commenter appeared confused, wondering if the expecting mother and grandmother were actually sisters. The bewilderment could stem from fans remembering Gonzalez appeared in an OITNB season 5 flashback scene as a younger version of Polanco’s character.
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In a 2020 interview with Parents Latina, the actress opened up about becoming a mother at 17.
She revealed she dealt with shame and guilt resulting from her Dominican upbringing, where women were “expected to get married, have kids, and dedicate their lives to raising their family.”
“I was the shame of my family,” she said.
She recalled an embarrassing night when her father’s best friend scolded her, saying, “what you’re doing is horrible.”
“I’ll never forget that,” she added. “But I was making the best decision that I could. I knew that having a baby was going to make my life harder, but I was also determined to turn every obstacle into a blessing.”
Polanco welcomed her second child, Aryam, when she was 25.
