Now that we’ve settled Trump vs. Biden, 2021 is offering us a new conflict for the ages: Baby vs. Baybi!
The friendship of influencers Sasha Benz (above, left) and Jessica Hart (above, right) had apparently become strained after Hart named her newborn daughter “Baby,” two years after Benz gave her little girl (above, insert) the moniker “Baybi.”
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Benz — the founder of a blog called All My Friends Are Models — was “devastated that her close friend would copy her daughter’s ‘unique’ name.” The outlet reported that the pair have “have hardly spoken since” their apparent beef began.
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For her part, Hart — a 34-year-old Victoria’s Secret model who is freshly engaged to NASCAR driver James Kirkham — maintained her innocence of baby name thievery in an interview with People, telling the outlet:
“I first heard it in the movie Dirty Dancing and always thought I’d love to name my daughter Baby. I was hesitant to ask James about it at first but we just weren’t landing on a name. Finally, probably a month before she was born, I said what about Baby, and he said, ‘Oh my gosh, I love it.’ It’s felt right ever since.”
But friends of Benz tell a different story, per the Sydney Morning Herald. Sources told the outlet that Baby-Rae Hart’s “name was not a long-time dream” for the Aussie model, who apparently went to Benz for advice on names before landing on a riffed version of what the 33-year-old picked for her daughter, Baybi Blue Benz.
The source claimed Hart warned Benz:
“We are calling her Baby, but don’t worry — it’s spelled differently!”
The insider noted that Benz was “blindsided” when Hart told her about the decision just a week before Baby’s birth, dishing:
“Sasha was devastated that her close friend would copy her daughter’s ‘unique’ name, especially after she’d [Hart] gone to her [Benz] for name ideas.”
We know, we know. The drama is real.
Mercifully, it appears the two have since squashed their beef. According to Daily Mail Australia, Benz “did not dispute” the rumored beef, but insisted it was over, telling the publication:
“Of course Jess and I are still friends. We chatted it out a few weeks back, and I am happy she has a name she loves for her beautiful girl. This is her moment and I want her to enjoy this beautiful part of becoming a mother… Baybi is almost three now and our new babies are only weeks apart, so it’s more important that they all grow up knowing there are more important things to care about, and both Jess and I agree on that.”
However, two very different sides of the story still remain. A “source from Jessica’s camp” told the Mail that Baby “has always been on [Hart’s] list of names, before she even knew Sasha and her baby.”
Although it sounds like we’ll never learn the true story, we’re glad the Baby vs. Baybi feud has officially been put to bed — at least we hope it has!
[Image via Instagram]