July 8, 2025
“Your letters got me through each day and enabled me to be a part of all the wonderful things that was happening in your life.”
Dwyane Wade’s guest-hosting spot on Today with Jenna & Friends offered a glimpse into the heartfelt pen pal relationship he maintained with his mother while she was incarcerated.
The July 7 episode of the daily talk show featured a heartfelt pre-recorded message from “Mama Wade,” Jolinda Wade, who opened up about the heartfelt letters her son wrote to her during the three years she spent in prison on drug charges.
“I remember how we became pen pals when I was incarcerated,” she shared. “Your letters got me through each day and enabled me to be a part of all the wonderful things that was happening in your life.”
Jolinda went on to praise Wade for his dedication to fatherhood, a role she knew he took seriously from the photos he sent of his first child, Zaire.
“When you sent me pictures of my grandson Zaire, I was able to tell from your letters how very proud you were,” Jolinda told her son. “You made up your mind that you were going to be the best dad you could be, and that is exactly what you’ve become. Son, you are simply one of the best dads a child could have. Just like everything else in your life, you give fatherhood your all.”
The praise continued as she commended Wade for his unwavering love and support for his daughter Zaya, who came out as transgender in 2020.
“My love, I admire how you embrace your beautiful child Zaya—my granddaughter,” Jolinda said. “And you encourage her to be who she is. What a dad. You protect her, you speak with her to understand who she is. You don’t judge or condemn.”
Later in the episode, Jolinda joined her son in person and spoke candidly about her past battles with drug addiction and suicidal thoughts. The mother of four credited her children for giving her strength and support to combat her internal struggles.
“They never stopped loving me, never judged me, never condemned me,” she said.
It was also Wade who encouraged his mother to share her story without worrying about how it would impact his celebrity status.
“When they first wanted to do a story about me, and I told him because I wanted to respect the space that he had got in, and he said, ‘Ma, you go and tell your story because the only thing it’s going to do is help someone,’” Jolinda said.
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