To some people, her name first appeared through a completely different door: the NBA. Search engines still connect her most often with Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum, her former high school partner and the father of her son, Deuce. But the public snapshot rarely captures the fuller picture. Behind the headlines sits a young entrepreneur who built a specialized beauty business while raising a child who grew up in the glare of professional sports.
The truth is, her story moves in two directions at once. One path leads through high school hallways in Missouri and the complicated realities of becoming a parent in your teens. The other leads to a curling chair in Boston where education, skill, and patience define a career she shaped on her own terms.
Early Life and Family Background
Toriah Lachell Mimms was born on February 21, 2000, in St. Louis, Missouri, according to widely reported public profiles. Growing up in that Midwestern city meant being surrounded by the rhythms of a place where community still matters. Friends from those years describe neighborhoods where families knew each other well and school sports carried a lot of local pride.
Her childhood unfolded in a culture where appearance and identity were closely tied to hair. Like many young girls with textured hair, she experienced the routine of relaxers and salon visits that promised smoother strands. Over time, those experiences sparked questions. Why did so many stylists struggle with natural curls? Why did advice about textured hair seem so inconsistent?
School years added another layer to her life story. She attended Chaminade College Preparatory School in St. Louis, a private Catholic institution known locally for strong academics and competitive athletics. The campus became an important backdrop for more than classroom lessons. It was there that she met a tall, promising basketball player named Jayson Tatum, whose future was already beginning to draw attention.
Those early teenage years were ordinary in many ways. Students attended classes, balanced friendships, and navigated the confusing territory of young relationships. Yet the school environment also nurtured ambition. By all accounts, the atmosphere encouraged students to chase big goals, whether in sports, academics, or creative pursuits.
Hair, interestingly, was already part of Toriah’s thinking by that stage. She had begun paying closer attention to how curls behaved and how products affected them. The curiosity might have looked small at the time, but it eventually shaped the career she would build.
High School Relationship With Jayson Tatum
During their time at Chaminade College Preparatory School, Toriah Lachell and Jayson Tatum formed a relationship that would later draw national attention. Tatum stood out early as a basketball prodigy. By his junior year, college recruiters were circling and sports media had begun writing about him as a future NBA prospect.
Dating someone on that trajectory created a strange kind of visibility. High school relationships are usually private affairs that fade quietly with graduation. In this case, the future spotlight made everything feel a little larger.
Their connection continued through Tatum’s senior year and into his freshman season at Duke University in 2016–2017. That year changed both of their lives. Near the end of Tatum’s college season, they learned that Toriah was pregnant.
The news arrived at a moment when Tatum was preparing for the NBA draft, one of the most scrutinized transitions in American sports. Years later, he described the fear he felt when he learned he was going to become a father. He admitted he worried how the information might affect his draft prospects and initially kept the pregnancy quiet from much of the basketball world.
For two teenagers stepping into adulthood, the situation carried enormous emotional weight. There were practical questions about the future, the pressure of public expectations, and the ordinary anxieties any young parent faces. Yet the relationship between them gradually shifted into something else: a co-parenting partnership centered on their child.
Becoming a Mother to Deuce Tatum
On December 6, 2017, Toriah Lachell gave birth to Jayson “Deuce” Christopher Tatum Jr. The timing was remarkable. Jayson Tatum had just begun his rookie season with the Boston Celtics after being selected third overall in the NBA draft earlier that year.
Parenthood arrived in the middle of a whirlwind. NBA schedules are relentless, media attention was growing, and the Celtics were becoming one of the league’s most watched teams. Amid all of that, a newborn child quietly became the center of two young parents’ lives.
Deuce quickly became familiar to basketball fans. Cameras frequently caught him sitting courtside at Celtics games, sometimes wandering into post-game interviews with the confidence of a child who had grown up around the arena. The nickname “Deuce” stuck almost immediately and turned into a small piece of NBA culture.
For Toriah, motherhood came with responsibilities far from television cameras. Raising a child while navigating the complexities of co-parenting with a professional athlete meant balancing schedules, travel plans, and everyday parenting decisions. Anyone close to the situation would tell you that maintaining stability for a child in that environment requires careful coordination.
Despite the public curiosity surrounding their past relationship, both parents have focused on supporting their son. Deuce often appears in moments with his father after games, while Toriah continues to manage the quieter parts of daily life away from the spotlight.
Building a Career in Hair Care
Not many people realize that Toriah Lachell’s professional direction began forming long before her name appeared in celebrity news cycles. Her interest in hair care grew from personal frustration and curiosity. Years of trying products and techniques sparked a desire to understand textured hair more deeply.
Eventually, that curiosity led her to cosmetology training. The beauty industry can be difficult to enter, especially in specialized niches. Learning to cut and style curly hair requires more than basic salon instruction. Techniques differ widely from straight-hair cutting methods, and many stylists spend years refining their skills.
Toriah pursued advanced training programs focused on textured hair. She became certified in several curl-focused cutting systems, including the DevaCurl certification program and the Rëzo cut method. Those programs involve structured coursework and practical assessments that teach stylists how to shape curls according to their natural pattern rather than forcing them into traditional haircut structures.
By the early 2020s, she began building a professional identity centered on curly hair expertise. Clients searching for stylists who understood natural textures often found that specialized training mattered enormously. Word spreads quickly in that world. A stylist who truly understands curls can build a loyal following.
Her work slowly evolved from individual appointments to a broader idea: a salon dedicated entirely to textured hair.
Founding The Curl Bar Boston
The next major chapter in Toriah Lachell’s story took shape in Massachusetts. In Somerville, just outside Boston, she opened The Curl Bar, a salon focused exclusively on curly and textured hair care.
The Curl Bar was designed as more than a traditional salon. Its concept centers on education, consultation, and personalized curl care. Clients begin with a detailed conversation about their hair history, daily routines, and previous styling experiences. Many arrive after years of trial and error, hoping someone finally understands their hair type.
Services at the salon often include a dry curl cut, deep cleansing treatments, hydration therapy, and styling lessons that teach clients how to maintain their curls at home. The process reflects a philosophy that healthy curls come from knowledge as much as technique.
Opening a business in Greater Boston is no small undertaking. Commercial rents are high, and the beauty market is competitive. Building a salon brand requires consistent service, careful scheduling, and strong client relationships.
Over time, The Curl Bar began attracting clients from across the Boston area and even beyond. For people who struggled to find stylists comfortable with natural textures, the salon offered a rare sense of confidence.
The business also reflects a broader shift in beauty culture. Over the last decade, natural hair care has become one of the fastest-growing segments of the hair industry. Consumers increasingly seek stylists who celebrate curls rather than trying to straighten them away.
Financial Success and Net Worth in 2026
Public figures connected to professional athletes often find themselves surrounded by speculation about money. In Toriah Lachell’s case, most financial estimates come from entertainment blogs rather than confirmed financial records. That makes exact numbers difficult to verify.
What can be said with confidence is that The Curl Bar operates as a premium service business. Specialized curly cuts and consultations typically command higher prices than standard salon services. The salon’s signature new-client experience includes consultation, curl-specific cutting techniques, and styling education designed to help clients manage their hair independently.
Revenue from a salon business depends on several factors, including appointment volume, product sales, and repeat clientele. Stylists who build strong reputations often maintain waiting lists and loyal customers who return several times each year.
Estimates circulating online place her net worth somewhere between $1 million and $2 million by 2026, though those figures should be treated as rough approximations rather than confirmed financial statements. What matters more than a specific number is the method through which she built financial stability: a specialized skill and a business built around it.
Life Today: Parenting, Business, and Privacy
These days, Toriah Lachell divides her time between motherhood and running The Curl Bar. The balance requires discipline. Salon owners often spend long hours coordinating appointments, managing staff schedules, and maintaining relationships with clients.
Parenthood adds another layer of responsibility. Deuce, now a school-age child, continues to appear in occasional Celtics broadcasts with his father. His easy confidence around cameras suggests he’s comfortable in environments that might overwhelm many kids.
For Toriah, maintaining a degree of privacy remains important. She rarely gives interviews or posts extensively about personal matters. That choice reflects a deliberate boundary between public curiosity and private life.
Friends describe her as someone focused on growth rather than attention. Running a successful salon, raising a child, and maintaining personal independence requires a level of determination that doesn’t always make headlines.
Lesser-Known Details About Toriah Lachell
Not many people know this, but the nickname “Deuce” was inspired by Jayson Tatum’s own middle name, Christopher. The nickname simply stuck when their son was born and gradually became his everyday identity.
Another detail often overlooked is how early Toriah began experimenting with hair care techniques. Friends from her teenage years remember her researching products and styles long before she formally trained as a stylist.
Her move to Massachusetts also represented a major personal transition. Leaving the familiarity of St. Louis for Boston required adjusting to a completely different pace of life, climate, and business environment.
What’s surprising is how little she has leaned into celebrity culture despite her connections. Many people in similar situations build social media brands around fame. Toriah has largely chosen the opposite approach, focusing on a professional craft instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Toriah Lachell?
Toriah Lachell is an American hairstylist and entrepreneur known for founding The Curl Bar, a salon specializing in curly hair care in Somerville, Massachusetts. She is also known as the mother of Jayson “Deuce” Christopher Tatum Jr., the son she shares with NBA star Jayson Tatum. Her work focuses on education and styling techniques tailored for natural curls.
How did Toriah Lachell become famous?
Her public recognition began through her relationship with Jayson Tatum during their high school years in St. Louis. When their son was born in December 2017, media attention around Tatum’s NBA career brought additional attention to her life. Over time, she built her own reputation through her work as a curly-hair specialist.
What does Toriah Lachell do for a living?
Toriah Lachell works as a professional hairstylist and salon owner. She founded The Curl Bar Boston, a business focused on curly hair services and education. Her work involves curl-specific cutting techniques, hydration treatments, and teaching clients how to manage textured hair at home.
Is Toriah Lachell married?
As of 2026, Toriah Lachell is not publicly known to be married. She shares a son with NBA player Jayson Tatum, but the two are no longer in a romantic relationship. Their connection today centers primarily on co-parenting their child.
How many children does Toriah Lachell have?
Toriah Lachell has one child, Jayson “Deuce” Christopher Tatum Jr., who was born on December 6, 2017. Deuce has become well known among Boston Celtics fans due to his frequent appearances with his father at games.
Conclusion
Stories about people connected to fame often follow predictable patterns. Someone dates a celebrity, a child is born, and the public conversation rarely moves beyond those headlines. Toriah Lachell’s life shows that reality can be far more layered than those quick summaries suggest.
Her journey began in St. Louis classrooms and high school hallways where dreams were still taking shape. Unexpected motherhood arrived just as the world began watching the father of her child step onto an NBA stage. Many people might have allowed that moment to define their identity forever.
Instead, she built something quieter but meaningful. A salon dedicated to understanding curls, a career grounded in skill, and a life that balances business with motherhood.
The public may always associate her name with basketball headlines. Yet the fuller story sits in a Somerville salon chair, where clients leave feeling seen, understood, and confident about the hair they were born with. That work may never trend on social media, but it has its own kind of lasting impact.
Time will tell how her career evolves in the coming years. If the path she has already taken offers any clue, it will likely continue to follow the same steady philosophy: focus on craft, protect family, and let the results speak for themselves.