Lil Durk's Mom Blames Herself for Family's Pain

Lil Durk’s Mom Blames Herself for His Legal Troubles and DThang’s Death

LaShawnda Woodard says she still carries guilt over decisions she made while raising her sons and wonders how their lives might have changed.

*Lil Durk’s mother, LaShawnda Woodard, has spent years watching her children achieve success while also enduring devastating consequences. Now she admits she sometimes looks backward and wonders whether their lives could have unfolded differently.

“I feel like everything that has happened is my fault,” Woodard said on “If You Knew Better with Amber Grimes,” according to AllHipHop.

“I blame myself for everything that’s happening. I blame myself for my son getting killed and I blame myself for my son being locked up,” she added.

Her oldest son, Dontay “D-Thang” Banks Jr., was killed five years ago. Durk, meanwhile, has spent time incarcerated while dealing with federal legal troubles.

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A Mother Reconsiders the Past

Woodard’s regrets reach back to her children’s early years. She recalled advice from her mother and now believes following it could have put the family on another path.

“If I would have listened like I was supposed to, we would have been somewhere totally different,” she said. “They would have been raised different, and I felt like everything would have been better.”

The interview didn’t leave Woodard’s perspective unchallenged. Host Amber Grimes pointed to what both sons accomplished despite their upbringing. D-Thang graduated and pursued his goals, while Durk became a successful recording artist.

Woodard’s own difficult history also shapes her perspective. She has publicly addressed surviving childhood sexual assault and an attempted rape at 17. She later explored those traumatic experiences while writing her book, “7220.”

Today, Woodard speaks with high school students about sexual assault and encourages young women to seek support. Still, family remains central to how she handles her own pain.

“I try to show up the best I can,” Woodard said. “You know, now with different situations that’s going on, I try to blank out my pain and like be there for them and be strong for them.”

Watch her full interview below.