jewish celebrities
The Israeli-American and her husband, Brennon, just welcomed their first daughter.
By Lior Zaltzman
via Patrick Wymore/Netflix
Mazel tov to Alexa Lemieux! The Jewish “Love Is Blind’ alum and hubby Brennon Lemieux, one of reality TV’s rare success stories, just shared that they welcomed their first child, a daughter, named Vienna Ziva Lemieux, on July 31, 2024. “She has mommy’s hair and daddy’s dimples and we couldn’t be more in love,” Lemieux shared on her Instagram last week.
Lemieux revealed that she was pregnant this January. The couple shared that they were expecting a girl in May. They had an intimate gender reveal at home initially, and then a party with their families. Brennon shared with People that he was initially really nervous about having a girl, having grown up with five brothers. He said he was “still very nervous to be a dad, but I know that I am going to love and care for my daughter. I am certain our daughter knows she already has us wrapped around her little finger.”
“I’m so happy we’re having a precious baby girl,” Alexa told the magazine. “A girl that I can raise to be strong and confident in herself and proud of who she is.”
The couple had a “Bridgerton”-themed baby shower back in June.
Vienna is, of course, the name of the capital of Austria, and we don’t know what the significance of that name is for the couple, but we love it. Ziva is a Hebrew name with a gorgeous meaning — it means “light, brilliance or glow.” It also appears to be the name of Alexa’s grandmother who passed away during the pandemic, which means that Alexa followed the Jewish tradition of naming after departed relatives. When Alexa’s grandmother passed away, she posted a video of her on social media, in which you can hear her asking Alexa to sing “Dreidel, Driedel, Driedel” to which someone says, “Ziva, stop bothering her!” in Hebrew. Alexa shared that because of COVID-19 travel restrictions at the time, her entire family wasn’t able to attend her safta’s funeral, which was in Israel in July of 2020.
Alexa is an Israeli citizen and a Tel Aviv University graduate, so she was able to travel there despite the restrictions. Her grandmother was three weeks away from “moving to Dallas and making our family whole again,” and Alexa got especially close to her when she lived in Israel for her studies.
“There’s going to be a million moments throughout my life when I’m going to hear some top notch gossip or want to wish you a Shabbat shalom or just want to hear your voice and I won’t be able to call you. Who am I supposed to tell all my boy problems to? Here are just a few frozen moments in time that I would give anything to go back to. I didn’t even know I should’ve been appreciating those moments. I thought we would have more time. You were supposed to be there for my wedding day. We would constantly talk about me being a mom one day and how much you would be a part of my kids lives. You’ll live forever on and forever young in the memories of our family. I love you forever and always,” she wrote on Instagram. “Rest In Peace safta.”
It’s true Alexa’s safta never got to see her get married, but thousands and thousands of people — including Alexa’s father and grandfather — got to see their beautiful Jewish wedding on “Love Is Blind” season three, in what was perhaps the most beautiful love story in the show’s history. “I will not possess you for we belong to ourselves. I will not command you for you are free,” Brennon said in his beautiful vows, donning a kippah while standing under a chuppah, as his grandfather wiped his eyes. “I am my beloved’s,” he said, before breaking the glass and the crowd yelled mazel tov.
The couple first fell for each other when they bonded about their love for shakshuka, family and a very similar and special sense of humor. While dating on the show, they got really vulnerable and open with each other, and confessed their love to each other, before ever seeing each other’s face. Upon meeting her family evenutally, Alexa’s father, Adam, and her grandfather, Barry, were there to teach him about the Jewish wedding rituals. Alexa also talked about how her safta was a guiding force in her taking a chance on Brennon. She even had a dream about her where she was hugging her and told her to “say what’s in your heart,” which helped her be open during those early blind dates. While Brennon didn’t convert to Judaism, he was willing to do it for Alexa, and he did joke after their wedding that his whole family converted to Judaism — and joined Alexa’s family for Shabbat dinners (and posted funny memes on TikTok together).
@mrsalexalemieux Holidays with the in laws #loveisblind #loveisblindnetflix
From very early on, the two talked about having children, and on their first time meeting face to face, Alexa even said: “We’ll make really beautiful children, like I’m really excited for that.”
She wasn’t wrong. Mazel tov to this gorgeous couple! Thank you for making us all believe in love. We’re so thrilled for the next step in your journey.
Lior Zaltzman
Lior Zaltzman is the deputy managing editor of Kveller.
