Ice-T’s wife Coco Austin is coming under fire after sharing a video of herself holding her 2-year-old daughter in her arms while swimming with sharks during a family vacation to the Bahamas. Coco was largely slammed on Instagram this week after she shared the clip on her Instagram account on March 7, with many claiming that the mom of one was being “irresponsible” by heading into the water with her little girl.
Austin shared the controversial clip with her more than 3 million followers and told fans that she struggled to hold little Chanel as she swam in the water.
“This seriously was crazy having all these sharks in the water at once,” Coco wrote in the caption of the video, “but I have to say, half the battle was holding Chanel while swimming…lol”
And it’s safe to say that many who saw Austin holding on to her daughter – who was wearing a life jacket during the experience with the ocean animals – weren’t afraid to make their feelings known.
Many slammed the actress in the comments section, blasting her as being “irresponsible” for allowing her young daughter to be in the water with her.
“Listen a shark is a shark, a meat eater, so [people] shouldn’t ever take the chance and definitely not holding a baby it’s irresponsible,” hit back Instagram user @blackhulk9999 after seeing the video on social media.
Instagram user @realestate_jess then wrote online, “It was irresponsible for her to be swimming in the ocean not wearing a life vest especially holding her daughter. Those currents aren’t a joke.”
“No place for a baby,” added @babygir2 after seeing Coco and Chanel in the sea together.
But while many weren’t afraid to call out Coco in the comments section, others rushed to the star’s defense.
Instagram user @momma_to_2minimes responded to those slamming Austin, “Her kid her business, not y’all’s.” Another then added that Chanel was actually being a “good mother” to her daughter by “showing her not to be afraid” as she headed into the water with the wild animals.
“I just love how you always have her with you,” added @Jhernandezojeda in the Instagram photo’s comments after seeing Coco and her daughter spending time together. “Beautiful family. Beautiful memories. Great pics too!!”
Coco previously shared a number of photos of herself and her daughter in the water before posting the video. She called the experience one of the highlights of their trip and also confirmed that the sharks were surprisingly tame.
“These guys acted like dogs … they are so friendly plus the rush of doing something crazy is half the fun,” she wrote in the caption of the sharks she and Chanel swam with. “I even got Chanel to come in with me! As you can see we Ice didn’t make it in the water Haha.”
Austin has been sharing a number of snaps and videos from her, Chanel, and Ice-T’s vacation to the Bahamas on her social media pages over the past few days, sharing sweet photos of the family spending some quality time together.
Earlier this week, Coco shared various holiday snaps with her followers on Instagram, including one particularly adorable snap of 2-year-old Chanel planting a kiss on her lips while standing on a sun lounger as they sported matching red, white, and blue bikinis.
In the caption, the star said that she and her family and friends were all “having the time of [their] lives” as they enjoyed the sun and sand during their break.