"Degrassi" Star Jake Epstein Welcomes His First Child: "I'm in Total Awe"

Jake Epstein and Vanessa Smythe are parents! The couple, who wed in 2018, announced the news on Instagram on June 14. "I wanted to introduce you to our new little guy. . . This is Miles August Epstein. Born May 25, 2023," Epstein wrote.

Epstein, who rose to fame as Craig on the hit teen series "Degrassi," continued, "I'm in total awe of his mama and how she is transforming into this amazing new mum before my eyes. He's only been on this planet for 18 days and it feels like I've landed in this new alternate reality of life. Being a parent. It's wild. I'm on no sleep but I couldn't love this little cuddler, music lover and pooper more." He finished it, "Welcome to the world my guy. . ."

Smythe, who is also an actor, shared the news in a separate post, writing, "On May 25 at 4:59pm, Miles August Epstein was lifted into the world and placed on my chest. We got to be cheek to cheek. Then he got to go to his dad."

She continued, "It has been only a couple weeks and yet I swear there is a dimension of time that has wrenched open vertically because it feels like he's been here for ages. Holy moly what a trip. Thank your parents if they raised you. This kind of love is so consuming and yet I can't grasp it with words. Here he is."

Epstein and Smythe announced their pregnancy news in April. He shared a photo of her baby bump with a sign that said "Coming Soon" on it and praised her for doing a new stage show in Canada, "Tell You a Story," while eight months pregnant. He called her the "love of my life" and added that he "couldn't be prouder."

Epstein, now 36, appeared as Craig Manning on "Degrassi: The Next Generation," from 2002 to 2009. He's continued to work on stage and screen. In the theater world, he led the "Spring Awakening" national tour in 2009 and appeared on Broadway as Peter Parker in "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" and in "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical." In 2022's he appeared in season three of "The Umbrella Academy," and he's also starred in multiple made-for-TV holiday films, including 2019's "Mistletoe & Menorahs" and 2021's "Eight Gifts of Hanukkah."