The Untold Truth Of Cardi B's Sister Hennessy Carolina

There's no doubt that Cardi B is one of the most famous rappers in the entertainment industry. Everything she does — both professionally and personally — seems to create a buzz. However, she's certainly not the only member of her family who's totally noteworthy. Along with Cardi's husband and fellow celeb, Offset, and their two children, Cardi has a stunning sister named Hennessy Carolina.

If you recognize Hennessy or have known about her for a while now, then you may have first spotted her between 2016 and 2018 on "Love & Hip Hop: New York," per IMDb, which is the reality show that Cardi starred on and which helped her become that megastar that she is today. As for Hennessy, these days, she has quite a fanbase herself. On Instagram alone, she has over 6.8 million followers.

Granted, there's a lot more to Hennessy than just being Cardi's little sister and a social media star. Read on to find out more about this ever-intriguing figure.

Cardi B was born as Belcalis Almanzar — pronounced "Bel-Ca-LEEZ ... Al-MAN-zar," according to the star (via Life & Style) — and the rapper has explained that her stage name was inspired by her sister's moniker. But is Hennessy Carolina her real name? Well, yes, it is. But it's not her full name.

Hennessy Carolina Almanzar made her way into the world on December 22, 1995, according to IMDb. BET explains that when she was born, her dad showed up at the hospital after he'd been drinking Hennessy. Saying that he wanted his baby girl to be named after the alcohol, Capital Xtra claims that Hennessy's mom liked the idea, and Hennessy ended up with her unique moniker.

If you're unaware, Hennessy (the drink, not the person) is a popular cognac, while Cardi's name comes from Bacardi, which is a brand of rum. While you might think that those names would have inspired either one or both of the sisters to seek out fame and fortune as bartenders or launch a distillery, it seems like they had other ambitions in mind. For instance, Hennessy was aiming for a certain kind of career when she was younger, and it looks like she's grown up to fulfill (at least part of) her dream.

"Growing up, I wanted to be a fashion designer, which I'm still in school for. Like that's what I want to be: a fashion designer," Hennessy Carolina told BET in September 2017. Going on to say that her "dream customer is every celebrity that's on the red carpet," she added, "Everybody at the Met Gala and on top of that, just everybody and anybody. I would dress everybody."

While that may have been Hennessy's dream, she's put in the work to make it a reality. The next year, in November 2018, BET reported that she had teamed up with boohoo.com for the boohoo.com x Hennessy Carolina collection, which was a part of the brand's "No More Parties" holiday campaign. Featuring eye-catching dresses, blazers, pants, shoes, and accessories that are worthy of the stylish star who's certainly savvy enough when it comes to standing out, the items were all being offered for under $100, which is definitely a deal!

"I love that I could partner with a brand that represents forward fashion, that stays on-trend, and that's super affordable," Hennessy said about the collab (via BET). She added, "Working with boohoo was amazing! I'm looking forward to seeing how the campaign comes out." While it's not surprising that Hennessy also posed for the campaign, there's one reason why she isn't a typical model.

It's impossible to argue about the fact that Hennessy Carolina has a large fanbase, big ideas, and a massive presence. That might make you think that everything about her is larger than life. However, it turns out that just like Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, and Daniel Radcliffe, she's actually on the short side. Indeed, while the average height of women in the United States is 5 feet and 4 inches, according to Medical News Today, BET notes that Hennessy is 5-foot-1.

Hennessy has talked about her height in the past, telling BET, "Oh, my God, as far as I can remember I was so little." She went on to say that she still has a school picture of herself from fifth grade which shows her in boots that had "little heels." She explained, "I've been wearing heels since elementary school, I don't know how. ... I used to go to school in heels every day. I thought I was a little grown woman." 

Hennessy's height is perhaps why a special someone in her life always seems to tower over her.

In June 2018, Hennessy Carolina took to Instagram to write, "If you can't accept the B In (L)LGBTQ ... then please don't speak up for the community if you can't fully understand ALL of us!" Going on to mention a "bisexual girl expressing that she sometimes likes to kiss and hook up with girls" in any manner — either casually or in a relationship — she added, "I don't have a problem with that!!" Noting the same goes for men, she ended with: "That being said HAPPY GAY PRIDE MONTH FROM ME AND MY WIFE."

Indeed, the post included a photo of Hennessy and Mel Diaz, per Vogue, which reported her last name while People points out her preferred first name. Hennessy talked to Vogue about how the two first connected around a year before, saying that she spotted Mel on her Instagram Explore page. "I turned to my sister, and I was like, 'This is a cute girl on Instagram!'" she said. "Right away, I was like, 'This is my wife.'"

Although People notes that it's not clear if Hennessy and Mel are actually married, there's no doubt that Hennessy adores her significant other. "The most beautiful person inside and out," Hennessy wrote on IG alongside a photo of her partner that she shared on September 11, 2017. "I love you soooooo much...!" Unfortunately, Hennessy also ended up facing a legal situation that was connected to her relationship with Mel.

Hennessy Carolina found herself caught up in a lawsuit with her sister, Cardi B, and partner, Mel Diaz, in September 2020, according to NBC News. The three were apparently sued after Hennessy and Mel were allegedly targeted by people with a flag supporting former President Donald Trump.

Per NBC News, the trio was sued for damages related to the incident, which allegedly involved Hennessy "battering, assaulting, threatening, and defaming" three people: Manuel Alarcon, Peter Caliendo, and Pauline Caliendo. Cardi and Mel were involved in the lawsuit because of social media posts that they had shared regarding the altercation after the fact. Cardi had tweeted (via NBC News) that Mel had been "harass[ed]" about "mov[ing] her car for no reason" and shared a video of what had happened while writing, "...[M]y sister can't go to the beach in the Hampton's wit out Trump supporters harassing cause they were by themselves & Santa Claus was harassing my sis GF all because they are a Afro/Hispanic gay couple." In turn, those behind the lawsuit claimed that Hennessy had "battered" them by yelling at them and letting out "copious amounts of spittle" which is dangerous during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The legal situation was still going on in February, which is when Cardi wanted the lawsuit dismissed, per the Daily Mail. However, Radar reported in September that the accusers were still trying to keep the lawsuit alive.