Actress Sarah Francis Jones went into labor during Beyoncé's birthday show at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles this week. The Hairspray (2007) actress revealed that Beyoncé wasn't even halfway through her September 4th Renaissance World Tour show before she realized she was going into labor.
"I think it was right after the mute challenge," Jones told KTLA, referring to the viral challenge during Beyoncé's song "ENERGY" off Renaissance. "Everybody went mute. L.A. did very well... and then I started having contractions." Jones was at the concert with her partner Marcel Spears, who is also an actor, and the two were shocked by the contractions as their baby girl wasn't due for another few days.
Jones initially thought the contractions were Braxton Hicks or gas and took a minute to calm herself down. "I said, 'Something's happening,'" she recalled. "Usually, I like to dance at the concert, and I was like, 'OK, I need to sit down for a second.'" Spears added, "I also thought it was Braxton Hicks, and she was like, 'I'm feeling something,' and I said, 'No, no no, it's early, it'll pass, we're OK.'"
While Beyoncé continued her show, Spears started timing the contractions and realized they were coming in intervals of 20 to 30 minutes. "The biggest contractions happened during 'Virgo's Groove,'" Spears shared, which is fitting since their baby was born under the Virgo sign just like Beyoncé.
However, their baby girl, Nola, missed sharing a birthday with Beyoncé by just a few hours. Nola arrived on September 5th and Jones and Spears shared their journey with a post to Instagram. "If we didn't record it, I don't think anybody would believe it," Spears said. "It's just one of those things that it's so convenient you're like, 'Nah, that's not happening,' but the baby definitely pulled through."