These Black Celebrities Are All Incredibly Talented — And They’re Also Related

Remember that feeling when you realized on “Living Single,” Laverne Hunter (Chip Fields) was actually Regine’s (Kim Fields) mom in real life?

Or seeing Ray J appear as Cousin Dorian on “Moesha” — and later being revealed as Moesha’s (Brandy) half-brother on the series?

Then of course, there are the numerous directing, producing and acting credits for members of the Wayans family, including a new generation of talent.

These are the families, siblings and parent-child relationships that have taught us what it means to build successful careers and livelihoods within the entertainment industry.

There definitely isn’t enough space here to showcase how the Wayans family has impacted the entertainment industry. Keenen broke into Hollywood and brought his siblings with him, setting a new and hilarious standard for sketch comedy with “In Living Color.”

While Keenen went on to produce and direct some big hits like “Hollywood Shuffle” and “Scary Movie,” Damon, Shawn and Marlon became film and TV stars through numerous projects including “My Wife and Kids, “The Wayans Bros.,” “White Chicks” and many others.

The siblings were big on collaborating, but also found ways to carve out their own lanes. Kim showed us her versatility with her dramatic acting chops in “Pariah.” Marlon made us laugh with his standup specials and zany comedy films. Though Shawn has mostly been out of the spotlight, he has performed a few standup sets in recent years — and wastes no time supporting his children, siblings and other family members’ projects on his social media accounts.

Their oldest sibling, Dwayne, has been active behind the scenes for years, with credits as a writer and composer on several TV series. (There were 10 Wayans siblings, and while some of them didn’t become household names, they all had talent whether with screenwriting, producing or other skills behind the camera.) All of the Wayans created the space for their offspring to shine, too. I’m looking forward to Damon’s return — with his son Damon Jr. — to the small screen with “Poppa’s House” later this year.

“Hey, wait a minute, ain’t that Brandy’s brother?” One thing Brandy and Ray J gonna do is show up for each other — every single time. Whether it’s Brandy popping in to an episode of “Love and Hip-Hop” or in the audience at Ray J’s Verzuz performance, she’s going to be there for her little brother. On the flip side, Ray J showed us his acting talents on “Moesha” and has forever been known as Brandy’s “Best Friend,” the song she dedicated to her brother on her self-titled debut album.

In “Flawless,” Beyoncé raps, “My sister told me I should speak my mind,” and ever since then, we’ve known that Solange does not play about her big sister. Their mother, Tina Knowles, has said that growing up, the Knowles sisters’ personalities were on opposite sides of the spectrum: Beyoncé was a shy kid and Solange always had a fiery spirit. Whether they’re dancing onstage together, creating incredible music, or, well, even standing in an elevator together, these sisters have their own styles all around.

It’s been powerful to watch Dwyane Wade’s relationship with his daughter, Zaya. Dwyane has spoken out about how he’s set aside his own fears as a parent so that Zaya could speak out and fully live her truth. Dwyane’s speech last year at the NAACP Image Awards showed us one example of how influential figures with huge platforms can show their support for queer people in the best way: unabashedly speaking out against hate.

He has also talked about how Zaya has transformed his ideas of parenthood. “As your father, my job isn’t to create a version of myself or direct your future. My role is to be a facilitator to your hopes, your wishes, your dreams,” Dwyane said at the 2023 NAACP Image Awards. “Zaya, you’ve made me a better human just simply by being who you were born to be: our baby girl, Zaya Wade. So baby, thank you for showing the world what courage looks like.”

The Braxtons opened up their lives to us in “Braxton Family Values” in 2011. For seven seasons, the Braxtons — Toni, Traci, Towanda, Trina, Tamar and Ms. Evelyn — made us laugh; we watched them argue, face marital problems and release new music. We’ve also been there for the toughest moments: Traci Braxton died in 2022 due to complications from esophageal cancer. After a four-year hiatus from reality TV, the Braxtons are returning to WeTV with a new show, simply called “The Braxtons.” Here’s to more epic moments like these.

Chip Fields made a name for herself in the ’70s for several supporting roles on TV and film. She’s most known for portraying Linella Gordon, the abusive mom to Penny (Janet Jackson) on a multi-episode arc on “Good Times.” But since then, Fields has directed and consulted for a lot of the TV series we love including “Sister, Sister,” “The Parkers,” “One on One,” “Girlfriends” and “All of Us.” In the ’90s, she portrayed her daughter Kim’s mother, Laverne, on “Living Single.”

Kim, whose breakout role in “Facts of Life” set her on the path toward sitcom greatness, followed in her mother’s footsteps when she began her work behind the camera, directing episodes of “Living Single,” “Kenan & Kel,” “Eve,” “The Ms. Pat Show” and so many other series. Alexis, who is 10 years younger than her sister Kim, kept the Fields’ comedic streak going with her roles on “Sister, Sister,” “Moesha” and “The Secret World of Alex Mack.” What’s amazing to see is that this family has sustained careers in Hollywood over the past six decades: Kim currently stars on Netflix’s “The Upshaws,” Alexis has co-starred on CW’s “All American,” and Chip, most recently, has directed a bunch of episodes of “Young Dylan.”

Tasha and Sidra are identical twin sisters on opposite sides of the camera. Tasha is winning as a comedic actor who always serves it straight up in “Why Did I Get Married?” and more recently, Netflix’s “Survival of the Thickest.” Sidra has been busy behind the camera with credits as a producer on documentaries “Time of Essence” and “Free Angela and All Political Prisoners” and romantic drama “Sylvie’s Love.”

If you’re a ’90s baby, you love the Mowry twins for their sitcoms “Sister, Sister” and “Smart Guy.” Tia and Tamera had several projects together, including “Seventeen Again,” “Twitches,” and their reality TV series, “Tia and Tamera.” Then, we showed up again when Tia starred as Melanie Barnett on CW’s “The Game” and when Tamera became a daytime talk show host on “The Real.” Tahj followed right behind his older sisters with his sitcom “Smart Guy” and even appeared alongside Tia on “The Game.” (Their brother Tavior has made a name for himself as a musician as well.)

Venus and Serena Williams are both powerhouses on the tennis court. They’ve broken barriers for women in sports and done it with grace even when their detractors didn’t deserve it. Their bond as sisters and competitors is perfectly described by this quote from Serena in Sports Illustrated: “I have a sister, and she knows exactly what I’m going through and she knows everything about me. She is the only person I can talk to after I lose, because only she knows how I feel, nobody else. They can feel, they can try, but they’re just not on that level, only she understands it.”

With the Smiths, we’ve seen how sometimes children are the best teachers. Will Smith has spoken about how his mindset shifted after Willow shaved her head after the success of “Whip My Hair.” Years later, in 2021, Jada shaved her head, after Willow helped her realize that being bald is beautiful. “I think what they’ve taught me collectively is that deep sense of self-acceptance,” Jada says of Jaden, Willow and Trey in People magazine. (Trey is Will Smith’s son from his previous marriage to Sheree Zampino.) “Like my kids, they love every part of me. They love every part of the journey. They are just such beautiful beings in that way, just the level of love, unconditional love, that they have for me and their dad.”

We’ve watched Beyoncé and Jay-Z stay at the top of their musical game for the last couple decades. But we’ve also learned of their struggles through their music, too. Their albums “Lemonade,” “4:44” and “Everything Is Love” all offer a window into their marital issues over the years and let listeners know that sometimes healing is just on the other side of your biggest problems.

The Tate Brothers have popped up on our screens since the late ’80s. We’ve come to know Larenz for his roles in romantic dramas like “Love Jones” and “The Inkwell,” biopic “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?,” cult classics “Menace II Society” and “Dead Presidents,” and the recent Starz franchise “Power.” Lahmard has flexed his comedic skills on “Barbershop,” and more recently “All American” and “South Side.” Their eldest brother, Larron, has mostly worked behind the scenes as a producer for several projects.

Diana Ross puts the glam in “glam-ma.” Her children have frequently praised their mother for being an even better mother than she was a glamorous singer — and in recent years, we’ve seen her celebrate the births of several grandchildren. “She’s a mom before she’s ‘Diana Ross,’” her daughter Tracee Ellis Ross shared with Flaunt last year. “My childhood was very anchored in real family life. My mom was home, my mom came and woke me up for school. And what I will say is it looked the way it did for my friends.”

Decades after he first popped onto the scene, it’s so nice to see Snoop’s big smile when he’s with his kids and grandkids. “Family is everything,” Snoop said in a statement about his family’s holiday collaboration with The Children’s Place last Christmas. “Working with family is truly a blessing. Having Shante, my kids, and my grandbabies part of this holiday campaign is nothing short of incredible.” Snoop — whose grandkids call him Papa Snoop — has four children, Corde, Cordell, Cori and Julian, and 12 grandchildren.

Many of us first met Queen Latifah’s mom Rita when she appeared as Khadijah’s mom on “Living Single.” Last year, Queen Latifah received the Kennedy Center Honor and made sure to pay homage to her late mother. (Rita Owens died in 2018 due to a heart condition.) “None of us would be here without those who did support us and believed that [hip-hop] was not just a fad and told us to go for it,” Latifah told PopSugar. “I’m just happy that I had that kind of mom who loved hip-hop.”

One thing about Spike Lee? He’s going to make sure his family works on his films. His sister, Joie, has appeared in at least 11 of his films including “She’s Gotta Have It” and “Mo’ Better Blues.” She also was a co-writer and producer on “Crooklyn,” the semiautobiographical film based on her life. Their brother Cinqué also co-wrote the film, and David is a photographer and has shot still images for several of Spike’s films. Their cousin, Malcolm D. Lee, is also known for his film work, including “The Best Man,” “Space Jam: A New Legacy” and other popular movies. That Lee and his family has made such an indelible mark on the film industry is really just a gift to us all.

EJ Johnson, the son of Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Cookie, became known as a TV personality in the 2010s for appearing on E!’s reality series, “Rich Kids of Beverly Hills,” and later his own spinoff, “EJNYC.” When EJ came out to his parents at 17 years old, he remembers that at first, his father didn’t approve of his feminine and androgynous fashion style. Ultimately, Magic came around to his son’s lifestyle and has beamed with joy in interviews and social media posts about EJ living in his truth. “As I grew older, as my wife talked to me, I couldn’t [judge EJ],” Magic told Variety in 2022. “I had to accept who he was and who he wanted to be. He actually helped me get there. Because he was so proud. Cookie said, ‘Look in the mirror.’ I said, ‘You’re right.’ Because I’m proud of who I am. And he got it from me.”