The Stunning Transformation Of Keshia Knight Pulliam
If you watched "The Cosby Show" back in the day (before the unfortunate and disturbing revelations about Bill Cosby that have forever tainted the sitcom), you probably remember the Huxtable family's wholesome moments. The youngest of the five Huxtable siblings, and the most adorable, was Rudy Huxtable, played by Keshia Knight Pulliam throughout the series' eight seasons.
Since "The Cosby Show" ended in 1992, many have wondered what happened to the actor who played Rudy Huxtable. Knight Pulliam may not have always been in the spotlight since she left her fan-favorite character behind — taking time away from Hollywood to finish school and start a family — but she's been working tirelessly for the past four decades nonetheless.
In 2004, the actor spoke with Blackfilm.com about what she's learned in the entertainment industry, saying, "Anything worth having you have to work hard for and I'm not shy of or afraid of hard work." She added, "The bottom line is you can have a goal, you have to do what it takes to accomplish it and be determined and diligent in that, and I have no problem with that." Not only did Knight Pulliam escape the dreaded child star syndrome, but she's broken into directing and producing, become known for other roles, worked with kids in an impactful way, and found true love.
Keshia Knight Pulliam has been working since she was a baby
Keshia Knight Pulliam was a child actor who grew up to be stunning, but despite what you might think, she didn't actually get her start on "The Cosby Show." In 1980, at just nine months old, the young star booked her first job for a Johnson & Johnson baby product advertisement. Knight Pulliam was clearly born to be in the limelight, as she continued booking ads, eventually landing two episodes of "Sesame Street" at 4 years old and, soon after, she secured "The Cosby Show." The following year, the child actor had her first film appearance with 1985's "The Last Dragon," and from there, the roles just kept on coming throughout the '80s and early '90s.
Many years after outgrowing her Rudy Huxtable image, Knight Pulliam spoke with Entertainment Tonight in a 2020 interview about her experience as a young actor and how it's shaped her position in the industry today. "I've had an amazing career that so many people just dream of. ... I'm grateful for all the experiences and to be able, from the time of 9 months old, to do something that I love and to have such a profound impact on people's lives and their childhoods, and now their children's lives. That's a blessing," Knight Pulliam explained.
She received an Emmy nomination for The Cosby Show
Many of "The Cosby Show" kids have gone on to become incredibly successful, but the littlest of the Huxtable clan earned recognition at a very young age. To this day, Keshia Knight Pulliam holds the record as the youngest actor to ever be nominated for an Emmy, which she landed for Outstanding Supporting Actress In a Comedy Series in 1986 at just 6 years old. Unfortunately, she lost out to Rhea Perlman, but to go up against other actors in their 50's and 60's would have been a true honor.
In speaking with Today in 2015, Knight Pulliam described her time on "The Cosby Show" saying, "It was an amazing experience. I absolutely enjoyed my time there, [the cast is] definitely like a second family and I was blessed to, you know, work for eight years on an amazing show." The actor has always maintained that stance, despite the 60-plus sexual harassment and assault allegations against her on-screen father Bill Cosby. She explained, "That was never my experience with him."
Knight Pulliam spoke about the controversy surrounding Cosby and defended the legacy of "The Cosby Show" in a November 2023 interview with People. "You can't take away the work that we all collectively did. ... [The show] was bigger than one person," she stated.
Keshia Knight Pulliam left Hollywood to go to school
Throughout her childhood, Keshia Knight Pulliam worked tirelessly as an actor and earned a lot of recognition. Several award nominations and a few wins — including the 1988 People's Choice Award for Favorite Young TV Performer — were proof that her hard work was paying off, but there was much more she wanted to do with her life. When "The Cosby Show" ended in 1992, Knight Pulliam was a young teenager with her whole life in front of her, and she decided to set her sights on school. The actor stepped away from Hollywood and enrolled in Spelman College in Atlanta.
"At Spelman, I was an honors scholar, which is a community service based scholarship," Knight Pulliam told Guideposts of her achievement in 2015. She graduated in 2001 with a BA in sociology and a concentration in film, which likely came in handy when she returned to acting in 2002 with "What About Your Friends: Weekend Getaway."
It's clear that Spelman College profoundly impacted Knight Pulliam, as she shared on Instagram in 2021 that she hopes her daughter will someday attend the school. "Spelman taught me so much about womanhood. I love sharing stories with Ella and hope she chooses Spelman or another HBCU [historically Black colleges and universities] one day. There's so much history," the caption read, alongside photos of the mother-daughter duo wearing Spelman College shirts.
She became known for her role on House of Payne in 2007
Sitcoms about quirky families have been a long-time favorite in American households, and Keshia Knight Pulliam has become known for two hugely iconic ones. 15 years after "The Cosby Show" ended, she landed the role of Miranda Payne in Tyler Perry's hit show "House of Payne." Surprisingly, Knight Pulliam wasn't intended to be a series regular when she first joined the sitcom in Season 2, but she's held on to her controversial character for 11 seasons now, and she's acknowledged just how lucky she feels to be a part of the cast.
While speaking with TheGrio in 2021 about being on "House of Payne" for so long, Knight Pulliam said, "At the end of the day, as an actor, that's a dream to be on a long running television show. And the fact that I had two in my lifetime, I'm just really grateful for and to do characters that resonate at such a visceral level with the audience. ... I'm grateful just to have the opportunity to ... bring just a little bit of joy, a little bit of laughter into everyone's lives."
Keshia Knight Pulliam began working with kids and young adults
In 2010, the "Madea Goes to Jail" actor decided to lend a hand to her community and make a difference off-screen. Keshia Knight Pulliam said to Guideposts in 2015, "I always knew that my niche was with kids and I had always known that I wanted to do my own nonprofit, so I decided to start the Kamp Kizzy foundation. ... What I've found, just in life, when you're living your purpose and doing what you're supposed to do, it kind of comes together for you." The Kizzy Foundation works with girls aged 11 to 16 from varying backgrounds and aims to empower them and inspire self-esteem through workshops, activities, and charitable work.
On top of running her non-profit, Knight Pulliam also worked with young adults when she partnered with Now and Later in 2021 for the #RecognizetheCHEW Class in Session Series, in which she taught classes at Clark Atlanta University about her experience as an HBCU graduate. When speaking with The Root about giving back through the campaign, Knight Pulliam explained, "The 'Chew' stands for 'Champion, Hustle, Empower, and Win.' It's an awesome opportunity to bring light to historically Black colleges and universities, but also to support them with the $10,000 financial grant toward starting a scholarship." She added, "[This gives us] the opportunity to tell students that the successful people aren't the ones that have been knocked down, but the ones who keep getting up."
She did a series of reality show appearances
Reality shows often book celebrities that people feel especially nostalgic for, and Keshia Knight Pulliam fits the bill perfectly. So much so that she's been making appearances on game shows and reality television for decades, starting with "Fear Factor" in 2002. Other cameos have included "The Mole," "Celebrity Ghost Stories," and the short-lived "Splash," in which stars performed high dives into a pool.
Although fans weren't shocked to see Knight Pulliam making the rounds on television, she made headlines in 2015 when she was fired by Donald Trump during Season 14 of "The Apprentice" for a surprising reason. The assignment had been to raise funds for her chosen charity, but she refused to make a call to her old co-star Bill Cosby, as she explained to Today following her final episode on the reality series. "I know 'The Cosby Show' is in reruns, and everyone thinks that we're this family that has dinner every Friday night. But the reality was I hadn't spoken to Mr. Cosby. I felt that it would be tactless, very rude to call someone and be like, 'Hey, so, let me have some money right now,'" Knight Pulliam stated.
This experience didn't dampen the actor's perception of reality show appearances though, and she went on to make appearances on shows like "Celebrity Big Brother," "Down to Business," and even "Married at First Sight."
Keshia Knight Pulliam got married and divorced in 2016
The ex-husband of "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Lisa Wu and former football linebacker, Ed Hartwell, and Keshia Knight Pulliam dated for just four months before they decided to tie the knot on January 1, 2016. Sadly, their marriage quickly became bitter and Hartwell filed for divorce in July of the same year. Cheating accusations were thrown from both sides, as the former child star's ex publicly claimed that, although she had gotten pregnant during their marriage, it wasn't his child.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Knight Pulliam expressed her devastation over her failed marriage and claimed that it was Hartwell who had been unfaithful, not her. "Early on in my marriage when I was faced with this, I was ready to leave. It's not OK," she explained. "In the process, I found out I was pregnant. And I had to take another hard look and decide if I wanted to try to work through this and forgive him for the sake of the child ... Once I was pregnant I did decide to give him that one last chance," she said.
However, the couple ultimately split, and what ensued was a difficult custody battle over their daughter, Ella Grace. Knight Pulliam was granted primary custody while Hartwell was awarded visitation and ordered to pay $3,000 a month in child support.
She has become a prominent voice in the Black community
In 2020, the United States faced a turning point when it came to recognizing racism and police brutality, honoring the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and so many others. Many celebrities took a stand, whether they marched in the Black Lives Matter protests or opened up about their own experiences with racism. Among these famous advocates was Keshia Knight Pulliam, who became a prominent voice during this time and spoke passionately about her own experiences as a Black woman.
While speaking with Revolt in December 2020, Knight Pulliam explained that despite her star status, she had experienced racism in her daily life. "As an actress, you're not living in a bubble. You are part of our world and the experiences of this world. The reality is no matter what your socioeconomic status is, what your profession is, if you're someone who's well-known, famous or works an everyday job, systematic racism is real and everyone has experienced it on a variety of different levels," she said.
During this interview, Knight Pulliam also referenced a story she had previously shared on her "Kandidly Keshia" podcast in 2017 in which she experienced racial profiling from her lactation consultant. She hoped that, in sharing how she stood up to this medical professional, she could empower other Black women to advocate for themselves in similar situations.
Keshia Knight Pulliam married her Lifetime co-star in 2022
After going through a tumultuous breakup in 2016, it seems like the second time was the charm for Keshia Knight Pulliam's love life. She fell in love with her now-husband Brad James, a fellow actor, while they were co-stars in the Lifetime movie "Pride & Prejudice: Atlanta" in 2019. Knight Pulliam spoke about her hubby in an October 2023 interview with People, saying, "We were actually playing brother and sister. Our paths had crossed many times before but this was the first time we saw each other."
While the Hollywood couple look perfectly suited, it took some time for them to fall for one another, as Knight Pulliam and James had known each other for many years prior. "He came to my brother's house with all my people and met everybody and we were literally just cast mates at the time. Five or so years later and he's my husband and we've made a whole other human being," she shared. The happy couple got married in September 2022 and welcomed their first child together in April 2023. They became a stunning family of four, with the actor's first child, Ella Grace, now a big sister to their son Knight.
Keshia Knight Pulliam now lives off the grid with her family
Having spent the majority of her life in the spotlight, it's no wonder that Keshia Knight Pulliam has settled down with her family away from the buzz of Hollywood. In a 2023 interview with People, the actor spoke about enjoying a quiet life on her farm in Atlanta, Georgia where she lives with her family. "I have been in the business my entire life, spanning over 40 years, but I've also had my own private life away from it, and I appreciate that," she remarked.
Knight Pulliam had stepped away from work to have her son, but when she initially intended to return to acting in film and television, the SAG-AFTRA strike began. While the actor expressed that she and her husband are eager to get back to filming, they've been enjoying their time together as a family. In terms of their future plans, Knight Pulliam explained, "We live on a farm so my husband built me a greenhouse and we're in the process of planting, taking care of chickens and goats and really just enjoying time as a family."