Vanessa Williams' 4 Kids Are Grown And Gorgeous
Multi-hyphenate Vanessa Williams' journey into motherhood began early on in her career, and it was not always easy as she tried to find a balance between raising children and pursuing her dreams. "I had my first child at 24, my second at 26, and my third at 30," she told Glamour in 2019. "I've been a mother so long that it's hard to remember what my life was like before then, but parenthood has never felt like a burden: It strengthened my outlook on life and made me more ambitious in my career."
In addition to cultivating a long-lasting and wildly successful career in Hollywood, Williams is the proud mom to Melanie Hervey (born in 1987), Jillian Hervey (born in 1989), Devin Hervey (born in 1993), and Sasha Fox (born in 2000). The A-lister's kids have grown up to be gorgeous, talented, and unique individuals leaving their mark on the world. Here's what we know about Vanessa Williams' children.
Vanessa Williams wanted her kids to have a 'normal life'
Vanessa Williams has had a one-of-a-kind career that includes modeling, acting, singing, and being crowned Miss America. But what is it like being her child? Is it possible to have a "regular" life when you are the kid of a famous celebrity? Well, by all accounts, Williams did what she could to give them some sense of normalcy. In a 2020 chat with I'm Here With Magazine, Williams talked about raising her kids in Westchester County, New York — a world away from Los Angeles. "I'm living in the hometown where I grew up, my kids went to same schools I went to and my mom lives next door," she said. "It was important for me to give my kids a normal life so they can function as normal, grounded adults."
Now, that's often easier said than done when you're a celebrity raising kids. "I remember flying from Tokyo to New York for a confirmation party for my daughter, and then back to Tokyo to perform," Williams told Working Mother in 2010 (via People). Of course, there were times when the kids got to join her on her work trips, too; the word "normal" is relative.
"I was always working my professional life and my life as a wife and mother simultaneously," Williams said in Glamour in 2019. "The kids' schedules came first, and my career came second, even though I was the main moneymaker."
All of Vanessa Williams's children are musical
If there was one thing Vanessa Williams wouldn't budge on when it came to raising her kids, it was that they would learn to play an instrument. When the "Dance with Me" actor was a child, she too was encouraged to be musical by her music teacher parents. And so, she played the piano and French horn. Williams, of course, went on to have a successful career as a recording artist, releasing smash hits like "Save the Best for Last" and "Colors of the Wind."
Williams opened up about the importance of nurturing her kids' creative sides during an interview with CNN in 2012. Recalling a conversation she had with one of her daughters, who was thinking about ditching her instrument at the time, she shared, "I remember saying, "We don't drop our instruments in this family. Everyone takes an instrument until they graduate, and that's what we do as a family, so you've got to figure out if it's violin or trumpet or something else," Williams said. "And I don't ever want to hear the music teacher telling me you're not showing up again."
In addition to cultivating their creative and artistic abilities, these lessons certainly helped shape the kids' drive and work ethic. As Jillian Hervey once told Ladygunn, "[B]etween me and my whole family we have a lot of artsy people all around us ... they're passionate about something and then they build something up for themselves."
Vanessa Williams three daughters are total opposites
You might assume there was competition between Vanessa Williams' three daughters or a fight for attention when they were growing up, but it sounds like the Grammy-nominated artist is not one to play favorites. "I am lucky to have three daughters who are completely different," Williams told CNN in 2012. "I look at my daughters, and I have different relationships with all three, and there are parts of each personality that are very special. I rely on them for their particular qualities, but I feel happy that I have three completely different opportunities to make my mommy-daughter relationship different."
In addition to nurturing strong and unique bonds with each of her daughters, Williams also worked to bolster their confidence. As she once noted at a Leadership Niagara event, being a teen girl comes with a whole mess of insecurities, and she watched her own girls navigate the ups and downs that come with growing up. "You have to learn as a child, or as an adult, what you bring naturally and not to be afraid to be yourself," she said, per The Buffalo News.
It goes without saying, but Williams also cherishes the relationship she has with her son. "I'm a mother of four so every child I have is another opportunity to be blessed and grow," she told Forbes in 2012.
Melanie Hervey is a fitness enthusiast
Vanessa Williams' eldest daughter, Melanie Hervey, is a professional Pilates instructor who happens to have a serious passion for fitness and wellness. Melanie is the first of three kids Williams shares with her first husband, Ramon Hervey II.
By all accounts, it sure sounds like Melanie's career path could not be a better fit. As she once wrote on Instagram, "Doing what you love doesn't feel like work." And it turns out she is not the only one in the family who loves Pilates. In a 2010 interview for Prevention, Melanie's mom shared that she got into the exercise method when Melanie was still in diapers. "I was doing Pilates before people even knew how to spell Pilates," Williams said (via Women's Health). "I started with [trainer] Mari Winsor after my first child, 22 years ago. She used to come backstage and do a mat floor workout with me when I was doing 'Kiss of the Spider Woman' on Broadway."
Melanie Hervey's relationship with her mom strengthened as she grew up
In a 2013 chat with "CBS This Morning," Melanie Hervey opened up about the ways in which her relationship with mom Vanessa Williams have evolved over the years. "I think there's a switch that happens between your adolescence and adulthood when you realize your mom is looking out for you and really has your best interest at heart," she said, "and once you can build that relationship, which I felt like at that point I did, I could actually give her advice and know that she took my opinion at heart, so I was happy to be able to advise that."
The "Daytime Divas" actor has also spoken about parenting her children and has never claimed to be a perfect mom. She understands motherhood has challenges and is more about achieving balance and doing your best. As she once told BCK Online (via HuffPost), "It's tough, and sometimes it's a burden. So you have to take each day as it comes and give yourself a break. Don't beat yourself up if your house isn't clean and spotless every day."
Jillian Hervey is part of the musical group Lion Babe
Like her mother, Jillian Hervey has pursued a career in music. A natural performer who grew up around music, Hervey once quipped to T Magazine, "It was inevitable for me to be in the arts."
And when we say "grew up around music," we mean it; music was an integral part of Hervey's upbringing. "Both of my mom's parents were music teachers, so I was hearing the fundamentals of playing the piano, what notes are, and all those things very early on. I grew up as a dancer, and music and dance are so closely tied, that in ballet class you're listening to all this classical music, and in modern class you're working with a live drummer," she told Marie Claire in 2016. "It was something that always made me feel really comfortable and I've had a connection to since the beginning."
Hervey's musical style may have evolved since childhood, and she's found a way to express herself through her own work. Since 2012, she has been part of the R&B duo Lion Babe. And while mom Vanessa Williams has always been in her corner to cheer her on, Hervey isn't one to ride on coattails. As she told Page Six in 2016, "I never walk into a room and say, 'Hi! I am Vanessa Williams' daughter.'"
Jillian Hervey prefers to keep her personal life under wraps
Jillian Hervey and her Lion Babe bandmate, Lucas Goodman, are in a romantic relationship. The two initially connected at a party when Vanessa Williams' daughter happened to be visiting Northeastern University. The thing that brought them together? The music playing at the party, of course.
"By chance, I heard a song and I didn't know what it was. So, I asked my friend 'What's this?' and he was like, 'The dude over there on the couch made it,'" Hervey told Marie Claire in 2016. She took it as an opportunity to introduce herself, but their exchange was brief and didn't turn into anything. Well, not for a while, at least. A few years later, they reconnected, and the rest is history.
While Hervey may be willing to discuss their professional work, the couple has decided to keep their private life out of the interviews for the most part. "My personal life, like my creative life is sacred, but coming from the upbringing I have had, I never wanted to overshare," Hervey told Essence in 2022. "Lucas and I have always valued our privacy and up until this point have never spoken of our relationship. There is an endless connection in the words I write, images we create, and music we make, that invites you into our personal life."
Jillian Hervey is also a mother
In December 2021, Jillian Hervey welcomed a son with Lion Babe producer Lucas Goodman. "It's still hard to describe because I haven't had a moment to really process," Hervey said in Essence a few months later. "Since the moment I discovered it was happening, I have been birthing new thoughts, feelings, intentions and parts of myself."
Given how selective Hervey has been when it comes to sharing pieces of her personal life with the world, it shouldn't come as a surprise that she was not immediately ready to announce the baby's arrival publicly. "It was one of those moments where you build up this whole idea of what it's going to mean to everyone else — all this pressure, that it's going to shift my identity and they're going to look at us differently," she told Essence.
When Hervey and Goodman's son arrived, Vanessa Williams officially became a grandmother for the first time. And it shouldn't come as a surprise that she was beyond thrilled about the addition to her family. "Well, my heart is bursting now!" Williams said to Essence. "It's full of promise and gratitude as I welcome the true extension of love into the world. To be blessed with the gift of a healthy grandson and know he will be supported by our loving family is a dream come true." In a separate chat with the outlet, she gushed about what a wonderful mother her daughter has already proven herself to be.
Jillian Hervey has worked with Pantene
Like her mother, Jillian Hervey is an exceptionally beautiful woman, and it totally checks out that she has experience as a spokesmodel. In 2016, hair care giant Pantene brought her on as a brand spokesperson, featuring her in ads where she celebrates the natural texture of her hair. "It's really exciting to be a voice for girls with curls," she said to People at the time.
In a separate chat with Fashion magazine, Hervey got into how much it means to her to be part of an ad campaign that is all about natural curls. "[Growing up] I definitely struggled with just feeling not confident in my own hair and not being ready to show everyone my natural texture, just because there weren't really people around me doing the same thing," she said. "I think for women, especially women of colour, hair has so much to do with our identity and our confidence levels."
Jillian Hervey starred in an inclusive H&M campaign
In addition to the Pantene spokesperson gig, Jillian Hervey also appeared in an empowering and inclusive H&M ad campaign in 2016. What's more, Lion Babe just so happened to provide the music for the ad: a cover of the Tom Jones classic "She's a Lady."
"We just made minor tweaks, and it made the song so much more powerful, and it made it come from the female voice," she told Teen Vogue at the time. In that same interview, Hervey spoke about the beauty and power of women. "We're so multifaceted, we're so interesting, and any opportunity to celebrate that — because there's been many years of not being able to — and expose what it's like to be female and how we can be whoever we want to be and do whatever we want to do, is great," she said.
Jillian Hervey has known a number of strong women throughout her life, including, of course, Vanessa Williams. And Hervey would be the first to sing her mother's praises. "My mom has always just been one of those people who handle adversity and challenges, and really everything, with so much grace and elegance," she told Fashion magazine. "I saw it all the time."
Son Devin Hervey flies under the radar
Vanessa Williams has one son, Devin Hervey, who she shares with her first husband, Ramon Hervey II. While her daughters have embraced fame and live their lives in the public eye (some to a lesser extent than others), Devin appears to be the most private of Williams' children. As such, not as much is known about him, although he is believed to work in fashion.
Williams' children have unique qualities and interests, something she's encouraged. "I always told my kids dare to be different," she said in a press release for HSN, per People. "Why be like everybody else? Don't be afraid to be yourself." What is it that makes Devin stand out from his sisters? According to his social media, he appears to have tapped into his creative side and is an artist.
Clearly, Devin's mother recognizes how important it is to have the encouragement of your parents. "I had two parents and a family that always supported me," Williams told Forbes in a 2012 interview. "Support is very important and when they saw that I had the desire to pursue a career in the arts, I received the proper training... Follow your dreams, but it's also nice to have a family that supports your dreams instead of saying 'get a real job.'"
Sasha Fox's father is pro basketball player Rick Fox
Vanessa Williams' ex-husband Rick Fox is the father of her youngest child, Sasha Fox. "My second husband was six years younger than I was: When we got married, I was 36. At the time I worried about being too old, even though I was still very young," she told Glamour in 2019. "He was in the NBA, which is basically another kind of show business, though it was high profile in a way I hadn't experienced before." The couple had their issues to navigate, including distance, and ultimately, they would split after six years of marriage.
While one could argue Rick is best known for his basketball career, he has also done rather well for himself in the acting world. And in 2019, Rick and Sasha even teamed up for the OWN made-for-TV Christmas flick "One Fine Christmas." Funny enough, Sasha and Rick starred opposite actor Vanessa A. Williams — not to be confused with Sasha's mother, Vanessa L. Williams. "I texted the family group chat and we were like, 'Guess who's playing my mom, you will not believe it,'" Sasha told Extra.
Like her mama, Sasha Fox is comfortable in front of the camera
As the daughter of Vanessa Williams and former NBA star Rick Fox, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Sasha Fox is both gorgeous and comfortable in front of the camera. In addition to acting alongside her dad in "One Fine Christmas," she's also launched a modeling career. What's more, she's even modeled on air for her mom's clothing line with HSN. The focus behind the line is to create designs that are accessible to women of various sizes, shapes, and ages, making the garments inclusive and beautiful.
"My brand is really about designing for myself and my family," Williams said at a press event in 2019, per People. "My mother will be 80 in December, I have a 32-year-old (Melanie Hervey), a 30-year-old (Jillian Hervey) and 19-year-old daughter (Sasha Fox) so I always kind of envision what they would like and have at least one piece [in the collection]."
Vanessa Williams' children are reluctant to share their lives with the public
Some of Vanessa Williams' children have chosen a career in the public eye, while others prefer a quieter life. But if there is one thing they all probably agree on, it is that they are not interested in becoming the next Osbournes or Kardashians. "My kids have been offered a lot to be in reality shows," Williams told Essence in a 2022 interview. "That would be an easy money grab, but you also pay a price when you lose your privacy. And is that cost worth it? So all four of my kids have wanted to keep their private life private."
We can't say for certain how Williams would feel if her kids changed their minds about doing reality TV, but if there's one thing she's expressed time and time again, it's that she's inclined to support whatever paths they choose to take. As she said in an interview with New Beginnings Family Academy, "Parents can encourage their children to be brave, adventurous and not limit themselves. ... Don't say, 'It'll never happen.' Realism is done with love and support."