Meet Angela Bassett's 2 Kids, Bronwyn And Slater

Angela Bassett and her husband Courtney B. Vance, whom you may recognize for his own acting career, have been married since 1997, welcoming their twins Bronwyn and Slater Vance in 2006. However, their journey to parenthood was not an easy one. Bassett opened up on the Oprah Winfrey Show about their difficulties with in vitro fertilization. "I wanted it, but I couldn't hold onto it so that I was devastated when it didn't happen," she told Oprah. "I had to remain hopeful and resilient and, 'Okay, let's do it again.'"

Courtney had a feeling that twins were in the cards. He told Oprah he had a dream about twins several years before, even though they weren't sure how to conceive at that point. His prediction came true as, eventually, they turned to surrogacy. The "Law & Order" alum told Oprah that raising their children is something that's helped their relationship — an addition to their secrets to a happy marriage.

Almost 20 years later, the twins have grown up and their comments show they are in awe of their parents' talent. After the "Wakanda Forever" star's 2023 Oscars loss, both Slater and Bronwyn shared Instagram posts in support of their mother. "Beyond proud of my mom's accomplishments," Bronwyn said in the caption of her photo. "What an honor to be among such a talented group of people for the night. All my love and support for my beautiful mother," Slater's heartfelt, now-deleted post read (per BCK Online). "Her success as an actress, woman, and artist cannot be undone, nor dismissed because of a piece of metal. She is the most talented actress and mother I know and I know the world knows it."

While most twins have an unspoken connection, Angela Bassett shared that her children weren't always that way. When they were younger, Bronwyn and Slater Vance used to argue, getting into verbal or physical spats. But ultimately, the two are as thick as thieves. "She's big heart — she loves her brother — and he protects her in school," Bassett told Access Hollywood (via People). "If she's having some trouble he's right in there for her, 'Don't you talk back to my sister!'"

The twins have also shown love to each other on social media. In a series of pictures shared on Instagram in March 2023, Bronwyn shouted out her brother: "if we ain't siblings then I can't relate." 

Bassett shared that of the two of them, Bronywn is definitely the boss, despite being the younger twin. Committed to keeping her brother in line, Bronwyn would mimic her mom whenever Bassett disciplined her son, the actor told Vulture. "I'm just speaking from my experience, but my daughter, from the time she was a little one, was always sort of looking to me for the example of what to do and how to be. ... She was my little copycat!" Bassett said.

While their parents are accomplished actors, Slater and Bronwyn Vance have been encouraged to pursue music. Angela Bassett previously said that she supports her children's musical interests, from musicianship to singing. "They both play the piano and rap and play guitar," Bassett told E! during the 2021 Golden Globe Awards (per People). She continued, "so they have a little musical interest that I drill into them, that I insist upon!" 

In fact, Slater is already a budding artist. In 2021, he released his first album titled "Journey 2 Forever." His sister Bronwyn is actually featured on a song, "Growing Up." In 2022, Slater followed this up with an EP titled "Holehearted." On an Instagram post showing he reached more than 10,000 monthly listeners, Slater said, "I'm so grateful to you all for helping us get to this milestone. It's been an amazing journey and I look forward to all that is to come."

Of these accomplishments, Courtney B. Vance had to give his praise. "Folks, he's done it again!" the proud father wrote in an Instagram post. "A big congratulations to my son @slater.vance and his producer @wcab1_music for their second major production, Holehearted." His third project, "yours sincerely," was released in early 2023, and Slater has continued to release more music. 2024 saw him release an album titled "europa.," and more singles have followed. He might be a college student now, but Slater sure isn't slacking on his music.

While Angela Bassett's Oscars makeup has made headlines in the past, the actress didn't make the news for actually winning an Academy Award. When she finally got the recognition she deserved for her work with an honorary Academy Award in 2024, her kids, Bronwyn and Slater Vance, were right by her side, celebrating their mother's big moment; they even made an appearance with Bassett and her husband on the red carpet. Slater took to Instagram after the big event to express how proud he is of his mom. "Every time you touch a stage I get to watch an Oscar worthy performance, so this level of recognition is LONG overdue. Decades overdue," he wrote. 

This wasn't the first time Bronwyn and Slater showed their support for their mom. Before Bassett lost her 2023 Oscar nomination for best supporting actress to Jamie Lee Curtis, she won a Golden Globe for the best supporting actress in a drama film. "I went home and hugged my kids," Bassett told People. "They were really excited for mom to bring home a statue."

Bronwyn and Slater have seen their moms wins and losses, with Bassett saying it's important that her kids have seen her handle both. "[It's about] the work, not the fame," she told People, adding, "They'll see that hard work pays off. And they'll be about that life for themselves."

2006 feels like it was just yesterday, but Bronwyn and Slater Vance went off to college in 2024, and their mother, Angela Bassett, had a bit of a hard time dealing with the deafening silence their absence left in her house. "It's a great, big transition for them," she said of the twins while speaking to Hello! "But I think you underestimate the transition that it is for you." She added that she and her husband, Courtney B. Vance, had set up a digital photo frame showcasing a series of photographs featuring the twins in an effort to keep them close after they left home. "Sometimes I just get caught looking at all the different stages, and you just 'oh and ah,' and I really have to tell Courtney, 'Please turn it off!' I can't get anything done," Bassett admitted.

Bronwyn and Slater were probably a little nervous ahead of their new adventure as college students — as anyone would be — but their mom made things a little easier on them by not bursting into tears when she and Courtney had to leave them behind. Bassett revealed this tidbit during an interview with Today. "[There were] no tears, just lots of joy," the actress said, adding that she wants her kids to have a great college experience, much like her own.

Courtney previously told E! News that Bronwyn will be attending Harvard, his undergrad alma mater. He and Bassett met later studying at Yale, which was a school their son considered. Courtney added, "[Slater] got in early to Yale but he may, he's looking at UPenn. It still may happen. We are waiting to see." Neither parent has confirmed which school Slater ended up choosing.