They grew up on our screens and starred in beloved Disney Channel favorites. Now, these stars are embracing a brand-new role: motherhood.
They grew up on our screens, starred in some of our favorite Disney Channel shows and movies, and eventually took on a brand-new role: becoming incredible mothers. From The Proud Family to Sister, Sister, The Cheetah Girls and High School Musical, these Black and Latina Disney stars have gone from teen stardom to building families of their own. Here’s a look at the Disney stars who become mothers and the partners and co-parents who have been part of their journeys along the way.
Best known as the voice of Penny Proud in The Proud Family, Kyla Pratt became a mom twice. She welcomed her first daughter, Lyric Kai, in 2010, followed by her second daughter, Liyah, in 2013. Pratt has been in a long-term relationship with tattoo artist and musician Danny Kirkpatrick since 2008. The couple have been engaged for years and have chosen to take their time when it comes to marriage while focusing on their family.
When asked about her relationship status with Kirkpatrick during a 2024 interview with E! News, Pratt kept it simple:
“You’re looking at two gangsters who are living their life and loving each other. We’re good. Don’t worry about what we’re doing.”
In 2022, Pratt took to Instagram to honor her boyfriend and praised him for being an incredible father.
“This MAN. There isn’t a day that goes by that my kids don’t feel love from their father. Thank you for being the man you are in every way. You are appreciated.”
KirkPatrick has also spoken about his love for Pratt, telling This Is 50 during a 20215 interview, according to People:
“I’ll always love her, we’ll always be in love. She gave me two beautiful daughters.”
From Sister, Sister to Twitches, Tia Mowry grew up in front of the camera before becoming a mom herself. She welcomed her son, Cree, in 2011 and her daughter, Cairo, in 2018. Both children are from her former marriage to actor Cory Hardrict. Mowry and Hardrict were married from 2008 until their divorce was finalized in 2023, and they continue to co-parent their two children. Mowry often shares the spotlight with her kiddos, appearing in fun family videos together across TikTok and Instagram.
The former Disney star has spoken openly about how much she loves her children and her commitment to raising her son and daughter to be independent and find happiness within themselves.
“I don’t think it is your job to make your kids happy. I think that it is your job to keep your kids safe, nurture them, guide them, but they have to learn on their own how to make themselves happy, because we don’t want to create co-dependency,” the star told Parents in 2015.
And when it comes to co-parenting with Hardrict, her number one rule is to keep the focus on the kids and not let disagreements get in the way of raising their kids.
“The main important thing is making sure that the children still see the parents together and communicating, and still see them [being] cordial,” she added. “That’s what keeps children beautifully adjusted. It keeps their nervous system calm and at ease when they see their parents are still together; we all come together as a family.”
Tia’s twin sister, Tamera Mowry-Housley, also embraced motherhood while continuing her television career. She and her husband, former Fox News correspondent and journalist Adam Housley, welcomed their son, Aden, in 2012 and their daughter, Ariah, in 2015.
The couple married in May 2011 and have continued to raise their children together while balancing family life and their professional careers. Currently, Tamera and her husband have been documenting their journey to building a family farm, taking their sweet kids along for the journey.
In 2017, Mowry-Housley opened up about the realities and rewards of being a mother, writing on her blog:
“Every day with my children I work hard to try and be the best parent that I can, trying to anticipate their needs. However, each day they manage to flip the script on me (in a good way)! I learn patience and persistence from them on a daily basis. Most importantly, though, they have shown me what unconditional love truly means. My children have also taught me how to be present and in the moment, which is something that can be really hard to do when you are a working mom and have a lot of responsibility in your life.”
The former True Jackson, VP star added another major role to her résumé when she became a mom. Keke Palmer welcomed her son, Leodis “Leo,” in February 2023. She shares Leo with her former partner, fitness instructor Darius Jackson. Palmer has continued to balance motherhood with a busy career spanning acting, music, television and entertainment.
The Nope star opened up about the joys of motherhood shortly after giving birth to her son during her 2023 “Big Boss: Empowering Yourself to Create the Life You Want” event in Washington, D.C.
“I was really always preoccupied on the low key of my body and then after I had a baby, it kind of freed me in a way where I just didn’t care as much and so the fact that I didn’t care, it made me just have an ease and a comfortability and a love for myself in a way that I didn’t have before,” she told the crowd, according to People. “And it just gave me a sense of freedom that I can’t describe, where I’m not afraid, because it’s like, this is what I have, this is who I am.”
Palmer said her son gave her “a deep confidence and empowerment to just really be like, ‘Yo, we about to do this. And it made me feel so strong because after having a baby you are kind of beat down a little bit. But with the love that I feel at home, I just say, ‘Girl, we about to make this work.’ It transformed me into someone else.”
She added, “It’s so exceptional. I mean, for anybody that doesn’t want it your life is fabulous if that’s not what you want and if you do want it, get ready for a ride because it is a blessing beyond a blessing. I’m probably going to have about 12 kids, don’t play with it now.”
On Leodis’ birthday in 2025, Palmer took to Instagram to thank her son for making her an incredible “MOTHA.”
She added, “Leodis from the moment you were in my stomach I knew you were a strong little boy. I could just feel it! Even though you are no longer in my stomach you are in fact my greatest strength. Idk if it’s telepathy or what but you have taught me that I can do anything and as long as you are watching I promise I won’t let you down. Strong baby, strong mommy!!!”
The Jessie star entered a new chapter when she became a mother. Skai Jackson welcomed her first child, a baby boy named Kasai, in January 2025. She shares her son with her former partner, Deondre Burgin. Becoming a mom marked a major new milestone for Jackson, who first became a household name as a young Disney Channel star.
The Cheetah Girls alum became a mom after publicly sharing her journey toward parenthood. Adrienne Bailon-Houghton and her husband, musician and producer Israel Houghton, welcomed their son, Ever James, via surrogate in August 2022. For the couple, Ever’s arrival marked an especially meaningful milestone after their publicly discussed journey to becoming parents.
Bailon-Houghton told Today in 2023 that it felt like a “miracle” finally getting to hold her son after a long and emotional fertility journey. The brave actress had eight IVF cycles and suffered multiple miscarriages before welcoming Ever with help from a surrogate.
“I thought I was going to be guarded when my son was born — like (the presence of ) somebody else and their support person would take away from the sacredness of that moment,” she shared. “Yet when I pulled my son out of someone else’s vagina and I put that baby on me, I ugly cried. I talked to him: ‘I love you baby. I love you baby boy. I have loved you.’”
The star added, “So yes, while I do feel like I was robbed of some things, when I came full circle and that baby was in my arms I felt like: Who cares?” she adds. “I do not care about how I thought it was supposed to be. This is my perfect moment.”
Christina Milian, who appeared in Disney’s Kim Possible, has built a family of three children. She welcomed her eldest child, daughter Violet, in 2010 with her then-husband, music producer The-Dream.
A decade later, Milian welcomed her second child, son Isaiah, in 2020, followed by another son, Kenna, in 2021. Her two younger sons are her children with French singer-songwriter Matt Pokora, whom she married in December 2020.
Each of these women has taken a different path from Disney Channel stardom to motherhood. Some have married their longtime partners, others have embraced co-parenting, and some have built their families through surrogacy. Years after audiences first watched them sing, act and grow up on Disney Channel, these former child and teen stars are now navigating an entirely different adventure: raising the next generation, and we love to see it!
RELATED CONTENT: Too Cute To Handle — 4 Famous Moms Celebrating Their First Mother’s Day From Jasmin Lawrence To Lauren Speed-Hamilton
From Disney Darlings To Devoted Moms — 8 Disney Stars Who Are Now Raising The Next Generation was originally published on madamenoire.com
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