Who is Jurnee Smollett?
Jurnee Smollett is an American actress and HIV/AIDS advocate. She is known for starring as a child actress in the ABC TV series “On Our Own” alongside her siblings. Smollett has also starred in other movies and shows like “Lovecraft Country”, “Birds of Prey”, “True Blood” and “The Great Debaters”.
Jurnee Smollett’s full name is Jurnee Diana Smollett. She was born as the fourth of six children on October 1, 1986, in New York City to her parents – Janet Harris (mother) and Joel Smollett (father). Jurnee Smollett is 36 years old as of 2022. She has a sister and four brothers named Jazz Smollett, Jussie Smollett, Jojo Smollett, Jake Smollett, and Jocqui Smollett.
About Jurnee Smollett’s parents
Jurnee Smollett was born to Janet Harris Smollett (mother) and Joel Smollett (father). Jurnee Smollett’s father, Joel Smollett, has ancestors from Poland, Russia, and Romania. He was an Ashkenazi Jew. He was born on October 8 1956. He died in January 2015 at the age of 59 after battling cancer.
Jurnee Smollett’s mother, Janet Harris Smollett, was born on November 27, 1952, in New Orleans, Louisiana. She is 70 years old in 2022. She is an activist, author, and chef. Janet Harris co-authored a cookbook in 2018 alongside four of her children titled “The Family Table: Recipe and Moments from a Nomadic Life”.
According to Jurnee Smollett, her mother was active in the American civil rights movement alongside Huey Newton and Bobby Sealed. Reports had it that she met her late husband at a civil rights campaign in the Bay area.
Janet Harris’ children have described her as a supportive mother who inspired their love for acting. She also influenced them into speaking up for just causes.
About Jurnee Smollett’s siblings
Jurnee Smollett has a total of five siblings (one sister and four brothers).
a. Jojo Smollett
Jojo Smollett is Jurnee’s eldest sibling. He is an actor known for his appearance as “Jimi Jericho” on ABC’s TV series “On Our Own” between 1994 to 1995. His journey to stardom started in 1991 after he starred in the comedy-drama “Roseanne”.
Jojo Smollett was born on August 28, 1977, in California. He is 45 years old as of the time of publishing this article. Jojo Smollett also appeared on the family cooking show “Smollett Eats” in 2016.
b. Jazz Smollett
Jazz Smollett is Jurnee’s only sister and the second child of her parents. She is a movie producer, author, interior decorator, lifestyle expert, and cook. She made her acting debut in the family sitcom “On Your Own”. She also co-hosted and produced “Living By Design” on CLEO TV alongside her brother Jake.
Jazz Smollett was born on April 1, 1980. She is 42 years old as of 2022. As of the time of publishing this article, Jazz Smollett is happily married to her husband Troy Warwell. Troy Warwell is an American former model, writer and film producer. He was born on December 22, 1977, in Bronx, New York City. He is 45 years old as of 2022. Jazz Smollett and Troy Warwell got married in 2012. They have a daughter together named Nylah.
c. Jussie Smollett
Jussie Smollett is Jurnee Smollett’s immediate older brother. He is an actor, singer, and photographer. Jussie Smollett is known for starring as “Jamal Lyon” on the Fox drama series “Empire”. He was also one of the cast members of “On Your Own”.
Jussie Smollett was born on June 21, 1982. He is 40 years old as of December 2022. Jussie debuted as a young actor in the 1991 Disney movie “The Mighty Ducks”.
Jussie Smollett attracted heavy media attention in January 2019 after he claimed he was attacked by two men in Chicago, putting himself as a victim of a racist and homophobic attack. However, the story changed after police found evidence that Jussie had faked the attack. He was convicted in December 2021 and sentenced to 150 days in prison by Judge James Linn in March 2022. He was also reportedly sentenced to 30 months of felony probation and ordered to pay over$120 dollars in restitution to the city of Chicago. Smollett is currently out on bond while his case is being appealed.
d. Jake Smollett
Jake Smollett is the immediate younger brother of Jurnee Smollett. He is also an actor and a content developer. He has been working as a resident chef on the “Rachel Ray Show” since 2017.
Jake Smollett was born on July 29, 1989. He is 33 years old as of 2022. He also starred as a child actor on “On Your Own” and “Eve’s Bayou” alongside his sister.
e. Jocqui Smollett
Jocqui Smollett is Jurnee’s last and youngest sibling. He was an actor as a child before venturing into tech as an adult. He is currently working as a data analyst manager with Snowflake Computing.
Jocqui Smollett was born on August 2, 1994. He is 28 years old as of 2022. Jocqui had previously worked as a data analyst at Survey Monkey. He was also an executive producer for the family Food Network Show “Smollett Eats”.
About Jurnee Smollett’s marriage and relationship
As of the time of publishing this post, Jurnee Smollett is divorced. She was previously married to R&B singer Josiah Bell. The ex-lovers were married for 10 years before they called it quits in March 2020. Their union is blessed with a child.
The ex-lovers got married on October 24, 2010, at a botanical garden with close friends and acquittances in attendance. There is no available information at this time about how Jurnee Smollett and her ex-husband Josiah Bell met.
Jurnee Smollett is known for sharing little about her private life and relationships. She hardly addresses her marriage to Josiah Bell and the reason for their divorce was never stated.
List of Jurnee Smollett’s boyfriends
As already stated, Jurnee Smollett likes to keep her private life off the spotlight. Her only publicly known relationship is her marriage to Josiah Bell. There is no available information about her past relationships or boyfriends at this time. It is also not known if she has become involved in any other romantic relationship since her separation from Josiah Bell in March 2020.
About Jurnee Smollett’s ex-husband – Josiah Bell
Josiah Bell is the ex-husband of Jurnee Smollett and the father of her son, Hunter Zion. He is an R&B singer, songwriter, and music producer. Bell was born on December 28, 1982, in Canada to an entrepreneur father and a housemaker mother. His mother’s name is Resa Bell, according to reports. Josiah Bell is 39 years old as of the time of publishing this article.
It is not clear when Jurnee Smollett and Josiah Bell met but Jurnee confirmed that she and Josiah had been friends before their decision to get married.
She told The Hollywood Reporter in 2013:
We were best friends before we started even dating, so we had this really great foundation. I think one of the challenging things about any lasting relationship is that you have to be so vulnerable.
Jurnee Smollett and Josiah Bell tied the knot on October 24, 2010, in a private wedding ceremony attended by close friends and family. Six years into their marriage, they welcomed their first child together – a son named Hunter.
In March 2020, Jurnee Smollett filed to divorce Josiah Bell whom she had been married to for almost a decade. News of the divorce came as a shock to the actress’s fans as no one knew they were having issues. Jurnee Smollett did not share details about what led to the split. Luckily, the ex-lovers handled their split amicably without any drama.
Jurnee Smollett and Aldis Hodge relationship
Jurnee Smollett and Aldis Hodge starred together in the 2016 American period drama series “Underground”. While Jurnee Smollett and Hodge are known to share a good friendship, they never dated.
Jurnee Smollett’s children
As of the time of publishing this article, Jurnee Smollett is the proud mother of a son. Her child is named Hunter Zion Bell.
Hunter Zion Bell was born on October 31, 2016, to Jurnee Smollett and her ex-husband Josiah Bell. He is 6 years old as of 2022.
