Phylicia Rashad and daughter Condola Rashad attend the ‘Head of Passes’ opening night celebration on March 28, 2016, in New York City.Photo:Neilson Barnard/Getty
Neilson Barnard/Getty
Phylicia Rashadis one of television’s most iconic moms, but in real life she is a mother of two children: William “Billy” and Condola.
“I didn’t think about myself as being a Black mother. I’m a mother,” she later toldBustle. “I didn’t think about my children being Black children; I think of my children being children.”
In 1985, Phylicia married former NFL player and sportscaster Ahmad Rashad. The couple welcomed their daughter, Condola, a year later. Like her mom and aunt — actressDebbie Allen— Condola was interested in the arts and is now a musician and an actress, appearing both onstage and on-screen.
“What I am proudest of with my daughter is her work ethic,” Phylicia said in an interview with online magazineBossip. “She’s phenomenal. I’m very proud of her.”
Here’s everything to know about Phylicia Rashad’s children: William and Condola.
William Lancelot Bowles III
Phylicia Rashad attends the 75th Annual Tony Awards on June 12, 2022.Dia Dipasupil/Getty
Dia Dipasupil/Getty
The family lived in New York, where Bowles worked as a dentist while Phylicia was pursuing a career on Broadway. However, when Billy was a toddler, his parents divorced.
Despite her demanding career, Phylicia would do her best to keep Billy close, including taking him to rehearsals ofThe Wizwith her. “At age 7, he could say, ‘Mommy, you needed more energy in this part here,’ and he’d be right!” she said.
However, his interest in the entertainment industry didn’t continue and, as an adult, William lives a private life away from the spotlight. Phylicia doesn’t share photos of him on social media, and even in interviews, she reveals very little.
According to a 2009 conversation withThe New York Times,William works in computer graphics. In another interview in 2020, she told the hosts ofThe Breakfast Clubpodcast that he was living on the West Coast.
She also spoke about her philosophy as a mother and wanting to let her kids create their own path in life. “The most important thing that I wanted my children to learn was, ‘Who are you really?’ And that’s an inner journey,” she said.
Condola Phylea Rashad
Phylicia Rashad and daughter Condola Rashad pose as Condola Rashad receives her caricature for her role in the MTC play ‘St. Joan’ on May 10, 2018, in New York City.Bruce Glikas/Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic
Bruce Glikas/Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic
In 1985, Phylicia married sportscaster Ahmad Rashad. After saying “I do,” the couple began blending their families. Along with her son, William, Ahmad had four kids of his own: Keva, Sean, Maiyisha and Ahmad Jr.
On Dec. 11, 1986, almost a year after their wedding, they added a sixth child to the family when theywelcomed their daughter, Condola Phylea Rashad.
Like her mom and her mom’s sister, actress Debbie Allen, Condola was interested in performing. In fact, she started taking weekly piano lessons when she was 7 years old and continued until she turned 18. She then went to college at the California Institute of the Arts,graduating in 2008with a degree in theater.
“I grew up in the theater with my mom and that’s how I knew I wanted to be an actor,” she toldInterview Magazinein 2016. “My mom was really busy when I was growing up, but she did a really good job in terms of balancing her home life with her professional life,” she said, adding, “She basically took me everywhere. She was like, ‘If I have rehearsal, I’m just going to bring you.’ ”
Speaking to Bossip, Phylicia recalled introducing her daughter to the art of acting. “When she was very young, I would always take her with me and she was always watching what the work actually was — how it was coming together, what the rehearsal process was like,” she explained. “When she learned to read, she helped me learn my lines.”
Condola Rashad and Phylicia Rashad attend a ‘Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet’ Broadway opening night after party on September 19, 2013.Rob Kim/Getty
Rob Kim/Getty
Condola readily followed in her mother’s footsteps, making her Off-Broadway debut in 2009. She soon moved on to Broadway and in 2013, she landed the leading role inRomeo and JulietalongsideOrlando Bloom.Thanks to her work onstage, she’s now a four-timeTony Awardnominee. She’s also acted on-screen, starring in the Showtime dramaBillions.
Speaking toTown & Countrymagazine in 2018, Phylicia expressed her admiration for her daughter and made sure to give her all the credit. “I’ve never made a single phone call for Condola,” she said.
In her interview with Bossip, Phylicia gushed about her daughter’s talent and work ethic. “She’s phenomenal. I’m very proud of her,” she said. “She’s accomplished — oh my goodness, when I look at her career and the chronology of it and the timing of it, coming out of school, it’s pretty darn amazing.”
It seems the admiration goes both ways. In 2020, Condola shared a loving Mother’s Day tribute onInstagramwith two pictures: one of her and her mom when she was a toddler and another of her mom, aunt and grandmother.
“My whole life, I have looked up to this woman,” she wrote alongside the photos. “Words cannot express the level of gratitude I have for her as a mother, for her as her own woman in this world. Infinitely grateful to be a branch on this divine Feminine tree of goddesses.”
source: people.com
