Vanessa Williams welcomed her first 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 in 1987

The Ugly Betty actress and her first husband, Ramon Hervey II, were married from 1987 to 1997 and welcomed three 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren: Melanie, Jillian and Devin. The former Miss America tied the knot with her second husband, NBA star and actor Rick Fox, in 1999. One year into their marriage, the couple welcomed a daughter named Sasha. Williams and Fox divorced in 2004.

Melanie Hervey, 37Melanie Hervey attends NYFW: The Shows 2023.

Williams and Ramon welcomed their first 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥, Melanie Hervey, in Los Angeles on June 30, 1987.  She studied fashion merchandising at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, where she interned with Henri Bendel and Allure magazine. After college, Melanie worked in real estate with the Corcoran Group and in fashion retail at James Perse, Reformation and Outdoor Voices before pivoting her career toward health and wellness.

Melanie Hervey and Vanessa Williams pose front row during the Pamela Roland New York Fashion Show.

Jillian Hervey, 35Jillian Hervey attends The Blonds fashion show during September 2022 New York Fashion Week: The Shows.

Williams and Ramon welcomed daughter Jillian Hervey in L.A. on June 19, 1989. She grew up in Chappaqua, New York, and began studying dance as a 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥. “Dance was part of my every day,” she told Ebony in 2023. “When I was in middle school, I got into all sorts of styles and then I went abroad for dance. I was committed to being a professional dancer and I wanted to be in a company, like Alvin Ailey.”

In her senior year of high school, Jillian met musician Lucas Goodman while visiting a friend in Boston, she told Marie Claire in 2016. She later studied dance at The New School in N.Y.C., where she reconnected with Goodman with whom she later formed the R&B duo Lion Babe.

Jillian followed in her mother’s footsteps by pursuing music and entertainment. She appeared alongside her mother and siblings in the 2000 Lifetime movie The Courage to Love. Her acting career took a backseat when she passed on the opportunity to appear on Gossip Girl in order to focus on her music career, she told The Telegraph in 2015.

In December 2012, Jillian and Goodman, who is also her partner, dropped their first single “Treat Me Like Fire,” which led to signing a deal with Interscope Records. As a duo, Lion Babe has released three studio albums: their debut Begin (2016), Cosmic Wind (2019) and Rainbow Child (2021). Throughout their career, the pair have also collaborated with Donald Glover (a.k.a. Childish Gambino), Mark Ronson and Pharrell Williams.

Lion Babe and Vanessa Williams attend the Pamella Roland fashion show during September 2022 New York Fashion Week.

In addition to the 2000 Lifetime movie, Jillian has appeared alongside her mom at events and in magazines. In January 2017, the mother-daughter duo appeared on the cover of Essence. The following year, Williams and Jillian teamed up with the WomenHeart organization and Burlington Stores to raise awareness for heart disease.

Jillian and Goodman welcomed their first 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥, a son named Sunny, in December 2021. She kept her pregnancy and 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 under wraps, revealing the news exclusively to Essence in January 2022.

In April 2022, the mother-daughter duo spoke to Essence again, and Williams discussed her daughter’s parenting s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s. “Jillian is very maternal,” she said. “She’s always been very caring and attentive. She’s a great cook and baker, and she loves to entertain and host, so I knew she was going to be a great mother.”

Devin Christian Hervey, 31Vanessa Williams and her son Devin Christian Hervey.

Devin had a small role in the 2000 movie The Courage to Love alongside his mom and older sisters, but he hasn’t pursued a career in acting. In fact, much of his life is spent out of the spotlight.

Sasha Gabriella Fox, 24Sasha Fox attends the Premiere of “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical”.

Like her parents, Sasha has also pursued a career in entertainment. She wrote and directed the short film Superdate (2013), which later won her an award for best youth film from the San Francisco Black Film Festival. In 2019, she appeared alongside her dad in the Oprah Winfrey Network’s TV movie One Fine Christmas.

Vanessa Williams and her daughter Sasha Fox.

In July 2022, Williams’ youngest 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 shared on Instagram that production had wrapped on a project that starred Modern Family’s Ariel Winter, The Half of It star Leah Lewis and model ​​Ashley Moore.