Joel Smollett Had Biracial Kids - Facts about Jussie Smollett’s Father

Joel Smollett is not a famous personality but is known through his popular children. He raised biracial children with his wife and helped shape the life of one of Hollywood's most prominent actors.

Joel Smollett, the late father of actor Jussie Smollett, was a devoted dad to his children, but he was away from them for extended periods due to his work.

Despite this, he remained a loving and involved father, always staying in touch and supporting his family from afar. He started becoming popular when his children began garnering fame.

Joel Smollett Married Interracially & Despised Being Called 'White'

Joel was of Russian-Polish Jewish descent and supported his family as best as possible. Despite his race, he despised it when people discussed his skin color or tried to place him in a racial group.

He was also a civil rights activist, and during one of their campaigns, he met his future wife and mother of his kids, Janet Smollett. She is an African-American born in New Orleans, and they were together until the late 1990s when Jussie was 15.

Joel Smollett Sr Raised 6 Kids as a Protective Dad with His Ex-Wife Janet

Joel and his ex-wife had six children together. The former couple, whose first names began with a J, continued the tradition with their children.

Their eldest child is their son, Joel Smollett Jr., popularly known as Jojo. He is an actor and producer and works at a nonprofit organization. The couple soon welcomed their second child, a daughter, Jazz Smollett.

Jazz was a child actress and is now a co-host, producer, and writer. In 2018, she became a co-author with her siblings as they released "The Family Table: Recipes and Moments from a Nomadic Life."

Their third child is the actor, producer, and director, Jussie, followed by his actress and producer sister, Jurnee Smollett. Together, this duo started their production company.

Jurnee is followed by Jake Smollett, who is now a celebrity chef and a TV host. He was also one of the co-authors of their 2018 cookbook that contained their family's favorite recipes.

The youngest Smollett sibling is Jocqui. He also followed his siblings into the entertainment industry but reportedly worked at a tech firm in the mid-2010s.

Joel's death was a bittersweet day, especially for his son.

Even though the Smollett siblings have diversified as adults, they were all part of the same series, "On Our Own," as children. The series aired between 1994 and 1995.

Their father was not always around during childhood, and their mother primarily managed their budding careers as kids. However, his son once considered him over-protective and a worrywart.

Joel once offered to be his son's guard as his son, Jussie, dealt with the paparazzi. He wasn't a perfect dad, but he did his best to change and become a better man.

Joel Smollett Lost His Battle with Cancer in 2015

Sadly, Joel, born on October 8, 1956, passed away on January 7, 2015, after battling cancer. One day after his death, his son, Jussie, took to Instagram to pay tribute to him. In the caption of the post, he wrote:

"Yesterday, January 7, 2015, my family lost our king, but we gained a righteous angel. You showed the deepest strength and dignity until your very last breath. You are not just a fighter... You are the CHAMP."

The actor also wrote that as he tried to make sense of their grief, he could smile in his heart because he believed his sister, as she said their father helped them transition into the world. Jussie's tribute also had him vowing to make his father proud continuously.

Joel's death was a bittersweet day, especially for his son, because it was the day "Empire" premiered and the show that catapulted Jussie to mainstream media.

The actor starred in the musical drama series alongside Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Howard, Ta'Rhonda Jones, Trai Byers, Bryshere Y. Gray, and others.

However, before Joel's death, he heard about and accepted his son as gay. Jussie had come out to his parents when he was 19 and did not need to come out to the world.