All About Raven Symoné's Parents, Lydia Gaulden and Christopher Pearman

Lydia Gaulden and Christopher Pearman supported Raven Symoné’s acting dreams from the very beginning.

Symoné is best known for her role as Raven Baxter on the Disney Channel That’s so Ravenbut the star has been acting and modeling since childhood. Gaulden and Pearman welcomed Symoné in December 1985.

During a June 2010 interview with NPR, Pearman said that Symoné first mentioned wanting to be an actress at age 2 while they were watching The Cosby Show.

“I saw seriousness in her eyes, and then understanding [of] whatever it would take, and she agreed to whatever it took,” he said. “And then I thought the next logical step was, well, I’m going to take you to a top agency in Atlanta. If they saw something there, then that would be a clear sign for us to keep moving forward to help you achieve that dream. So we took her to the Lejohns(ph) agency and they signed her that day.”

It’s tough growing up in the spotlight as a child star, but Symoné credits her parents as one of the reasons she didn’t appear in the tabloids.

“My parents taught me to keep my private life as private as possible,” Oprah Winfrey said in an October 2014 interview. “They showed me all the role models I could become and what I want for myself in the future.”

Sadly, in October 2024, Symoné announced the death of her father. The news comes nearly a year after her younger brother Blaize Pearman died in November 2023.

Here’s everything you need to know about Raven-Symoné’s parents, Lydia Gaulden and Christopher Pearman.

They had two children together

Raven Symone and her brother Blaize in Los Angeles at the premiere of the movie ‘Dr. Dolittle 2’ from 2001.

Kevin Winter/Getty

Gaulden and Pearman welcomed two children together. Symoné was born on December 10, 1985, and six years later they expanded the family with a son, Blaize Pearman.

Blaize died of cancer in November 2023.

“He battled colon cancer for about two years and is now in a better place. I love you, Blaize,” Symoné said in a video posted on Instagram.

Pearman worked in the media

Raven and Father Christopher B. Pearman.

Chris Polk/FilmMagic

Pearman has had a long career in the media industry. He attended Georgia State University before pursuing a career in public relations and advertising, according to Atlanta trip.

He then worked in the nightclub industry in Atlanta for years, later moving into directing and producing. Pearman directed several episodes That’s so Raven in the early 2000s and was the creator and director of musicals Fate of Rose.

Pearman was also a motivational speaker and author. In 2010, he published a book called Dream So Big: A Parent’s Guide to Helping Your Child Believe and Achieve.

Pearman was Symoné’s manager

Raven Symone and her father Christopher Pearman at the Soundtracks studio on May 15, 1992 in New York.

Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archive/Getty

Symoné has been acting since she was 3, and Pearman was her manager in the early days of her career. In a June 2010 interview with NPR, Pearman said that he had stopped managing his daughter’s career several years earlier and that it was important for her to “be able to take the reins”.

“She got to the point, you know, she said, ‘Dad, I can run my own company. I can run my own business a few years ago,” he said. “And I say, ‘You know, you have a tool.’ ”

When asked if he was hurt that Symoné wanted to manage her own career, Pearman said: “No, absolutely not. I’ve been guiding that little girl’s career since she was six months old. It’s like having a kid and saying, you know, I’m ready to go to college and do my own thing and move out of the house. You know, everything is fine, go ahead.”

They taught Symoné how to manage her money

Raven Symone and her mother Lydia Gaulden.

Judie Burstein/Globe Photos/ZUMA Wire/Alamy

Talking to Howie Mandel on his podcast, Howie Mandel does all kinds of thingsSymoné credits her parents with teaching her how to manage money. Although the actress revealed that she made millions from it The Cosby Showshe “didn’t really realize how much money” was in her bank account because her parents wanted her to save.

“I know there is money, but it’s not like I live in such a tax bracket every day. I’m actually living below my means because it’s about saving for our family. It doesn’t necessarily mean living at the highest point of what you create,” she said. “My parents didn’t really come from money. My mom is from Louisiana and my dad is from Atlanta… I learned to save.”

Symoné also shared that even now she saves money before going on vacation, which surprised her business manager.

“That’s just how I was taught,” she said. “You save your money and you don’t have to spend it just because you have it because you have kids that come later, you have taxes and you never know as an actor when you’re going to have a job, so you have to make sure you’re investing properly.”

Gaulden encouraged Symoné to get an education

Lydia Pearman and Raven Symone celebrate her platinum album “The Cheetah Girls” at Disney Records in Burbank, CA.

Chris Polk/FilmMagic

Symoné had huge success as an actress and singer from a young age, but Gaulden also encouraged her to get an education. The Cheetah Girls star attended the University of San Francisco Academy of Art in California, where she studied fine arts.

During the performance at Brotherly love podcast in August 2023, Symoné shared that her mom was “big on education” and that she’s grateful to have another job to fall back on when acting roles aren’t as prevalent.

“Our business is so finite and small and thin, you know, so you have to have something to fall back on,” she said. “I went to art college, and like, right now, I’m not working, what am I doing? I’m in my studio making a bunch of art. Like, okay, no matter what happens, I’m going to sell it. You know what I mean. I have a backup plan.”

Symoné revealed herself to Gaulden and Pearman while in college

Raven-Symone 34th Annual GLAAD Media Awards.

Monica Schipper/Getty

Symoné came out publicly in 2013, but before that she told her parents privately. In the “It Gets Better” video released in 2016, the actress said she knew she was gay at age 12, but kept it to herself because of her on-screen persona.

“I never thought I would come out because my personal life didn’t matter,” she said in the video. “It was only supposed to be sold as, you know, the Raven-Symoné brand.”

During her studies, Symoné fell in love with her ex-partner, model AzMarie Livingston, and decided to reveal herself to her parents. While the actress said Gaulden was “still working on it” and thought it was a phase at first, Pearman told her he “had a feeling” he was gay.

They kept their family relationships a secret

Raven Symone, mom Lydia Gaulden and brother Blaize Pearman.

Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection/Getty

Symoné is protective of her family and their “personal affairs”,

However, Symoné spoke openly about her complex relationship with her parents on Howie Mandel does all kinds of things podcast, alluding to some strain.

“They did a lot of things right. I learned a lot of things from them that I wouldn’t have learned from anyone else,” she said. “I’m not denying that at all, and like everyone else, you can have the most perfect adult raising a child, and the child will always find things that are not in okay because no one is perfect.”

They were protective of Symoné’s public image

Raven Symone and Miranda Pearman-Maday.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Gaulden and Pearman were protective of their daughter’s public image and encouraged her to sign NDA agreements with everyone she dated. Symoné opened up to Mandela on Howie Mandel does all sorts of things podcast about how even her wife, Miranda Pearman-Maday, was asked to sign one.

“All my relationships, especially, obviously, when I started dating, I had to get people to sign NDAs,” she said, adding, “It took me a while to think about it because it’s very impersonal, but someone in our position has to make.”

While the actress said she was hesitant to ask Pearman-Maday to sign an NDA because she “knew there was something different” about her, Gaulden urged her to complete the paperwork.

“We were in New York. We were in a French outdoor restaurant, and my mom was pestering me,” Symoné said. “She said, ‘You have to sign it.’ I said, ‘She’s from the industry.’ And mom was bothering me.”

Pearman-Maday was reluctant to sign, but eventually “did it” for Symoné. “We both said, ‘This takes away from the authenticity of everything, but we also realized that we live in Hollywood,'” the actress said.

Pearman died in 2024

Raven Symoné and Christopher Pearman 1992.

Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archive/Getty

In October 2024, Symoné announced her father’s death on Instagram.

“My life has been long and rich. And the path I’m on started with a dream. I hope he’s watching with a smile on his face…”, she captioned a photo of herself as a child with Pearman.

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Source: HIS Education