All About Skai Jackson's Parents, Including Mom Kiya Cole

Skai Jackson’s career started at a young age thanks to an important person in her life: her mother.

The former Disney Channel actress and YouTube sensation was born on April 8, 2002 in Staten Island, NY to parents Jacob Jackson and Kiya Cole. After their divorce, Cole raised Skai as a single mother and helped her daughter pursue her career from a young age.

“I quit my job a long time ago because she had a passion for it,” Cole told Premiere in July 2014. “I want to protect her. I want to be there, I don’t want to hire someone to be there, so I’m there every step of the way, every job.”

Skai rose to fame when she was cast as Zuri Ross on the Disney Channel Jessie and its spin-off On the bed — a job that eventually prompted mother and daughter to move to Los Angeles.

In 2019, Skai published her book, Reach for Skai: How to Inspire, Empower and Clapand a year later she became a semi-finalist at Dancing with the stars. In addition to her professional accomplishments, she has been a strong advocate against cyberbullying, earning her a spot on TIME’s 2016 list of the 30 Most Influential Teens.

“[My mom] she’s always taught me to stand up for myself, stand up for what I believe in and fight for what’s right,” she told PEOPLE in February 2023. “I thank her for that because without her I probably wouldn’t have the confidence that I have now imam.”

From welcoming their daughter to supporting her career, here’s everything you need to know about parents Skai Jackson, Jacob Jackson, and Kiya Cole.

Cole and Jacob had a daughter in 2002

Skai Jackson with mom and dad.

Kiya Cole/Instagram; Skai Jackson/Facebook

Cole was born in New York in 1975 and grew up on Staten Island. She was once married to Jacob Jackson, and together they welcomed a daughter on April 8, 2002.

Cole and Jacob divorced when Skai was young, and Cole raised her primarily as a single mother. Although her father remains largely private, Skai shared several photos with him on social media in June 2020 in honor of Father’s Day.

Skai has two younger sisters, Aurora and Nala, who were born in 2010 and 2014, respectively.

Cole has managed Skai’s career since she started acting

Skai Jackson and her mother Kiya Cole attended the Radio Disney Music Awards in Los Angeles on April 25, 2015.

Picture Perfect/Shutterstock

When Skai was just 9 months old, her mom sent her photos to modeling agencies after constantly telling her how cute a baby she was. Just two weeks later, the babe signed with an agent — and hasn’t stopped working since.

“At the time, all I could think was, ‘Well, I hope he can make enough money to go to college,'” Cole said. Refinery29 in August 2017, Cole quit her job at the post office when Skai was young, choosing to support her daughter’s passion by becoming her manager.

Under Cole’s tutelage, Skai soon began acting in commercials, and by the age of 4 she had secured her first film role.

“I always just knew I wanted to be an actress,” Skai told ET Style in October 2019. She recalled being inspired while watching Raven-Symoné on the Disney Channel That’s so Raven.

“I felt like, ‘Wow, she’s a young black girl and if she can do it, so can I,'” Skai added.

Cole raised Skai in New York and Los Angeles

Skai Jackson and her mother, Kiya Cole, celebrate Christmas.

Kiya Cole/Instagram

Skai was born on Staten Island and spent her early childhood living in almost every borough of New York except Queens, she told ET style in October 2019. Her life changed at the age of 9, when she was cast as Zuri Ross in the Disney Channel show Jessie, the pivotal moment that led Skai and her mother to move to LA

“Adjusting to fame was a big transition. “Even though she’s done a lot of work in New York, it’s a whole other world when you come to the scene in LA, and when you’re on the Disney Channel, where every kid recognizes you,” Cole told Refinery29 in August 2017

“At first it was a bit difficult for Skai because it seemed like she was going to be out at the cinema overnight and it was hard for her just to go to the toilet. She is not used to that,” she added.

Despite the early challenges, the move to LA proved to be a turning point in Skai’s career.

“I’ve reached so many people and I’ve been given so many opportunities and I feel like I wouldn’t have gotten them if I hadn’t made that move,” Skai said ET style in October 2019.

In April 2023, Cole shared a memory from their New York days on Instagram, writing: “This will always be one of my favorite photos. It’s a reminder of the time we used to run around all over New York together taking her to auditions and going rain, sleet or snow. No regrets.”

Cole shares fitness, food and beauty content on social media

Kiya Cole at her home in June 2024.

Kiya Cole/Instagram

Cole often shares “Fitness Friday” and “Motivation Monday” videos of herself working out on her Instagram, often with a personal trainer.

“I specifically post to motivate as others have motivated me,” she wrote on Instagram in April 2018.

She also posts cooking videos and recipes and has a beauty account where she shares insights into her self-care routine.

The mother-daughter duo sometimes creates content together, including an Instagram snap of them working out together in October 2022 and a YouTube vlog of Skai doing her mom’s makeup in May 2019.

Cole and Skai are featured together on the cover of the magazine

Skai Jackson and Kiya Cole attend the 32nd Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards on March 10, 2024 in West Hollywood, California.

Dia Dipasupil/WireImage/Getty Images

The mother-daughter duo once made history as the cover stars for Parenthood magazine.

“There weren’t a lot of black kids on the covers at the time, especially mom and daughter,” Skai said ET style in October 2019.

“It was fantastic for us to be one of the first. To really see and prove those people wrong… people wouldn’t think that if you put Black people on the cover, it’s going to sell out, but it’s ours. I feel like we’re breaking stereotypes which is a great thing,” added Skai.

Cole is a protective mother

Kiya Cole and Skai Jackson attended Black Girls Rock 2019 hosted by Niecy Nash on August 25, 2019 at NJPAC in Newark, New Jersey.

Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET

Although Cole doesn’t make a habit of following what’s being said online, she sometimes glances at what people are posting about her daughter.

“Because for me as a parent, if I see something that’s not positive, I’m still human, I’m still her mother, and I go into protective mode,” Cole said. Refinery29 in August 2017

Protecting yourself as a child star mother also means monitoring how their child presents themselves on social media.

“Skai is pretty open on Twitter, so I make sure I’m connected. I don’t want to have Twitter for myself, but I have Twitter just so I can follow her. I can quickly access her site; it’s the same thing with her Instagram,” Cole said Refinery29 in August 2017

However, Cole won’t stand in the way of his daughter standing up for herself.

“My mom would always tell me, ‘If someone is bullying you, don’t just sit back and let them bully you. Do something about it or tell somebody about it,’” Skai told HuffPost in May 2016.

When Skai got into an online feud with Azealia Banks in May 2016, her mother had her own response.

“She’s too old to date a 14-year-old, but she’s not too young to see her! I don’t play those games!” Cole wrote on Instagram in May 2016.

Cole works to keep Skai grounded

Kiya Cole and Skai Jackson attended the Walt Disney Company Emmy Awards at Otium on January 15, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

Alberto Rodriguez/Disney via Getty Images

Cole worked to keep his daughter grounded from a young age, making sure that stardom didn’t interfere with her childhood. In between movie days and red carpets, Skai took ballet classes and slept over at friends’ houses.

“I think it comes from the parents to keep them grounded and that’s what I’ve always tried to do with her,” Cole told Premiere in July 2014.

One of the biggest compliments Cole gets is how she keeps her daughter humble, she said Refinery29 in August 2017

Cole recalled teaching her daughter, “Always be nice to everyone, because that’s what really matters. People remember that; they remember the meeting: ‘Was she nice, wasn’t she so nice?’ Cole said.

Cole instilled confidence in Skai

Kiya Cole and Skai Jackson.

Kiya Cole/Instagram

Cole taught Skai to accept and love what was natural from a young age.

“My mom always wanted me to be who I was born to be, whoever I wanted to be and whoever I wanted to be in life,” said Skai ET style in October 2019.

In September 2019, Skai said Good morning America that her mom helped her regain her confidence after years of being bullied at school and on social media.

She recalled how her mother taught her “that you are who you are, that you cannot change that and that you should always love yourself.”

Cole and Skai raced on Family feud together

The family on Celebrity Family Feud.

Dancing with the stars was not the only reality show in which Skai appeared. In September 2019, she competed in a reality game show Family feud alongside Cole, her aunt Lynette Burns, cousin Taj Harris and stylist Zadrian Smith.

The family clashed with Fresh off the boat star Hudson Yang and his family.

“I want again! ❌❌❌ My answer was good!” Cole wrote on Instagram in August 2024. Even though they didn’t win, she shared that she had to check an item off her bucket list.

Cole and Skai hosted weekly virtual talent shows during the quarantine

Kiya Cole and Skai Jackson.

Kiya Cole/Instagram

During the quarantine of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cole and Skai hosted virtual talent shows to “pass the time” when they were bored in quarantine. Once a week they would go live on Instagram for “Timeout Talent Tuesday” and award a cash prize to the weekly winner.

“It gave us something to look forward to,” Cole wrote in an Instagram post. “Thank you again to everyone who was good at sports and came and shared this time with us.”

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Source: HIS Education