Cuba Gooding Jr.'s 3 Kids: All About Spencer, Mason and Piper

Cuba Gooding Jr. he is perhaps best known for his acting roles in Jerry Maguire and The People v. OJ Simpsonbut he didn’t want his children – Spencer, Mason and Piper – to immediately follow in his footsteps.

“It’s an adult’s responsibility to be an actor — it’s real,” Cuba said Association of journalists in 2007, adding that he would be “horrified” if his children wanted to enter the industry at a young age. “First they have to grow up and become adults [before] all this praise and money and adult responsibility.”

He explained that he would rather they “just enjoy life, experience life, be exposed to life, understand what life’s lessons and morals are.”

The Selma star and then-wife Sara Kapfer started their family when Spencer was born in 1994. Mason followed in 1996, and Piper joined the Gooding cast in 2005. Cuba and Kapfer split after 20 years of marriage in 2014 — the actor then filed for three years divorce later.

Now middle child Mason is the first to become an actor like his father, after starring in notable films like Booksmart and Scream 5. Still, Kuba thinks Mason and his siblings have remained grounded.

“A lot of times celebrity kids can get special treatment,” he said No judgment zone podcast in 2014. Cuba added that he was proud of how he and Kapfer “raised really good kids who” are doing “pretty well” in life in the spotlight.

Cuba Gooding Jr. and children Spencer and Mason during the world premiere of “Superman Returns.”

SGranitz/WireImage

As his children grew up, Cuba was at the center of numerous sexual abuse allegations. In April 2022, he pleaded guilty to one count of sexually assaulting a woman at a rooftop bar in New York City. The following year, Cuba settled a 2020 lawsuit in which he was accused of raping a woman twice in 2013 — allegations he denied.

The actor was also added as a defendant in a civil suit that originally focused on Sean “Diddy” Combs and was filed by Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones Jr. — the lawsuit, which was amended in March 2024, alleges that Cuba sexually assaulted Lil Rod. Gooding’s attorney did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment when the lawsuit was filed.

Here’s everything you need to know about Cube Gooding Jr.’s kids: Spencer, Mason and Piper.

Spencer Gooding, 30

Son of Cuba Gooding Jr., Spencer Gooding.

Joe Cohen/Variety/Penske Media/Getty

Cuba and Kapfer had their first child, son Spencer, in September 1994.

Cuba talked about Spencer’s favorite activities when he was a kid, like going to summer camp, but admitted that it could be an emotional experience.

“They’re excited to go the night before… [then] they call it crying,” Cuba shared with MoviesOnline in 2007. “And then they show up, they’re dirty and smelly because they forgot to shower for two weeks and they’re like, ‘Best time ever. I can’t wait for next year. ”

After high school, Spencer attended Connecticut Wesleyan University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature on his LinkedIn.

“During my time at Wesleyan, I had to take a year off from school during a difficult time in my life,” he shared on Instagram in 2019. “But I got a second chance to come back and finish my education!”

Cuba Gooding Jr. with sons Mason Gooding and Spencer Gooding at the premiere of “Avatar” in Los Angeles on December 16, 2009.

Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

Spencer graduated in 2018, and his father was beaming with pride. “I cried like a little girl,” Cuba said PEOPLE Now watching his son get his diploma. “And now he has this executive position working with the company, so I’m very proud of him.”

The college graduate has an interest in film like his father. He has worked as a production assistant at Comedy Central and 21 Century Fox, and currently works as a content editor at WEBTOON. He’s also dabbled in video game streaming on Twitch and shares movie reviews on his Instagram.

Spencer is close with both of his parents. He celebrated his mum in 2018, posting photos on his Instagram stories and writing: “Happy Mother’s Day to my brilliant strong and beautiful mum. Words couldn’t possibly do her justice.”

As for the rest of his family, he loves to shout out his siblings, including calling his sister Piper “the best little sister a man could ever ask for” and sending love to his brother, Mason.

“You’ve been my best friend my whole life, minus the two years before you were born,” he wrote on his Instagram Stories in 2018 for Mason’s birthday.

Mason Gooding, 27

Cube Gooding Jr.’s son Mason Gooding at the Loewe Menswear Spring/Summer 2024 show during Paris Fashion Week on June 24, 2023 in Paris, France.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty

Cuba and Kapfer celebrated the arrival of their second child, son Mason, in November 1996.

Like Spencer, he had a more private childhood, but his father shared memories during his early years.

“My youngest boy is a Boy Scout,” Cuba once told MoviesOnline. “I was a companion on several of those camping trips.”

Although Cuba expressed concern about his children following him into acting at an early age, Mason eventually found great success in the HBO comedy Ballers after a short time at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

“My youngest son Mason just did the job Ballers with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson as one of the characters in it,” Cuba proudly shared PEOPLE Now 2018. “He has a new indie film starring, [too.]”

Mason’s acting career has only taken off since then, including a Netflix holiday flick Let it snowa coming-of-age comedy Booksmart and Hulu Love, Victor. But one of his biggest achievements happened in 2020 when he was announced as part of the cast Scream 5.

Cuba Gooding Jr. and son Mason Gooding at Madison Square Garden on December 23, 2016 in New York City.

TM/NHL/GC images

The aspiring actor is close with his brother, and the two are often seen on Instagram adventures together.

“If you asked me when I was younger who my hero was, I can almost guarantee I would have said ‘my big brother,'” Mason wrote on Instagram in 2023, alongside throwback photos with his sibling. “And you know what? Some things never change. Happy birthday Spence.”

These days, Mason is hanging out with his girlfriend, model Amenah Soares. “It’s your birthday, but we’re lucky enough to get your gift every day,” he wrote on Instagram of his partner in 2023.

Mason spoke out about his father’s sexual abuse allegations in January 2022.

“I couldn’t be more grateful to live in a time where someone — man, woman, anyone — would feel comfortable talking about their experiences,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “I also love my father, and given who he is and how he raised me, I’m happy to say that nothing I’ve read, heard or talked to me about has been consistent with the way I knew him to behave. ”

Piper Gooding, 18

Cuba Gooding Jr. with her daughter Piper Gooding at the 4th Annual Kidstock Music and Arts Festival on June 6, 2010 in Los Angeles, California.

Alex Berliner/BEI/Shutterstock

Cuba and Kapfer’s youngest child, daughter Piper, was born in October 2005.

The actor’s rep shared news of the pregnancy in July 2005, telling PEOPLE they were “thrilled to add another member to our family.”

Despite his busy schedule, Cuba said he tried to spend a lot of time with Piper.

“She’s so sweet,” he told MoviesOnline in 2007. “She’s got … a dad who travels a lot, so when he’s there … she’s on my shoulder.”

The actor told PEOPLE in 2018 that his daughter is “12 and 30,” with a variety of hobbies and interests. “She sings, she dances, she does everything,” he said.

These days, Piper lives like a typical teenager. She is passionate about dance and serves as captain of the Palisades Charter High School dance team, according to her Instagram account. Piper also shared a link to the Thirst Water Project fundraiser on the social media platform.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education