Phylicia Rashad’s 2 Children: All About William and Condola

Phylicia Rashad is one of the most famous moms on television, but in real life she is the mother of two children: William “Billy” and Condola.

The Cosby Show The actress became a mother for the first time in 1973 with the birth of her son Billy. She and her first husband, William Lancelot Bowles Jr., welcomed him before divorcing in 1975.

During this time, Phylicia continued her acting career on Broadway. However, when her son was 10 years old, she got the role of Clair Huxtable’s life on The Cosby Show. Her work as a mother figure resulted in Phylicia being named “Mother” of the Black Community at the 2010 NAACP Image Awards.

“I didn’t think of myself as a black mother. I’m a mother,” she later told Bustle. “I didn’t think about my kids being black kids; I think my kids are kids.”

In 1985, Phylicia married former NFL player and sports journalist Ahmad Rashad. A year later, the couple had a daughter, Condola. Like her mom and aunt – actress Debbie Allen – Condola was interested in the arts and is now a musician and actress, appearing on both stage and screen.

“What I’m most proud of in my daughter is her work ethic,” Phylicia said in an interview with online magazine Bossip. “She is phenomenal. I am very proud of her.”

Here’s everything you need to know about Phylicia Rashad’s children: William and Condola.

William Lancelot Bowles III

Phylicia Rashad attends the 75th Annual Tony Awards on June 12, 2022.

Dia Dipasupil/Getty

Phylicia married her first husband, William Lancelot Bowles Jr., in 1972. The following year, the couple had a baby boy, William Lancelot Bowles III. He was named after his father, but was called “Billy” as a child.

The family lived in New York, where Bowles worked as a dentist, while Phylicia built a career on Broadway. However, when Billy was a child, his parents divorced.

Despite her demanding career, Phylicia would do anything to keep Billy close, including taking him to rehearsals Wizard with her. “At 7, he could have said, ‘Mommy, you needed more energy in this part here,’ and he would have been right!” she said.

However, his interest in the entertainment industry did not continue and as an adult William lives a private life away from the limelight. Phylicia does not share his photos on social media and even reveals very little in interviews.

According to the interview in 2009 The New York Times, William works in computer graphics. In another interview in 2020, she told the presenters The breakfast club podcast that he lived on the west coast.

She also spoke about her philosophy as a mother and her desire to allow her children to create their own path in life. “The most important thing I wanted my children to learn was, ‘Who are you?’ And that is an inner journey,” she said.

Condola Phylea Rashad

Phylicia Rashad and daughter Condola Rashad pose as Condola Rashad receiving her caricature for her role in the MTC play ‘St. Joan’ on May 10, 2018 in New York.

Bruce Glikas/Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic

In 1985, Phylicia married sports journalist Ahmad Rashad. After saying “I do,” the couple began bringing their families together. Along with her son William, Ahmad had four children of his own: Keva, Sean, Maiyisha and Ahmad Jr.

On December 11, 1986, almost a year after their wedding, they had their sixth child in the family when they welcomed their daughter, Condola Phylea Rashad.

Growing up, Condola, who was named after her paternal grandmother, had the middle name Phylea. She started going by Condola in college because Phylea sounded so similar to her mother’s name Phylicia, and since she was pursuing her own career in art, she wanted to make sure her name was different.

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Like her mom and her mom’s sister, actress Debbie Allen, Condola was interested in acting. In fact, she started taking weekly piano lessons when she was 7 and continued until she turned 18. She then went to college at the California Institute of the Arts, graduating in 2008 with a degree in theater.

“I grew up in the theater with my mom, and that’s how I knew I wanted to be an actress,” she told za Interview magazine 2016. “My mom was very busy when I was growing up, but she did a very good job of balancing her home and work life,” she said, adding, “She mostly took me everywhere. She said, ‘If I have a rehearsal, I’ll just bring you.’ ”

In a conversation with Bossip, Phylicia recalled how she introduced her daughter to the art of acting. “When she was very young, I would always take her with me and she would always see what the job was really like – how she put it together, what the rehearsal process was like,” she explained. “When she learned to read, she helped me learn my lines.”

Condola Rashad and Phylicia Rashad at the opening night of ‘Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet’ on Broadway after party on September 19, 2013.

Rob Kim/Getty

Condola readily followed in her mother’s footsteps, making her Off-Broadway debut in 2009. She soon made her way to Broadway and in 2013 landed the lead role in Romeo and Juliet with Orlando Bloom. Thanks to her work on stage, she is now a four-time Tony Award nominee. She has also acted on screen, starring in the Showtime drama Billions.

Speaking with City and country magazine in 2018. Phylicia expressed her admiration for her daughter and gave her all the credit. “I never phoned Condol,” she said.

In her interview with Bossip, Phylicia gushed about her daughter’s talent and work ethic. “She is phenomenal. I am very proud of her,” she said. “She’s successful — oh my gosh, when I look at her career and her chronology and when she graduated, it’s pretty damn amazing.”

The admiration seems to be mutual. In 2020, Condola shared an adorable Mother’s Day tribute on Instagram with two pictures: one of her and her mom when she was little, and the other of her mom, aunt, and grandmother.

“I’ve looked up to this woman all my life,” she wrote alongside the photos. “Words cannot express the level of gratitude I have for her as a mother, for her as my own woman in this world. I am infinitely grateful to be a branch on this divine Feminine Goddess Tree.”

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Source: HIS Education