Keshia Knight Pulliam’s 2 Children: All About Ella and Knight
Keshia Knight Pulliam is a mom of two!
She and her husband, Brad James, welcomed their son, Knight, in April 2023. The Cosby Show actress is also mom to daughter Ella, 7, whom she shares with her ex-husband, Ed Hartwell.
He filed for divorce from Pulliam in July 2016 after six months of marriage and just a week after Pulliam announced that she was pregnant with a baby girl. The former NFL player also requested a paternity test.
Pulliam spoke about the split in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, saying, “Despite all of this, I am grateful for my blessing, and that’s my little girl.” The Beauty Shop star welcomed Ella Grace in January 2017.
Here’s everything to know about Keshia Knight Pulliam’s two kids.
Pulliam welcomed her daughter, Ella Grace Hartwell, on Jan. 23, 2017. She announced the news with a sweet photo on Instagram, writing “Ella Grace has arrived!!!!”
At the time of her birth, Pulliam and Hartwell were in the midst of a tumultuous divorce, with Hartwell requesting a paternity test.
In August 2016, Pulliam shared that the heartbreak the split caused had a strong influence on her daughter’s middle name.
“When I tell you through all of this the grace of God has so been with us and has covered us and protected us — she’s been my saving grace to get through it,” Pulliam said on an episode of her podcast, Kandidly Keshia. “It’s knowing that it’s not about me. It’s about her. It is about her being okay.”
Ella primarily lives with Pulliam and her stepdad, James, in Atlanta. The family lives on a farm, which seems to suit Ella well.
In the summer of 2022, Ella started taking horseback riding lessons. “My big girl has officially started riding lessons & I am so proud!! Like me, she loves horses,” Pulliam wrote in a post on Instagram, adding, “I’m happy that I now have a little riding partner.”
As for whether or not she’ll follow in her mother’s footsteps, Pulliam has said that it’s a possibility.
“She’s aware that mommy is an actress,” Pulliam shared during an interview with Entertainment Tonight in 2020. “And the other day, she was like, ‘Well Mommy, can I be an actor when I grow up?’ Whatever it is that [Ella] ultimately chooses to do, I absolutely support.”
Ella is very close with her stepdad. In February 2022, Pulliam posted a photo of James getting a makeover (courtesy of Ella) and wrote: “Love is getting your nails painted blue & wearing them out in public proudly!! #GirlDad.”
According to her mom, Ella is also a doting older sibling.
“Ella is the best big sister ever,” Pulliam told PEOPLE in October 2023. “So much so that sometimes I have to remind her that I am both of their mama and that she’s not the mama! But they love each other so much, it’s just a joy. The way his face lights up when he sees her, it’s amazing.”
