Yahoo Finance All About Keshia Knight Pulliam's Daughter (and Baby on the Way!)
Keshia Knight Pulliam Instagram
Keshia Knight Pulliam is ready to become a mom for the second time.
In December 2022, The Cosby Show actress shared the news that she and her husband, Brad James, whom she married in October 2021, are expecting their first child together. A few months later, the couple revealed that they're having a baby boy.
Pulliam is also mom to daughter Ella, 5, 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, "It's one thing when you choose to be in the spotlight. It's another thing when you have a baby. And it's not about me." She also emphasized that her daughter was her top priority, saying, "she doesn't deserve it," before adding, "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, and in the years since, the mother-daughter duo have shared plenty of sweet moments together. Ella is also excited to become a big sister.
"She is going to be an awesome big sister, she is excited," Pulliam told Entertainment Tonight. "She has known from like the beginning, so she actually did a really good job because she kept the secret! I was like, 'Listen, Ella, you cannot tell anybody,' so now she'll be like, 'Do they know about the baby, can I tell them?' So, now she has free rein to tell everybody."
Here's everything to know about Keshia Knight Pulliam's daughter and her baby boy on the way.
Ella Grace Hartwell, 5
Keshia Knight Pulliam Instagram
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," she said, adding, "it's about her. It is about her being okay."
Keshia Knight Pulliam Instagram
Ella, now 5, 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❤️."
Horseback riding is not the only thing Pulliam and her daughter have in common. In another Instagram post, she shared a photo of Ella meditating, writing, "Meditation has been an essential part of my daily self care for years. Walking by and seeing Ella meditating with rainbow unicorn just made my day 🥰."
As for whether or not she'll follow in her mother's footsteps, Pulliam has said that is a possibility. "She's aware that Mommy is an actress," the actress 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?' " She added that "whatever it is that [Ella] ultimately chooses to do, I absolutely support."
Ella is also very close with her stepdad, and Pulliam often posts sweet photos of her and James bonding. In February 2022, the proud mom posted a photo of James getting a makeover from Ella, captioned, "Love is getting your nails painted blue & wearing them out in public proudly!! 🥰💅🏾🥰 #GirlDad."
Keshia Knight Pulliam's Baby Boy on the Way
Aaron J. Thornton/WireImage
Pulliam started dating James in 2019 after the pair met on the set of the TV movie Pride and Prejudice: Atlanta. The For Better or Worse actor proposed a year later. A rep for Pulliam confirmed the engagement to PEOPLE, saying the pair were "excited to find their happily ever after." In September 2022, they tied the knot in a small ceremony at their home in Atlanta.
A few months after their wedding, Pulliam opened up to PEOPLE about her egg-freezing experience. "I began the process of freezing my eggs," she said, before explaining that various procedures were canceled because of COVID-19. "So, I was unable to continue," she added.
While she and James were disappointed that they had to put their plans on hold, they remained "open to getting pregnant" the "old-fashioned way."
Now, nearly a year later, the couple are expecting their first child together.
In December 2022, Pulliam and James appeared together on The Tamron Hall Show to share the exciting news.
Pulliam, noticeably pregnant, told the host that it felt "so good" to finally talk about it publicly. "Not that I've been trying to hide it," she said, explaining, "but when you've had a miscarriage, when you've gone through this journey, you want to just enjoy this moment and want to make sure that everything is OK."
She went on to talk about Ella's reaction to the news, saying she is "so excited to be a big sister." She also shared that her daughter "talks to the baby regularly."
Following the appearance, Pulliam shared the news on Instagram, writing alongside a video of her and James on the set of the talk show, "Oh Baby Baby!! Baby James coming 2023!! 🥰❤️🥰."
In March 2023, the couple revealed the sex of their baby in a joint Instagram post.
"It's a BOY!! 💙," Pulliam and James captioned a photo of themselves popping confetti cannons filled with blue powder.
