Comedian Jaboukie Young-White has talked about his family members on several occasions. “I grew up in Harvey, Illinois, one of the most violent towns in [the state],” Jaboukie told Vman. “Almost half the town is under the poverty line. I had friends who were wards of the state and were homeless, but they were like 12. They slept in abandoned houses and shit like that. And I couldn’t do anything [about it].”
Jaboukie undoubtedly was a queer person of color growing up outside of Chicago’s South Side. He expected to endure homophobia from his family.
“My family is Jamaican, and Jamaican culture is one of the most homophobic in the Western Hemisphere,” he told the magazine. “It’s bred into [you].” As an alternative, Young-White hooked himself to the television. “That’s how I learned most American norms,” he said. “Which, you could argue, isn’t the healthiest, but that’s really what made me love comedy”.
His upbringing with his family had ties with his career as a comedian. Jaboukie told Chicago Tribune, “My parents are Jamaican immigrants and both have a multiracial background. They’re Jamaican but my genetic makeup is West African, European, and Asian. My parents would watch “Saturday Night Live” and there was this one Jamaican comedian named Oliver Samuels and they would get his DVDs — the Jamaican Tyler Perry, basically. I think I got into comedy because it was a shorthand establishment of social mores and codes, so it’s how I learned American culture and customs. Because I grew up in a traditional family and the things that (everyone knows) like … the Beatles! It was not passed down to me. So my firsthand American experience starts in like … 2004. Comedy was a way of catching up.”
Learn more about his family. Here you’ll learn about his parents and siblings.
Who Are Jaboukie Young-White Family Members?
Jaboukie Young-White comes from a family of five. The family members include his two Jamaican immigrant parents and his two brothers. Speaking of his family background Jaboukie said, “My parents are Jamaican immigrants and both have a multiracial background. They’re Jamaican but my genetic makeup is West African, European, Asian”.
Likewise, back in March 2020, he tweeted, “my immigrant parents never let me leave the house. this is just summer break”. Furthermore, he had also tweeted once, “kids of immigrants, you ever look at your parents like THIS ghetto shit is the “”” better life”????????”.
The first time, Jaboukie’s parents caught everyone’s attention was when he came out to his parents on national TV on Tonight Show set in 2017 (right after the show, his mother texted him “I love my gay son“). They didn’t know he was gay until that point. He mentioned that he was still not yet out and that he didn’t know if he ever could come out because his parents, two Jamaican immigrants, would not be okay with it, especially his father.
Speaking to Hooligan Magazine, Jaboukie said, “When your family is homophobic and you’re relying on them as your only safety net and that safety net already has holes in it because they’re broke, you’re bottomed out. You tell yourself you can do this until you’re at a point where you don’t need them anymore. So, when I got to the point of being on TV, I was like, ‘well I’ll never to sleep on their couch again, so I can do this”.
But, as a struggling immigrant who often wants their children to either be a lawyer or a doctor, Joaboukie’s parents were okay with him pursuing comedy as a career. He told, “I think the immigrant thing is two-fold. My parents were more okay with me pursuing comedy because I had shown that I was so serious about it from a young age. In high school, I did speech & debate, and in my senior year I won both comedic events I was in. If you show you’re incredibly passionate about something, they’ll be like, ‘okay’, but you have to be rich! As long as you’re rich. They’ll be hesitant and then when they see money is coming they’re like, ‘We supported you all along!’”
Meet Jaboukie Young-White Parents
Jaboukie Young-White was born to his parents Norma Young-White and Condel A White.
Norma, Jaboukie’s mother, is 60 years old. She was born in June 1962. Meanwhile, her husband, Condel was born in October 1957 which makes him 64.
Talking about their jobs, Norma worked as the president of the Harvey Education Association in Illinois. The mission of The Harvey Education Association, an affiliate of the Illinois Education Association/National Education Association is to provide sound public school education to the students of Harvey, Illinois.
Meanwhile, she also worked as a middle school teacher at Harvey School District 152.
Norma worked in an office for most of his life until one day she went back to school and got a Bachelor’s in the US (even though she already had one from the University of the West Indies) and then got her Master’s. She landed an internship in her 40sand became a 5th-grade school teacher who is now thinking about becoming a principal.
Jaboukie said, “She totally switched gears and went to do some other thing. Coming from her, she was like, ‘You can pick the safe route, and when your safe route fails, what do you do? What are you left with when your compromise doesn’t work?” So, I had the mindset that I might as well go for what I wanted to do because if I go for the thing I barely tolerate and that doesn’t go well, what would I do with myself then?”
His mom is okay with his queerness, but his dad isn’t. They reportedly haven’t spoken since 2017, and he seems totally unvexed by the situation. He even described his father as a drama queen.
“I knew it was going to happen,” Jaboukie told The Cut. “It’s always so funny to me, too, because people are like, ‘Well, I’m sure he’ll come around.’ And I’m like, “I think it’s so funny that you think that someone who would disown their child for their sexuality was otherwise a grade-A parent.’ If you’re going to do that, there are probably other problem areas, to begin with. I knew I wasn’t going to come out on Google until I can support myself.”
Meet Jaboukie Young-White Brothers
Jaboukie Young-White has two brothers. In June 2019, speaking to Gay Nrd, one of his brothers came out as bi after the comedian announced on national TV that he was gay. Afterward, he was shocked but also felt that it was “another person stealing my moment.”
Jaboukie once wrote, “I’m gay and my one brother is bi and my other brother is straight — my mom’s womb was basically a gay dance club that became a foot locker”. Apparently, his brother already knew he was gay since Jaboukie admitted to having a poor habit of not closing out the porn on his computer.
Jaboukie is an uncle as his brother Javaughn Young-White welcomed his daughter Adeya Nomi with R&B singer Kehlani back in 2019. Javaughn and Kehlani have split, but the “CRZY” singer admitted that Javaughn has been incredibly supportive.
“I have a two-year-old daughter…She’s the best. Me and her dad are like really, really close friends, and the decision to start a family was really easy for us because we both believed in each other’s ability to be good parents,” Kehlani said in a Facebook Watch special, Pride On! Kehlani & Larray’s Excellent Pride Ride.
Javaughn was born on 17 April 1997 which makes him 25 years old. He works as a guitarist and model. In his high school days, Javie was a basketball standout at Marian Catholic High School. According to Max Preps, Javie played as a guard and was ranked in the top 10 high school players in Illinois.
Related FAQs
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Where Does Jaboukie Young-White Family Live?
Jaboukie Young-White’s parents raised him and his brothers in Harvey, Illinois. His parents were born in Jamaica. After dropping out of college, Jaboukie moved to Los Angeles, California.
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Does Jaboukie Young-White Family Appear On IG?
Among his family members, Jaboukie Young-White’s mom is on Twitter (@normayoungwhit1). His younger brother Javaughn is on Instagram (@javaughnyw).
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Are Jaboukie Young-White Family Members Close To One Another?
Yes, Jaboukie Young-White’s family is close except for his relationship with his father.
