A viral video has many online talking about the interesting connection between veteran actressJulia Robertsand civil rights iconsMartin Luther King Jr.andCoretta Scott King. For many fans, it wasn’t known that the King family had actually paid for Roberts' birth 55 years ago. Roberts spoke about the story in a September interview with Gayle King, and a clip of the actress speaking about the King connection was posted on her 55th birthday on Oct. 28 byZara Rahim on Twitter. The video has since gone viral, racking up shares and views from intrigued fans.
“Let’s start with the day you were born: who paid for your hospital bills?” Gayle King asks Roberts in the clip.
Roberts goes on to confirm that it was the King family who’d paid the hospital bills for her parents when she was born. TheTicket to Paradisestar then goes on to explain how this happened, noting how her family was short on money at the time and in need of some help. Because Coretta knew Roberts' parents, the Kings offered to help out financially when Julia was born.
“My parents had a theater school in Atlanta called the Actors and Writers Workshop, and one day, Coretta Scott King called my mother and asked if her kids could be part of the school, because they were having a hard time finding a place that would accept her kids,” Roberts explains. “And my mom was like, ‘Sure, come on over.’ And, so, they just all became friends, and they helped us out of a jam.”
Gayle King responds to the story by observing, “Yeah, because in the 60s, you didn’t have little Black children interacting with little white kids in acting school, and your parents were like, ‘Come on in.’ I think that’s extraordinary, and it sort of lays the groundwork for who you are.”
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The King family was just happy to help out some friends in need, and probably couldn’t have imagined that this baby would one day become one of Hollywood’s most successful stars. With decades in show business and dozens of roles, Roberts has appeared in films that have collectively banked more than $3.9 billion at the box office. She also won the Oscar for Best Actress for her role inErin Brockovich.
More recently, Roberts played Martha Mitchell in the limited seriesGaslit. She can currently be seen on the big screen in the new rom-comTicket to Paradisewhich reunites her with George Clooney. The film is now playing in theaters. She will also star with Mashershala Ali and Ethan Hawke in the upcoming thrillerLeave the World Behind.
