Anthony Anderson exclusively told Us Weekly his advice for 23-year-old son Nathan Anderson, who is following in his father’s Hollywood footsteps.
“I’ve always told my son that you get out of it what you put into it. And to work hard at it and to be as true to himself and as authentic as he can possibly be, and don’t be afraid of taking chances,” the Black-ish alum, 52, explained to Us on Monday, June 19, while promoting his new reality show, Trippin’, with mom Doris Hancox. “And not letting a no for a project discourage you and moving forward. So that’s what I told him. And that’s what he’s doing. He’s a young, successful actor.”
Anderson’s son Nathan currently stars on the Bounce series Act Your Age which premiered in March 2023. The Kangaroo Jack star also gave an update on daughter Kyra, 27.
“My daughter is a doula in Houston, Texas. And she’s living her dream and living her life,” Anderson added.
The Law & Order actor shares Nathan and Kyra with ex-wife Alvina Stewart. The twosome split in March 2022 after 22 years of marriage.
Anderson has been open in the past about fatherhood and advice he has for other parents.
“[My parenting] worked. I have some independent-thinking children which I love and respect,” he told Parents.com in a May 2022 interview. “But that’s how I raised them. I raised them to be their own individuals and to always speak their mind, to ask questions no matter who it is. There’s a difference between ‘questioning’ and ‘asking questions.’ ‘You want to do this and go there? Okay, why?’”
The Scary Movie 3 star also urged parents to “be patient” when raising their kids.
“It’s just about patience and allowing them to make their mistakes. We can’t stand up for them and try to help navigate them,” Anderson explained at the time. “There’s certain mistakes that they don’t need to make because they’ve already been made by the parent, but each mistake is a learning lesson. We have to allow them to make them and learn from them, and it takes patience and understanding and a discipline to stay hands-off.”
After discussing his children with Us, Anderson and his mom touched on his own childhood and how she predicted when he was younger that he would go on to be a star.
“He was gonna be a comedian, something in entertainment,” Hancox, 69, gushed to Us. “I keep telling y’all, I’m his biggest fan.”
The mother and son duo are giving insight into their own relationship on Trippin’ With Anthony Anderson and Mama Doris, which premieres Thursday, June 22, on E!. The series will feature the duo on an excursion through England, France and Italy.
Anderson hopes Trippin’ viewers enjoy meeting his mom and watching their unique mother-son dynamic.
“My mother sacrificed a lot to get me to where I am today. And this was my way of saying thank you for all of your sacrifices,” the Barbershop actor told Us, while Hancox joked, “And you get to eat good every day.”
Reporting by Leanne Aciz Stanton
