Julia Roberts recently revealed a little-known fact about herself. Back in September, the actress shared the story of her birth with Gayle King for A+E Networks and History Channel’s HISTORYTalks in Washington, D.C. The conversation went viral a month later when Zara Rahim, a former strategic adviser to President Barack Obama, tweeted the clip.
In the viral clip, Julia shared that her birth was paid for by none other than civil rights icons Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King. After some coaxing, Julia shared that the King family stepped in when her parents “couldn’t afford to pay the hospital bill.” “The King family paid for my hospital bill…They helped us out of a jam,” she added.
The actress further explained that her parents founded the Atlanta Actors and Writers Workshop and a children’s acting school, where the King children attended classes. Julia shared, “One day, Coretta 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.”
The actress added, “My mom was like, ‘Sure, come on over,’ and so they all just became friends.” However, when Betty Lou went into labour with Julia, Coretta insisted on paying the hospital bill as a thank you. “In the ’60s, you didn’t have little Black children interacting with little white kids in acting school,” Gayle noted. “And Julia’s parents were welcoming, and I think that’s extraordinary, and it lays the groundwork for who Julia is.”
Julia infamously got in trouble in 1990 for calling the town of Abbeville, South Carolina, “horribly racist” and “a living hell” after her Black friend was refused service at a restaurant. The actress had moved to Abbeville to film Sleeping With the Enemy and was refreshingly candid describing her issues with the town during an interview with Rolling Stone.
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