Bronwyn And Slater Vance: What We Know About Angela Bassett's Twins
Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance's fraternal twins, daughter Bronwyn Vance and son Slater Vance, first appeared on the small screen in 2007. Before they could talk, the tots found themselves sharing the stage with some pretty prestigious company: their Oscar nominee mom, Tony Award-winning dad, and media mogul Oprah Winfrey.
When Bassett and Courtney introduced their children to the world on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," Bassett opened up about her and her husband's long and difficult road to becoming parents. For seven years, the couple experimented with various fertility treatments to no avail. Then, Bassett happened to chat with a pal who was having a baby via surrogate. "The more we learned about it, the more we began to think that perhaps this was an answer for us," the "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" star said. She and Courtney were proven right when their surrogate gave birth to Bronwyn and Slater in January 2006. Bassett described to Oprah how all her senses came alive as the twins were being born, making her acutely aware of every sound, smell, and sight in her surroundings. She also remembered realizing, "This is the moment that we've been working toward, praying for."
According to Bassett, Slater arrived first, and he was perfectly chill. It was Bronwyn who was the screamer, but as the kids grew up, it would be Slater who would make some noise.
Slater Vance is pursuing a music career
While both of his parents are actors, Slater Vance is more interested in music. In a 2019 interview with People, Angela Bassett said that the then-13-year-old had become so passionate about rap that he was asking her to use her deep pockets and connections to find him a studio where he could record some of his original songs. Two years later, he was still honing his skills. "At 15, he just wants to work on his music," Bassett told Us Weekly in 2021. "He likes to write lyrics and rap, so he's all in on that."
Vance clearly inherited his parents' drive. In 2021, he dropped his first record, "Journey 2 Forever." Slater then got right back in the studio to record the EP "Holehearted."
As many musicians have learned, using social media can be an effective way to promote their work and gain a fan following. But it has its pitfalls. Slater learned this the hard way when he decided to participate in a TikTok challenge that calls for kids to record themselves lying to their parents about a celebrity dying. Slater chose Bassett's "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" co-star Michael B. Jordan. Unsurprisingly, his prank did not go over well at all, and he issued an emotional apology in a since-deleted video. Luckily, his mom is the forgiving type. "We all make mistakes, own up to them, take responsibility. And then hold your head up and move forward," Bassett told ET.
Bronwyn Vance wouldn't mind her mom joining her at college
Bronwyn Vance has always been one of her mom's biggest admirers. Angela Bassett told Madame Noire that Bronwyn became her little mimic at age 3, which meant that Slater Vance was getting twice the mothering. "At one point, I had to say, 'I'm the mama. I'll tell him what to do.' She was trying to imitate me," Bassett recalled. Bronwyn would later channel that take-charge spirit into a worthy cause: raising more than $60,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and earning the honor of being named the Los Angeles chapter's 2022 team member of the year.
In a 2019 appearance on "The Daily Show," Bassett revealed that Bronwyn is the more affectionate of her two kids. "She gives me kisses every day," Bassett said. And when it came time to start visiting colleges in 2023, Bronwyn wasn't one of those teens who couldn't get away from her parents fast enough. "The other day I asked my daughter, just fishing, saying, 'Oh, if you go to Yale, I'm going to get an apartment just down the street from you,'" Bassett recalled to the Los Angeles Times. "And she's like, 'That'd be great, Mom!'" Bronwyn also demonstrated loyalty to her mother after Bassett didn't take home an Oscar in 2023, writing on TikTok that Bassett had been "robbed." But getting that win wasn't everything for Bassett, who once told Closer Weekly, "My greatest accomplishments are my family and my kids."