In his 2017 song, “Legacy,” Jay-Z said, “Generational wealth, that’s the key. My parents don’t have sh-t, so that shift started with me.” This concept, adopted by many people, has been the foundation for helping secure the economic stability of their families. Among those who created that shift, as Jay-Z described, is Terry Crews.
Terry Crews, a former NFL player, current television host, and actor, has achieved remarkable success across various industries. However, career has always been intertwined with Terry’s family, a testament to his strong values.
The 55-year-old has been transparent about his financial troubles, and his wife’s admonishment helped him realize he needed to shift his pride aside and focus on making an income that would benefit the Crews household.
View this post on Instagram
“After retiring from the NFL, I struggled to get to the next level where I wanted to be,” the actor told Variety. “I tried and failed many times to secure a job in entertainment, but there was no luck. And then my wife’s wedding ring took its fourth trip to the pawn shop. When that happened, she told me ‘maybe it’s time you widen the search and do anything that could genuinely put food on the table.’”
Today, Crews is at the top of his game, and his wife and five children are benefiting from his perseverance and creating their own waves of success.
Rebecca King-Crews
View this post on Instagram
Terry and Rebecca Crews met while students at Western Michigan University, according to People. The couple left the friend zone and married in 1989. Faced with the highs and lows a relationship can experience, the two have preserved and highlighted their love on their reality TV show, “The Family Crews,” which premiered in 2010.
While the show revealed the Crews’ family dynamic with Rebecca as its leading lady, her identity goes beyond that of wife and mother. Rebecca studied music while in college. In 2014, she released her first single using the alias Regina Madre, eventually releasing an album in 2021 under that same pseudonym.
In addition to music, she is into fashion. She has a self-titled beauty and clothing label and has dressed celebrities such as former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Cynthia Bailey, Cassandra Freeman, and Sarah Jakes Roberts.
Naomi Anna Burton, 36
Burton became a part of Terry’s Crews before any of the fame and notoriety, according to another report by People. She was born in 1987 before Terry and Rebecca met, but that did not change the love she received from her parents.
“I raised a daughter who is not biologically mine either. My oldest. And I love her with all my heart,” Crews posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) in 2019.
Although she has primarily stayed out of the spotlight, Burton gave Terry and Rebecca their first grandchild and appeared in the family’s reality show, which aired from 2010 to 2011.
Azriél Patricia Crews, 33
View this post on Instagram
Azriél, born in 1990, followed in her father’s footsteps. The second child of five has acting credits in television shows and films including HBO’s “Crashing” and “High Maintenance” as well as “Maybe I Do” in 2023, featuring Hollywood heavy-hitters Richard Geer and Susan Sarandon.
In addition to acting, a Voyage LA interview revealed that Azriél also took after her mother. She studied music during her time at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. After graduating, The New York Times reported that the singer and actress appeared on the soundtrack for “Katy Keene” and in a musical concert about the life of Sally Hemings, a woman enslaved by American statesman Thomas Jefferson.
Her LinkedIn profile further revealed she has worked as a real estate agent, copywriter, and makeup artist.
Tera Zella Crews, 25
Born in 1998, Tera decided to live life outside of the spotlight. Like her eldest sister, she did appear on the family’s reality show and appeared on “Celebrity Family Feud” with the rest of her siblings.
However, her Instagram page bio lists her as a producer, DJ, songwriter, and promoter.
Wynfrey ‘Winnie’ Crews, 21
The youngest daughter of the Crews siblings, Wynfrey, born in 2003, also lives a relatively private life. People reports that she is a creative person who is into photography and also shares a close relationship with her brother Isaiah.
Isaiah Samuel Crews, 18
View this post on Instagram
Isaiah is the only son and youngest child in the Crews family. Born in 2005, he also followed his father’s career path in acting. He played Munchy in Nickelodeon’s “Side Hustle” comedy.
According to his Instagram posts, he is also into music and makes content of him producing beats and DJing.