You may have heard of Donna Lawrence, the producer and actress who worked on shows like Brotherly Love and Melissa & Joey. You may have also heard of Joey Lawrence, the actor and singer who starred in Blossom and Dancing with the Stars. But are they related? The answer is yes, but not in the way you might think.
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Donna Lawrence is Joey Lawrence’s Mother
Donna Lawrence is the mother of Joey Lawrence and his two brothers, Matthew and Andrew, who are also actors. She was born Donna Lynn Shaw on March 9, 1951, and married Joseph Lawrence Mignogna Sr., an insurance broker, in 1975. The couple changed their surname to Lawrence when their children started acting. Donna was a personnel manager and a former elementary school teacher before becoming a producer and actress herself. She has worked on several projects with her sons, such as Brotherly Love, a sitcom that featured all three Lawrence brothers as siblings, and Melissa & Joey, a sitcom that starred Joey Lawrence and Melissa Joan Hart as a nanny and a politician. She also voiced a character in Homeward, an animated film that featured Joey and Andrew as voice actors.
Joey Lawrence is Donna Lawrence’s Oldest Son
Joey Lawrence is the oldest son of Donna and Joseph Lawrence. He was born Joseph Lawrence Mignogna Jr. on April 20, 1976, in Abington, Pennsylvania. He started acting at the age of five, appearing in commercials and guest-starring on shows like Diff’rent Strokes and Silver Spoons. He rose to fame as Joey Donovan on Gimme a Break!, a sitcom that ran from 1983 to 1987. He then became a teen idol as Joey Russo on Blossom, a sitcom that ran from 1991 to 1995. He also pursued a music career, releasing several albums and singles, including the hit song “Nothin’ My Love Can’t Fix” in 1993. He later appeared on Dancing with the Stars in 2006, placing third with his partner Edyta Śliwińska. He also starred in Chicago on Broadway in 2007 as Billy Flynn. He has been married three times: to Michelle Vella from 2002 to 2005, to Chandie Yawn-Nelson from 2005 to 2020, and to Samantha Cope-Lawrence since 2022. He has three children: Charleston (born in 2006), Liberty (born in 2010), and Kingston (born in 2021).
The Bottom Line
Donna Lawrence and Joey Lawrence are related by blood, but not by marriage. They are mother and son, respectively, and have collaborated on several projects over the years. They are part of a talented family that includes Matthew and Andrew Lawrence, who are also actors. They have a close bond and support each other’s careers. According to IMDb, they are both working on new projects for 2023 and beyond.
