In honour of Julia Roberts' 55th birthday on 28 October, fans were recirculating the surprising fact that connects her to Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King.
Turns out, the civil rights pioneers actually paid for Julia Roberts' medical bills when she was born. Back in September Julia sat down with Gayle King for A+E Networks and History Channel's HISTORYTalks interview in Washington, D.C. Gayle questioned the obscure fact out of the Pretty Woman actress, who noted that the reporter's 'research is very good.'
Julia revealed to the crowd, 'The King family paid for my hospital bills.' Gayle King emphasised the significance and clarified, 'Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. Why did they do that?' Roberts later explained that her parents, Betty Lou Bredemus and Walter Grady Roberts, could not afford to pay the hospital bill after she was born in 1967.
She said, 'My parents had a theatre school in Atlanta called the Actors and Writers Workshop, and one day Coretta Scott King 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. My mom was like, "Sure. Come on over."'Julia added, 'And so they just all became friends, and they helped us out of a jam.'
'In the ’60s, you didn’t have little Black children interacting with little white kids in acting school,' Gayle noted in the interview. 'And Julia’s parents were welcoming, and I think that’s extraordinary, and it lays the groundwork for who Julia is.'
There was also anotherreportstating Julia's parents were targeted by racist groups because they allowed Martin Luther King's daughter, Yolanda King, to kiss a white actor during a play. The other young actor was Phillip DePoy, who penned an essay for ARTS ATL in 2013 detailing his experience at the school. He revealed a car exploded near the theatre after their kiss.
Fans have been sharing their joy at the story online. One fan tweeted, 'I’ve always found Julia Roberts to be an amazing actress, and definitely in my top 3 of all times. This story leaves me with a lot of PURE joy because now I’ve learned she is an amazing human being as well.' While Bernice King, Martin Luther King Jr's daughter, tweeted, 'I know this story well but it is moving for me to be reminded of my parents generosity and influence.'
Now this is history.