Taylor Polidore Williams went from playing a minor role in a 2008 Martin Lawrence comedy to fronting one of Netflix’s biggest Tyler Perry dramas, and her real-life romance has turned out to be almost as talked about as her on-screen one. Fans searching for details on the Beauty in Black star’s husband, family, and finances are often surprised by how much misinformation is floating around, so here is a grounded look at who Taylor Polidore Williams really is.
| Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Taylor Ellene Polidore Williams |
| Date of Birth | August 29, 1993 |
| Zodiac Sign | Virgo |
| Age | 32 (as of 2026) |
| Birthplace | Houston, Texas, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 feet 3 inches (1.60 m) |
| Education | Clark Atlanta University (BA, Filmmaking) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Husband | Jero Williams (m. May 4, 2024) |
| Children | None |
| Known For | Beauty in Black, Snowfall, All American: Homecoming |
Biography
Taylor Polidore Williams was born on August 29, 1993, in Houston, Texas, and grew up in the Katy area with her parents and her younger brother, Dru Polidore Jr. Her father, Finnley Polidore Sr., and her mother, Mimi Polidore, have been married for more than three decades, marking 36 years together as of April 2026. The family remains close-knit; Mimi has publicly credited Taylor and her husband Jero with bringing the extended family together for milestone celebrations. Taylor has described her brother warmly in interviews, joking that he arrived in her life “like a puppy” when she was ten and that he remains loyal to this day, even though he now towers over her.
She attended Seven Lakes High School in Katy before enrolling at Clark Atlanta University, a Historically Black College and University, where she graduated in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in filmmaking from the Mass Media Arts program. While there, she joined Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and she credits the school’s hustle culture and its “Find a Way or Make One” motto for preparing her for the entertainment industry. Polidore made her film debut at just 14 years old with a small role in the 2008 comedy Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, a project that quietly planted the seed for everything that followed.
Career
Polidore spent her early twenties building a resume out of guest spots and short films rather than chasing a single big break. She appeared in true-crime series such as Snapped: Killer Couples and Fatal Attraction, then picked up guest roles on The Resident, Step Up: High Water, and Genius: Aretha. Her first real toehold in a hit show came between 2018 and 2019, when she joined the CW’s Black Lightning in a recurring capacity.
The 2020s marked her steady climb toward leading roles. From 2021 to 2023, she played Dallas Ali, an enforcer turned bounty hunter, on FX’s acclaimed crime drama Snowfall, and she followed that with a recurring part on the CW’s All American: Homecoming. In 2023, Tyler Perry cast her in the drama thriller Divorce in the Black, and that collaboration paid off in a major way the following year. Perry handed Polidore the lead role of Kimmie opposite Crystle Stewart in Netflix’s Beauty in Black, a series that turned her into one of the platform’s most recognizable new faces. She’s described the shoot as “theater on steroids,” telling Essence that Tyler Perry Studios moves so fast it works like an actor’s boot camp, one that pushed her past limits she didn’t know she had.
Beauty in Black has since been confirmed as a three-season series, and its final chapter is already in the can. Polidore told TVLine the entire third season was filmed in just six days, and while she’s stayed tight-lipped on plot details, she’s admitted the abrupt ending caught the cast off guard. “I didn’t really understand it, and I still don’t know the exact reason,” she said of Netflix’s decision to close out the show after Season 3. Beyond that project, Polidore is already lining up her next act. In 2026, she was cast in a recurring role on Hulu’s legal drama Reasonable Doubt for its fourth season, playing Brooke Cropper, the calculating second wife of a wealthy client navigating a messy divorce. She’s also stepped behind the camera in a smaller but personal way, executive-producing and starring in a short film that raises awareness about endometriosis, which she’s been submitting to film festivals. She takes physical preparation seriously too, working out twice a day to play Kimmie and learning basic tennis to play Tootie on All American: Homecoming. Looking further ahead, her dream project would be a Chaka Khan biopic, the kind of career-defining role Jennifer Lopez found in Selena.
Social Media
Polidore has built a genuine following alongside her acting career rather than treating social media as an afterthought. Her Instagram, @taylorpolidore, has around 649,000 followers, where she posts a mix of red carpet looks, behind-the-scenes clips, and glimpses of her marriage. Her TikTok account, run under the handle @tylrpldr, has grown even larger, with more than 863,000 followers and over 10 million likes across her videos. She’s also known for backing Good Body Athletica, a fitness apparel brand she launched in 2020 after growing frustrated with the lack of cute, functional workout gear during an Instagram fitness challenge she’d started at the beginning of the pandemic. In her own words on the brand’s site, she wanted contouring, breathable, “squat proof” leggings that actually fit curves and muscle, and her first collection reportedly sold out within two weeks of launch. The venture has helped diversify her income beyond acting fees alone.
Personal Life
Polidore married Jero Williams, a surgery resident from Atlanta and a Morehouse College graduate, on May 4, 2024. The two had been together since around 2017, when Taylor first posted a photo with him from what appeared to be a fraternity event at his university. Jero proposed on Christmas Day in 2022, and the couple wed at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, with Taylor writing on Instagram, “Best day of my life! Thank you to my husband for everything.” As of 2026, the couple has no children.
Balancing marriage and a demanding production schedule wasn’t easy. Polidore has said she was planning her wedding while filming the first season of Beauty in Black, and she leaned heavily on Jero to get through it. “I had an amazing support system, my husband,” she told Sherri Shepherd on the Sherri show, adding that the couple has been together since his medical school days, long before her career took off. “He is my rock. He is the constant in the whirlwind,” she said, noting he handles her rising fame with more ease than she sometimes does herself.
It’s worth noting that “Taylor Polidore Williams” isn’t a stage name or an alias. She simply added her husband’s surname after marriage, which is why older articles and television credits list her as Taylor Polidore, while more recent ones use her full married name.
Net Worth
For net worth, a more realistic estimate based on her actual income streams lands somewhere between $500,000 and $1 million. That figure is built from her earnings as the lead of a Netflix series, her prior recurring roles on FX and CW shows, her film work with Tyler Perry, and the added income from Good Body Athletica and her growing social media presence.
Given that she’s now added a Hulu recurring role to her plate while Beauty in Black wraps up its final season, there’s a reasonable case that her net worth climbs meaningfully over the next couple of years. For now, though, the more conservative range is the one worth trusting.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins | Homely Girl | |
| 2016 | All My Friends Are Dead | Lana | Short |
| 2016 | Defending Daddy | Adult Jasmine | Short |
| 2016 | Mosaic | Mara Anderson | |
| 2017 | Back to One: First Position | Alicia | |
| 2017 | Dirty South House Arrest | Zenobia | |
| 2018 | Not Your Rib | Paris | Short |
| 2019 | With(out) You | Bavette | Short |
| 2020 | The Ride | Isabel “Bell” King | Short |
| 2024 | Divorce in the Black | Rona |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Snapped: Killer Couples | Nikki Hill | Episode: “Rachel Cumberland & John Williams” |
| 2013 | Fatal Attraction | Denita Smith | Episode: “Collegiate Killing” |
| 2015 | Fatal Attraction | Sharon | Episode: “A Lethal Love” |
| 2015 | College Boyfriends: The Web Series | Cassie Latimore | Episode: “Different Day, Same Ol Shit” |
| 2018 | The Resident | Treena | Episode: “Independence Day” |
| 2018 | Step Up: High Water | Student #1 | Episode: “Pilot” |
| 2018 | The Pre-Quarter Life Crisis | Theia LeRoux | Main cast |
| 2018-19 | Black Lightning | Lisa | Recurring, Seasons 1 & 3 |
| 2019-22 | Curious George | Vinnie (voice) | Guest, Seasons 11-13; recurring, Season 15 |
| 2020-21 | It’s Pony | Clara (voice) | Recurring cast |
| 2020-21 | Rival Speak | Lilian | Main cast |
| 2021 | Black Kung Fu Chick | Tasha | Main cast |
| 2021 | Genius: Aretha | Darlene | Episode: “Aretha: Do Right Woman” |
| 2021 | Nick Shorts Showcase | Clara (voice) | Episode: “Hold My Spot/Screen Time” |
| 2021 | The Loud House | Shelby (voice) | Episode: “Lori Days/In the Mick of Time” |
| 2021-23 | Snowfall | Dallas | Recurring, Seasons 4-6 |
| 2022-23 | Wicked City | Camille | Main cast, Season 1; recurring, Season 2 |
| 2022-24 | All American: Homecoming | Tootie | Recurring, Seasons 2-3 |
| 2023 | Big City Greens | Additional Voices (voice) | Episode: “Truck Stopped/Jingled” |
| 2024-26 | Beauty in Black | Kimmie | Main cast, Seasons 1-3 |
| 2026 | Reasonable Doubt | Brooke Cropper | Recurring, Season 4 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Taylor Polidore Williams? She is an American actress best known for playing Kimmie in Tyler Perry’s Netflix series Beauty in Black, with earlier recurring roles on FX’s Snowfall and the CW’s All American: Homecoming.
Is Taylor Polidore Williams an aka? No. “Williams” is her married surname, added after she wed Jero Williams in May 2024. She is not using a stage name or alias.
What does Taylor Polidore’s husband do? Jero Williams works as a surgery resident in Atlanta and graduated from Morehouse College.
How long has Taylor Polidore been married? She married Jero Williams on May 4, 2024, after the couple got engaged on Christmas Day in 2022, making them married for roughly two years as of 2026.
What is Taylor Polidore Williams’ ethnicity? She is African American, and her educational background includes Clark Atlanta University, a Historically Black College and University.
Does Taylor Polidore Williams have children? No. As of 2026, Taylor and her husband Jero Williams have no children together.
Is Taylor Polidore Williams pregnant? There is no confirmed pregnancy announcement from Taylor Polidore Williams as of 2026.
Does Taylor Polidore Williams have a sister? Not in real life. Her on-screen character Kimmie has a sister, Sylvie, in Beauty in Black, which has led some fans to search for a real-life sister. In reality, Polidore has one younger brother, Dru Polidore Jr.
What is Taylor Polidore Williams’ religion? She hasn’t named a specific denomination publicly, but she’s spoken about growing up feeling a deep sense of belonging in Black churches and has credited trusting in God’s timing for helping her through the uncertain years before her big break.
How tall is Taylor Polidore Williams? According to IMDb, she stands 5 feet 3 inches tall.
