All About Gracie Abrams’ Famous Parents, J.J. Abrams and Katie McGrath

Gracie Abrams is a rising star in the music world, having opened for Taylor Swift on the Eras Tour in 2023 and 2024 and Olivia Rodrigo on her 2022 Sour Tour, but her parents, J.J. Abrams and Katie McGrath, have been in the spotlight for years.

Gracie’s dad, J.J., co-created the shows Lost and Alias, and also directed several Star Wars films, starting with The Force Awakens. Her mom, Katie, is a former political aide who began her career in Washington, D.C. and held positions at notable firms. Today, J.J. and Katie serve as the co-CEOs of Bad Robot Productions, where they produce various TV shows and films.

The married couple also founded the J.J. Abrams and Katie McGrath Family Foundation in 2012, through which they have created grants and funds to support different causes, including abortion rights and social justice initiatives like their Anti-Racist fund, launched in 2021.

J.J. and Katie are parents to three children: Henry, Gracie and August. “It’s the greatest gift, and you get what you put into it,” J.J. told Red Carpet Roxy in June 2015, talking about fatherhood.

So, who are Gracie Abrams’ parents? Here is everything to know about J.J. Abrams and Katie McGrath and their relationship with the singer-songwriter.

They’ve been married for decades

J.J. and Katie got married on Sept. 29, 1996.

Although not much is known about the start of their romance, she posted a tribute to her husband in honor of their 27th wedding anniversary in 2023. Katie shared a glimpse of them on the weekend before their nuptials.

“After all of the babies and dogs and friends and family and moves and jobs and heartbreaks and joy, I choose you again, every single day,” she wrote on Instagram, alongside a black-and-white photo embracing J.J. “Best decision I ever made. Best person I know. Endless love, always and forever. ❤️.”

The couple went on to welcome their first child, a son named Henry on June 22, 1998. Gracie followed, arriving on Sept. 7, 1999, and the family’s youngest child, son August, was born on Jan. 10, 2006.

J.J. is an Emmy-winning director and producer

Gracie’s dad, J.J., has been working in the film and TV industry since the 1990s as a co-creator of shows like Felicity, as well as an executive producer and composer for TV shows.

In 2001, he founded a production company, Bad Robot, with fellow producer Bryan Burk. Currently, he and Katie serve as the co-CEOs of the company. Under Bad Robot, J.J. co-created and executive produced the hit network shows Lost and Alias, composing the theme music for both. In 2005, Lost won multiple Emmy awards, including Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, awarded to J.J.

He made his film directorial debut in 2006 with Mission Impossible: III and worked on 2009’s Star Trek reboot and 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He said he hoped to make it more inclusive, especially for girls.

“Star Wars was always a boy’s thing and a movie that dads took their sons to, and though that’s still very much the case, I was really hoping this could be a movie that mothers take their daughters to as well,” he said in an interview with Good Morning America in November 2015.

Two years later, J.J. returned to the Star Wars franchise to direct and co-write The Rise of Skywalker.

Katie has a background in politics

Katie has a political background, having served as a legislative assistant to Senator Edward M. Kennedy at the start of her career before pivoting to public relations in TV and film.

She served as the director of communications at MTV Networks and later as the vice president at the strategic communications consulting firm Robinson Lerer Sawyer Miller. Katie was also a founding member of the political media firm First Tuesday Media. Now, as a co-CEO at Bad Robot, she oversees the company’s “culture, communications, and ancillary businesses.”

In 2023, Katie was appointed a member of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. She’s also on the boards of Pro Publica, ARRAY Alliance and The McGrath Abrams Family Foundation, according to her bio.

Most recently, Gracie spoke to Glamour U.K. about her mother’s impact on her as a woman, who alongside Shonda Rhimes, initially funded the Time’s Up organization in 2018, in support of women who had faced sexual harassment.

“I admire her wholeheartedly,” she said in January 2023. “As I’ve gotten older, I just wanted to be more and more like her. To see her fearlessness in these spaces is something that inevitably has guided me as a woman.”

J.J.’s storytelling inspired Gracie’s career

“There’s a privilege in having even grown up around the knowledge of what the entertainment world looks like at all,” Gracie said in a July 2022 interview with iHeartRadio Canada.

The artist shared that she felt fortunate to grow up in a home with a parent like J.J., who told stories, signifying that it could be a lifelong passion. “I think that having that in my childhood solidified my love and appreciation for storytelling … and influenced the fact that I did it all the time,” she continued.

Still, Gracie noted that her parents did not directly influence her songwriting, which was always just for her.

“I definitely kept them so far out of it. Songwriting, for me, was always just a personal outlet to deal with my experiences without having to talk to anyone, especially my parents for many years,” Gracie said on separating her art from her family.

“Now, I’m very lucky … I’m super tight with them and I tell my mom everything,” she added.

Katie influenced Gracie’s performances

Gracie has spoken about how much she appreciates her mom’s efforts in raising her, crediting her for her fearlessness while singing and praising her for exposing her to important causes.

For Mother’s Day in 2021, she shared a throwback photo of her mother captioned, “Best person I’ll ever know I love you mom @ktmcgrath.”

Her posts of praise go back, though, including a 2017 Mother’s Day post where Gracie thanked her mom for “encouraging me to perform to the point where it doesn’t scare me anymore and taking me to be a part of great, important movements.”

In a 2024 interview with Nylon, Gracie called her mom “the toughest person I know,” adding that she’s learned a lot from watching Katie interact with her fans.

“The way that she treats people is how I want to treat people, and for me to see her be that way towards this community that cares so much about the music,” she said. “Her support and encouragement of my writing my whole life is the reason that I’m doing any of this now.”

They supported Gracie when she opened for Taylor Swift

Gracie’s parents were elated to see her on tour with Swift, sharing posts from the audience.

On the night of Gracie’s first Eras Tour performance in April 2023, Katie uploaded a video on Instagram of her performing on stage, writing, “Amazing job, baby. And thank you to @taylorswift for every single kindness! ❤️.”

Later that month, the mother of three compiled a photo gallery of herself with Gracie at one of the Atlanta Eras tour dates. “Bonkers night with the lifers and my girl and my girl’s chosen mother @taylorswift! ❤️❤️❤️,” she captioned it on Instagram.

While J.J. doesn’t post about his personal life on social media, mostly posting about his projects, Katie previously recorded him and Gracie during a heartfelt musical moment. She shared a clip on Instagram of the two playing the piano together back in 2019.

J.J. and Katie are committed to philanthropy and social activism

Katie’s history in politics is still relevant in her life, as she remains committed to social activism through philanthropy, inspiring her husband, J.J., to follow suit.

Together, the couple have pledged donations to multiple causes, including launching an Anti-Racist fund and giving initial investments of $200,000 to five groups: Black Futures Lab, Black Lives Matter L.A., Community Coalition, Equal Justice Initiative and Know Your Rights Camp.

They also support local politicians, having both donated $125,000 each to L.A. Mayor Karen Bass’ campaign in 2022, according to the Los Angeles Times.