Jenna Ortega shot to stardom as a Disney child actress, but she can always count on her five siblings — Isaac, Mariah, Mia, Aliyah and Markus — to keep her humble.
“They do not care at all what I do. They have no interest in this world and industry,” the Wednesday star once said in an interview. “I could come home from work with cool people, prominent people, people I looked up to, and they weren’t interested. They were like, ‘Hey, you didn’t do the dishes before you left, so you’re going to have to do them all week.’ ”
Their parents, Edward and Natalie Ortega, have been together for over 25 years. They welcomed son Isaac and daughters Mariah and Mia back-to-back in 1998, 1999, and 2000, respectively. In 2002, Jenna came into the picture, and she was then followed by twins Aliyah and Markus, who were born in 2004.
Despite their crazy schedules, the Ortega siblings make a point to carve out time for one another.
“I’m the fourth kid. We all have scattered schedules and are kind of all over the place, but when we do get to spend time with each other we try to do that,” Jenna previously told PEOPLE. “We love to talk smack with one another and be goofy … but we’re all very supportive of each other.”
So, who exactly are Jenna Ortega’s brothers and sisters? Here’s everything to know about the Jane the Virgin star’s biggest supporters.
They grew up in Coachella Valley
The Ortega siblings aren’t only annual ticket holders for the famous Coachella music festival — they’re locals, too.
They grew up in Coachella Valley, where their mom is an emergency room nurse and their dad a businessman. While Hollywood kept her running in circles, Jenna credits the California desert for providing her a home with support and stability.
“I love that I can [come] home to the Coachella Valley and see my family and friends who have been with me from day one. It’s nice to have them by my side, always,” she told PEOPLE in 2017.
They were raised to be bilingual
The Ortegas are more than proud of their Hispanic heritage. Chatting with PopSugar, Jenna recalled how she and her siblings grew up speaking both Spanish and English — their father is Mexican American, while their mother is of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent.
“Since my father does not speak Spanish, trying to teach my siblings and me the language, when we were little, was a struggle. My mom is bilingual because her grandmother babysat her often and taught her Spanish. The plan was for her to speak it to us and for my father to speak English so that we could learn both languages,” she explained.
Jenna and her siblings also have a big appreciation for their culture’s food and traditions. “My dad makes amazing tacos and carne asada and my mother makes the best homemade beans,” she gushed. “My siblings and I cannot get enough! They are probably my favorite food.”
Mariah is a mom of three
Mariah has three children: sons DJ and Cash and daughter Mya.
While Mariah’s Instagram account is private, Natalie’s is public, and she often shares sweet photos and anecdotes about her grandchildren’s adventures.
Both born in November, DJ and Cash have birthdays just days apart. Mya was born on March 13, 2022. The trio is frequently spotted hanging out with their aunts and uncles on social media.
Mia was inspired to become a nurse just like her mom
Mia is following in her mother’s footsteps. In May 2024, she graduated from MiraCosta College’s nursing program. Natalie celebrated her daughter’s big milestone on Instagram with a sappy tribute.
“We have another nurse in the family and we couldn’t be any prouder. We love you Mia Tortilla,” she captioned a photo carousel with snaps from Maria’s graduation ceremony.
Mia currently lives in San Diego with her boyfriend.
Jenna says being the middle child in her family has its perks
Contrary to popular belief, being the middle child in a big family has major advantages, according to the You star.
“There are a lot of misconceptions on being the middle child, it’s actually pretty cool. Your younger and older brothers and sisters feel that they can confide in you,” Jenna said in a Mama’s Mission blog interview. “If someone is going to miss an event, it’s usually the middle child, which causes the parents to feel guilty and try to make it up in other ways.”
She added, “Middle children get away with more stuff in general.”
They bond over playing soccer
In an interview with The Cut, Jenna revealed signing as an Adidas global ambassador was just as big of a deal to her family as it was to her.
“It’s really, really exciting for me and my family as well. We were a really big soccer family, and we would have our little competitions on the weekend. And we always wore Adidas to practices,” she shared.
Source: People
