Who Are Robin Thede’s Parents? Here’s What We Know

Sketch shows come a dime a dozen, but never has there been a comedy series written for Black women by Black women … that is until A Black Lady Sketch Show made its debut on the small screen. Starring Skye Townsend, Gabrielle Dennis, and a long list of Black, veteran actresses who make guest appearances on the show, the fourth installment of A Black Lady Sketch Show premieres April 14.

With news of the series’ return, fans are dying to know more about A Black Lady Sketch Show creator Robin Thede. Read on for more on her parents, ethnicity, and more!

Robin’s mom is Black while her dad is German-American, which makes her biracial.

While Robin has made a lane for herself in the entertainment biz, she’s not the only member of her family who’s well-known by the public. Her mom, Phyliss Thede, has been an Iowa State Representative since 2009. But before she got into politics, Phyliss worked in the local school system as an administrator.

Originally from Chicago, Phyliss and her family relocated when her father took a job in Creston, Iowa. Following her high school graduation, she enrolled at Southwestern Community College, where she met her husband, Dave Thede.

Dave, whose family has roots in Germany, worked as a teacher at MidCity High School in Davenport for three decades (per LinkedIn). Although comedy wasn’t the career path they hoped Robin would pursue, Robin said her mom and dad have supported her every step of the way.

To this day, Robin maintains a close-knit relationship with her parents. In 2020, one year after Season 1 of A Black Lady Sketch Show premiered on HBO, Robin took to Twitter to reveal that she had paid off her parents’ mortgage.

“I called my parents this morning and they were trying to figure out some problems they were having with their mortgage account,” Robin wrote. “They thought it might be identity theft. I said, ‘Nah I just paid off your house.’”

She spoke more about the generous gift she gave her parents in a 2021 interview with the hosts of The Real. “For me, it was just the ultimate dream to be able to do that for my parents,” the comedian recalled tearfully. “I’m like crying thinking about it now. But they freaked out and they were just like, ‘What?!’’

“That was just like the ultimate sign that I had like made it, you know? I was like, wow the the fact that I can do that just means everything,” she added.

Along with Robin, Phyliss and Dave also have two other daughters — Acacia and Mackenzie.

Catch Robin on Season 4 of A Black Lady Sketch Show, premiering April 14 on HBO!