Chandra Wilson's 3 Children: All About Sarina, Joylin and Michael

Mar. 15, 2025

Left: Chandra Wilson and her daughter pose with her nominee certificate at the 38th NAACP Image Awards nominees luncheon on February 10, 2007. Right: Chandra Wilson and her kids Michael and Sarina at the ‘Monsters University’ film premiere on June 17, 2013.Photo:Stephen Shugerman/Getty ; Jim Smeal/BEI/Shutterstock

Stephen Shugerman/Getty ; Jim Smeal/BEI/Shutterstock

Chandra Wilsonhas learned the ultimate balance between work and parenting her children: Sarina, Joylin and Michael.

TheGrey’s Anatomystar shares her three kids with her partner of over three decades. Though Wilson hasn’t revealed much about the father of her children, she toldParadein 2007, “He and I have a 19-year relationship. We go back and forth, but it works for us.”

Almost 20 years after Wilson first gained fame on theShonda Rhimesmedical drama, she opened up about revisiting the show with one of her kids.

“I did go back with my daughter to start watchingGrey’s," she said onLive with Kelly and Ryanin 2021, noting that her child can watch episodes back-to-back. “I’m slow … I can’t do that. One a day is my thing.”

Due to her packed schedule as an actress, Wilson has had to find a balance between her work and personal life.

She opened up on KTLA’s podcastDiva Defined With Sheryl Lee Ralphin 2019 about how she handles having a career while raising her children, chalking up her success to a shared family calendar.

“Everybody is responsible for putting what your schedule is on that calendar, so that we all can collectively see ‘Okay, so and so’s got this, so and so’s got this’ and then we negotiate our day according to that calendar,” she explained.

From their childhoods to their hobbies, here’s everything to know about Chandra Wilson’s children: Sarina, Joylin and Michael.

Sarina McFarlane, 31

Chandra Wilson and daughter Sarina attend the Rock-N-Roll Marathon pre-race benefit dinner on February 18, 2012.Tibrina Hobson/WireImage

Tibrina Hobson/WireImage

Wilson welcomed her first child, daughter Sarina, on Aug. 2, 1993.

Sarina chose a creative path for her career, though one slightly different from her mom’s. She graduated from California State University, Northridge in June 2021, sharing onInstagramthat her degree took nine years to complete because she changed her major. Sarina began studying English and creative writing before ultimately pursuing cinema television arts screenwriting.

Wilson told PEOPLE in 2017, “She would get these terrible bouts of vomiting and stabbing abdominal pains. I thought, ‘This was crazy.’Something was wrong with my daughter, and nobody could tell me what it was.”

After nearly a year of Sarina feeling “scared, frustrated and depressed,” she was diagnosed withmitochondrial dysfunction and cyclic vomiting syndrome(CVS).

Chandra Wilson and daughter Sarina arrive at the Creative Arts Awards on August 19, 2006 in Los Angeles, California.Frazer Harrison/Getty

Frazer Harrison/Getty

When Sarina was younger, Wilson took charge of getting answers about her daughter’s illness.

“I’m the one at the hospital. Dad takes over with making sure that folks get to school," Wilson toldParade. “So we are a family that’s used to saying ‘Oh, okay, so now we’re doing this’ and just to stay open to the flexibility of it all.”

She added, “But bottom line is you make a decision, ‘Are we family, are we not?’ So if we are then let’s get on board and do what we need to do.”

Sarina has continued to be candid about her health struggles. In September 2023, she opened up onsocial mediaabout her experience with appendicitis.

Amid her recovery from appendix removal surgery, Sarina made a tribute to her mom, writing, “But the person I have to thank in this post who does so much but i feel I’ll never be ever to make it up to her, is my mother. 16 years with this illness and she’s been my rock, my advocate, my mother, my unintentional punching bag, my world, my life.”

Wilson’s eldest child also documents her creative pursuits on social media, including her artwork andwriting. Sarina also has an Instagram accountdedicated to her comics.

Joylin McFarlane-Fairman, 23

Chandra Wilson and daughter Joylin pose for a portrait during the 41st NAACP Image awards on February 26, 2010 in Los Angeles, California.Charley Gallay/Getty

Charley Gallay/Getty

Wilson gave birth to her second child, Joylin, in late 1998.

Joylin graduated from the University of La Verne in 2020 with a degree in biology, computational biology and statistical data, according to herLinkedIn.

She went on to study at American University, where she received a master’s degree in business analytics and statistical analysis in 2021. Joylin’s been working as a business research analyst since October of that year.

Joylin even designedred carpet nails for her mom’sappearance at the 2024People’s Choice Awards.

As for her personal life, Joylingot married in December 2023in Anaheim, California, to her husband, Grant Fairman. Theyboth graduatedfrom John Burroughs High School in Burbank, California, in May 2016.

Michael McFarlane, 19

Chandra Wilson and her son Michael at the ‘Monsters University’ film premiere on June 17, 2013.Kazuki Hirata/HNW-Photo/Plux/Shutterstock

Kazuki Hirata/HNW-Photo/Plux/Shutterstock

Wilson welcomed her third child, son Michael, on Oct. 30, 2005.

Years later, Wilson recalled a story about her son during a June 2023 episode ofThe Jennifer Hudson Show, telling theAmerican Idolalum about Michael getting his learner’s permit on his first try.

Wilson also opened up about what she hopes for him as he continues growing.

“He’s just as precious as he could be,” she continued. “You want, at the end of the day, to know that your kids are crazy about their mom or crazy about their parents. I feel like that’s what we are … but I’m just interested in whoever it is that they want to be.”

Michaelgraduated from Providence High Schoolin Burbank, California, in May 2023. Three months later, he left home andstarted attending college.

source: people.com