Founded in 1863, the Seventh Day Adventist denomination —which practices church service on Saturday— has over 81,000 churches worldwide. Known for their vegetarianism, dress policies and international reach, the religion is considered one of the more strict sects of Christianity. Unbeknownst to some, there are many celebrities who were raised in the SDA church— see who below.
01
DeVon Franklin
Award-winning producer and best-selling author DeVon Franklin doesn’t just talk the faith talk, he’s been walking it since his childhood. The renowned preacher revealed to Oprah during a one-on-one sit down in 2012 that he was raised Seventh-day Adventist and still holds Sabbath Saturday as sacred even while working in Hollywood.
02
Brian McKnight – Naked
R&B veteran Brian McKnight is another celebrity who was raised Seventh-day Adventist. The Grammy-nominated crooner attended Oakwood University — a Seventh-day Adventist college in Alabama.
03
Ben Carson
Controversial politician Ben Carson has been very vocal about his Seventh-day Adventist religion over the years and was even baptized twice.
04
Pantone honors Prince with his own punchy shade of purple
Though Prince was known as a Jehovah’s Witness before his death in 2016, the famed musician was raised Seventh-day Adventist.
05
Ebook of Malcolm X’s Autobiography Coming Soon
While Malcolm X was a member of the Nation of Islam for many years of his life, his mother was a Seventh-day Adventist and raised him in the church for a portion of his childhood.
06
Magic Johnson
Famed basketball star Earvin “Magic” Johnson is noted saying that during his childhood, his mother converted to Adventism. While he, his siblings, and his father did the same for a short time, he, his brothers, and his father went back to Baptism.
07
Busta Rhymes
Though now known as a devout Muslim, rapper Busta Rhymes was born to Seventh-day Adventist parents.
08
Happy Birthday Judge Greg Mathis
Greg Mathis may be known for being a hard-hitting judge on TV, but did you know he is also a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church? His mother was a devoted Adventist and raised him in the church, too.
09
Kim Fields
Actress Kim Fields may be a born-again Christian, but during her youth, she attended Seventh-day Adventist churches with her mother.
10
Joyce Bryant
While she was raised under a devout SDA mother, singer and actress Joyce Bryant became known as a sex symbol. During the height of her career though, she began to feel uneasy about her image and left the industry to devote herself back to Adventism.
11
Phife Dawg
Born Malik Taylor, the A Tribe Called Quest member was raised in a Seventh-day Adventist household in Brooklyn. But on weekends he’d sneak in episodes of Soul Train for his early musical education, as noted by Rolling Stone.
12
Daniel Caesar
As reported by Fader, Daniel Caesar was raised Seventh Day Adventist and attended a private Christian high school on the campus of his church. His is one of the handful of Black families that live in this clustered, mainly White community, which includes a religious bookstore, a ladder factory, a greenhouse, and multiple schools.
