Discover Why ’70s Star Pam Grier Chose a Life Without Marriage or Children Despite High-Profile Romances

Pam Grier, known for her iconic roles in Hollywood, had high-profile relationships with notable figures like NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, comedian Richard Pryor, and actor Freddie Prinze. Despite these connections, Grier never married or had children, a personal choice she reflects on with acceptance, believing her path unfolded as it was meant to.

Grier’s romantic history features a few close brushes with matrimony. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Abdul-Jabbar expressed his desire to wed her multiple times. However, his proposal included not only a commitment to him but also to his newfound faith, Islam. Grier, in her memoir “Foxy: My Life in Three Acts,” described Abdul-Jabbar’s devotion, stating that he and his religion were inseparable. The couple’s differing beliefs led to a tumultuous relationship, ultimately culminating in Abdul-Jabbar giving Grier an ultimatum: convert and marry him, or he would wed someone else that day. He followed through, leaving Grier heartbroken. She noted in her memoir that while she sensed the end was near, the breakup was still devastating, prompting her to avoid magazines like Jet and Ebony that frequently featured her former partner.

Another engagement surfaced in the late 1990s with music executive Kevin Evans. Grier shared her excitement about potentially becoming a mother in a 1998 Jet interview, and Evans highlighted her bond with his children from a previous marriage. Despite the engagement, Grier and Evans did not marry. In “Foxy,” she recounted that Evans (referred to as “Caleb” in her memoir) became increasingly fixated on fame and wealth following her career revival.

Grier also recounted her relationship with Freddie Prinze, who expressed a desire for children. However, she had reservations. Both were experiencing career success, and Grier recognized that having children would require one of them to pause their professional pursuits. Additionally, she was worried about Prinze’s struggles with substance abuse and mental health issues. In her memoir, she questioned the wisdom of bringing a child into such instability, concluding it wouldn’t be fair to the child or herself. Tragically, Prinze, a prominent 1970s figure, succumbed to an apparent suicide less than a year after welcoming his son, Freddie Prinze Jr., with wife Kathy Prinze in 1976.

In addition to her relationships that nearly led to marriage and babies, Pam Grier has also spoken about Freddie Prinze wanting to have children with her. However, she wrote in “Foxy” that she had a few reservations. For one, she explained, both of their careers were hugely successful, and she knew that if they did have kids, one of them would have to put theirs on the back burner. However, she was also concerned about Prinze’s drug use and mental health. “How could I bring a child into the world with a parent as unstable as Freddie? I couldn’t do it to a child and I couldn’t do it to myself,” she wrote. As many know, Prinze was one of many 1970s stars who met a tragic fate, and though he did welcome his son, Freddie Prinze Jr., with his wife Kathy Prinze in 1976, he died by an apparent suicide just under a year later. 

Ultimately, Grier never did welcome children of her own, and she admitted in “Foxy” that she had mixed feelings about that. “I thought that by now I would have a husband, some wonderful children, and an Ivy League education. These were my dreams, but the fact that they did not come true does not discourage me,” she wrote. She added, “To be perfectly honest, some days I feel like I missed out on having children and creating my own nuclear family. On other days, I’m so overwhelmed with writing, acting and caring for my home and my animals, I wonder how I would ever manage having children.”

As for marriage, she mused in a 2024 appearance on “CBS Sunday Morning” that it not happening was likely for the best. “Maybe my husband, partner, mate, was filmmaking,” she smiled.

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