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

'Grey's Anatomy' star Chandra Wilson's kids share her creative nature

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

The Grey’s Anatomy star shares her three kids with her partner of over three decades. Though Wilson hasn't revealed much about the father of her children, she told Parade in 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 the Shonda Rhimes medical drama, she opened up about revisiting the show with one of her kids.

“I did go back with my daughter to start watching Grey’s," she said on Live with Kelly and Ryan in 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.”

Related: Everything to Know About Grey’s Anatomy Season 20

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 podcast Diva Defined With Sheryl Lee Ralph in 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, 30

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 on Instagram that 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.

Her degree was also delayed by her health struggles. When Sarina was 16, she thought she was suffering from food poisoning after going out with her friends but the symptoms didn't subside.

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 with mitochondrial dysfunction and cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS).

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 told Parade. "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 on social media about 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 and writing. Sarina also has an Instagram account dedicated to her comics.

Joylin McFarlane-Fairman, 23

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 her LinkedIn.

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.

In addition to her career, Joylin has her own creative passion — nail art. She’s created custom designs for her older sister and shows off her nail creations on an Instagram page dedicated to her hobby.

Joylin even designed red carpet nails for her mom's appearance at the 2024 People's Choice Awards.

As for her personal life, Joylin got married in December 2023 in Anaheim, California, to her husband, Grant Fairman. They both graduated from John Burroughs High School in Burbank, California, in May 2016.

Michael McFarlane, 18

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

The Emmy nominee's pregnancy with her youngest child was written into the second season of Grey's Anatomy. Two years after adjusting to life with three kids, Wilson told TV with MeeVee that she was “making it work.”

“This is a night where I know I’m going to be gone all day tomorrow, so if I’m not going to see [my son] ... I said: ‘Okay. You guys get to ride with me today,’ “ she explained. “So, just like Dr. Bailey sometimes rolls up with the baby, you just make it work.”

Years later, Wilson recalled a story about her son during a June 2023 episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show, telling the American Idol alum 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.”

Michael graduated from Providence High School in Burbank, California, in May 2023. Three months later, he left home and started attending college.

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