# Isaiah Russell-Bailey
**Isaiah Russell-Bailey** (born 2006) is an American actor, model, and dancer best known for playing Shaka McKellan on the Netflix sitcom *Family Reunion*, Rewind in the Netflix superhero film *[We Can Be Heroes](https://www.edgepedia.org/we-can-be-heroes-film)* (2020), and Caleb Channing in his first leading role, the Disney+ science fiction film *Crater* (2023).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9424018/) • [2](https://www.dekmag.com/lounge/2023/5/25/isaiah-russell-bailey)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 2006, Fort Worth, Texas; grew up in Los Angeles[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9424018/) • [3](https://orttu.com/blogs/journal/wearing-orttu-for-editorial-actor-isaiah-russell-bailey) |
| Breakout role | Shaka McKellan, the mischievous middle son in Netflix's *Family Reunion* (2019–2021), 35 episodes[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9424018/) |
| Film roles | Rewind in *We Can Be Heroes* (2020); Caleb Channing in *Crater* (2023); Justin in *Throwback Holiday* (2018)[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/isaiah_russell_bailey) |
| Guest television roles | Young Kevon Winters on *Criminal Minds*, Dee on *S.W.A.T.*, Burton on *Raven's Home* (all 2018); Young Malachi on *Giants* (2 episodes)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9424018/) |
| Physical skills | Trained in parkour and tricking for over nine years; performs his own stunts[2](https://www.dekmag.com/lounge/2023/5/25/isaiah-russell-bailey) |
| Social reach | More than 2 million TikTok followers as of 2023[5](https://www.photobookmagazine.com/features/isaiah-russell-bailey) |
| Family | Mother is actress Brittany Perry-Russell; rapper Chingy (Howard Earl Bailey Jr.) publicly identified him as his son in 2026[6](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/isaiah-russell-bailey.html) • [7](https://24hip-hop.com/chingy-isaiah-russell-bailey-relationship-response/) |
## Early life and start in acting
Russell-Bailey was born in [Fort Worth, Texas](https://www.edgepedia.org/fort-worth-texas), and grew up in Los Angeles, where he took acting lessons while modeling professionally.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9424018/) • [3](https://orttu.com/blogs/journal/wearing-orttu-for-editorial-actor-isaiah-russell-bailey) His mother, Brittany Perry-Russell, has worked as an actress and professional dancer since he was born, and as a child he often accompanied her to sets, where he first learned break-dancing.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9424018/) • [5](https://www.photobookmagazine.com/features/isaiah-russell-bailey) He has described her as the biggest influence on his decision to act and his biggest inspiration.[5](https://www.photobookmagazine.com/features/isaiah-russell-bailey)
His first professional acting role was a guest part on *Criminal Minds* in 2018, playing Young Kevon Winters, a boy visiting his mother, who is dying from an unknown sickness.[5](https://www.photobookmagazine.com/features/isaiah-russell-bailey) The same year he appeared as Dee in one episode of the CBS crime drama *S.W.A.T.*, as Burton in the Disney series *Raven's Home*, and as Young Malachi in two episodes of *Giants*, and he played Justin in the film *Throwback Holiday*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9424018/)
## Family Reunion and We Can Be Heroes
**Netflix roles.** In 2019 Russell-Bailey joined *Family Reunion*, a Netflix comedy starring [Tia Mowry](https://www.edgepedia.org/tia-mowry) and [Loretta Devine](https://www.edgepedia.org/loretta-devine), as Shaka McKellan, one of the children of a family that moves from Seattle to [Columbus, Georgia](https://www.edgepedia.org/columbus-georgia), after the father's NFL career ends.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9424018/) • [8](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/family-reunion/umc.cmc.6tufmlrw2ow26tx05sy6ug9jg) He played the role across 35 episodes through 2021, and reprised Shaka in the 2019 television movie *A Family Reunion Christmas* and the 2020 crossover special *Game On! A Comedy Crossover Event*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9424018/) IMDb's biography notes that the series drew attention for assembling an all-Black writers room, which it describes as generally unheard of for a major studio show.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9424018/)
In December 2020 he played Rewind, a superhero child, in [Robert Rodriguez](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-rodriguez)'s Netflix film *We Can Be Heroes*, which spent more than six weeks as a top 10 movie on the service.[5](https://www.photobookmagazine.com/features/isaiah-russell-bailey) He acted alongside his real-life mother, who played his character's mother Red Lightning Fury, a pairing the two described as the first real-life mother-son superheroes in the film.[9](https://www.justjaredjr.com/2020/12/28/get-to-know-more-about-isaiah-russell-bailey-with-10-fun-facts-exclusive/) On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 76 percent audience score, his highest-rated screen credit on that site.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/isaiah_russell_bailey)
## Crater and later work
**First leading role.** In *Crater*, released on Disney+ on May 12, 2023, Russell-Bailey played Caleb Channing, a recently orphaned boy living in a lunar colony in the year 2257 who takes a road trip across the moon with his friends to explore a mysterious crater in honor of his late father's last wish.[2](https://www.dekmag.com/lounge/2023/5/25/isaiah-russell-bailey) • [10](https://www.bet.com/article/mee62y/isaiah-russell-bailey-tiktok-superstar-disney-crater) He was 17 at the time, and he has called Caleb his favorite role and his first experience carrying a movie.[2](https://www.dekmag.com/lounge/2023/5/25/isaiah-russell-bailey) • [5](https://www.photobookmagazine.com/features/isaiah-russell-bailey) He auditioned by tape during pandemic lockdowns and learned he had booked the part in a call from director Kyle Alvarez, which his mother had framed as a notes session.[2](https://www.dekmag.com/lounge/2023/5/25/isaiah-russell-bailey) Most filming took place at Celtic Studios in [Baton Rouge, Louisiana](https://www.edgepedia.org/baton-rouge-louisiana), with scenes on the fictional planet Omega shot in Iceland; his parkour training helped him handle the harness work used to simulate zero gravity, and the film's Rover was a physical set piece he could act inside.[2](https://www.dekmag.com/lounge/2023/5/25/isaiah-russell-bailey) The cast also included [Mckenna Grace](https://www.edgepedia.org/mckenna-grace), with Scott Mescudi, the rapper known as [Kid Cudi](https://www.edgepedia.org/kid-cudi), playing Caleb's father.[11](https://www.northchannelstar.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/NC-STAR-2023-05-11.pdf) On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 67 percent audience score.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/isaiah_russell_bailey)
His later credits include voicing Rover in one episode of the animated series *Super Wings* (2021), a role as Black in the 2024 short film *Dilemma in the Alley*, and a guest role as Theo Evans in the series *Doc* (2025).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9424018/) • [12](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/198917/isaiah-russell-bailey)
## Skills and ambitions beyond acting
Russell-Bailey has trained in parkour and tricking for more than nine years and says he has done his own stunts on projects including *Family Reunion* and *We Can Be Heroes*.[2](https://www.dekmag.com/lounge/2023/5/25/isaiah-russell-bailey) He has modeled for brands including Nike, Skechers, and Target.[5](https://www.photobookmagazine.com/features/isaiah-russell-bailey)
He has stated goals beyond performing: he wants to play [Miles Morales](https://www.edgepedia.org/miles-morales) in a live-action *Spider-Man*, take on thriller and horror roles, and work as a director, producer, writer, editor, and film scorer.[2](https://www.dekmag.com/lounge/2023/5/25/isaiah-russell-bailey) He founded a production company, IB Entertainment, a play on his initials that he also reads as an assertion of his existence, and was in the early stages of producing his first film as of 2023.[2](https://www.dekmag.com/lounge/2023/5/25/isaiah-russell-bailey)
## Family
In 2026 the rapper Chingy, born Howard Earl Bailey Jr., publicly identified Russell-Bailey as his youngest son during an appearance on *The Jason Lee Show*. Russell-Bailey responded in a statement that there had been "years of absence and neglect" and rejected suggestions that his mother had manipulated his feelings toward his father; Chingy responded that he had contributed more than $200,000 in child support, a figure not independently verified in the reporting, and invited a private conversation.[7](https://24hip-hop.com/chingy-isaiah-russell-bailey-relationship-response/)
## References
1. [Isaiah Russell-Bailey, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9424018/)
2. [The galactic rise of Isaiah Russell-Bailey, DEK Magazine (May 25, 2023)](https://www.dekmag.com/lounge/2023/5/25/isaiah-russell-bailey)
3. [Wearing ORTTU for Editorial: Actor Isaiah Russell-Bailey, ORTTU Journal](https://orttu.com/blogs/journal/wearing-orttu-for-editorial-actor-isaiah-russell-bailey)
4. [Isaiah Russell-Bailey Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/isaiah_russell_bailey)
5. [Isaiah Russell-Bailey, PhotoBook Magazine](https://www.photobookmagazine.com/features/isaiah-russell-bailey)
6. [Isaiah Russell-Bailey - Age, Bio, Family, Famous Birthdays](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/isaiah-russell-bailey.html)
7. [Chingy's Son Isaiah Russell-Bailey Alleges Years of Absence as Rapper Responds, 24Hip-Hop (September 12, 2026)](https://24hip-hop.com/chingy-isaiah-russell-bailey-relationship-response/)
8. [Family Reunion, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/family-reunion/umc.cmc.6tufmlrw2ow26tx05sy6ug9jg)
9. [Get to Know More About Isaiah Russell-Bailey With 10 Fun Facts (Exclusive), Just Jared Jr. (December 28, 2020)](https://www.justjaredjr.com/2020/12/28/get-to-know-more-about-isaiah-russell-bailey-with-10-fun-facts-exclusive/)
10. [One To Watch: Isaiah Russell-Bailey Is An Actor And TikTok Superstar Who Is About To Take Over Hollywood, BET.com (May 8, 2023)](https://www.bet.com/article/mee62y/isaiah-russell-bailey-tiktok-superstar-disney-crater)
11. [North Channel Star, May 11, 2023 edition](https://www.northchannelstar.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/NC-STAR-2023-05-11.pdf)
12. [Isaiah Russell-Bailey, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/198917/isaiah-russell-bailey)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Child and youth screen performers › Child performers born 2001 to 2010 › Performers born 2006 to 2010*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license