# Tina Yothers
**Tina Yothers** (born Kristina Louise Yothers in 1973) is an American actress and singer best known for playing Jennifer Keaton, the youngest daughter of the Keaton family, on the NBC sitcom *Family Ties* from 1982 to 1989. She began performing in television commercials at age three, appeared in the feature film *Shoot the Moon* (1982), and later worked in television movies, rock music, and stage and reality television.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Kristina Louise Yothers; nickname "Bear"[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001869/bio/) |
| Born | 1973, Whittier, California; daughter of TV and film producer Robert Yothers[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001869/bio/) |
| Signature role | Jennifer Keaton on *Family Ties* (NBC, 1982–89), 172 episodes[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083413/fullcredits) |
| Early work | Commercials from age 3 for McDonald's, Bell Telephone, and Doritos; film debut as Molly Dunlap in *Shoot the Moon* (1982)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001869/bio/) • [3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/tina-yothers/bio/3000188945/) |
| Award | Young Artist Award, Best Young Supporting Actress in a Television Comedy Series, 1985, for *Family Ties*; three other nominations[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/tina-yothers/bio/3000188945/) |
| Music | Lead vocalist of the band Jaded, formed with her brother Cory; released one album[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tina-yothers/) |
| Later work | Title role in *Lovelace the Musical* (2004); *Celebrity Fit Club* season 4 (2006); *Celebrity Wife Swap* (2012)[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tina-yothers/) |
| Family | Married electrical contractor Robert Kaiser in August 2002; two children, Lillian Grace (2005) and Robert Jake (2007)[5](https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-10182-150349/tina-yothers-in-biographical-summaries-of-notable-people) |
## Early life and start in television
Yothers was born into a television family in [Whittier, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/whittier-california). Her father, Robert Yothers, was a TV and film producer, and her three older brothers, Jeff, Randy, and Cory, had all acted in commercials before she followed them into the business at age three[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001869/bio/). Her early spots included [McDonald's](https://www.edgepedia.org/mcdonalds), Bell Telephone, and Doritos[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001869/bio/).
Her screen acting debut came on the anthology series *Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color* in 1981, and her first television film role was in *The Cherokee Trail* that same year[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/tina-yothers/bio/3000188945/) • [6](https://news.amomama.com/192306-inside-life-career-tina-yothers-family-t.html). In 1982 she won the part of Molly Dunlap in the feature film *Shoot the Moon*, appearing alongside [Diane Keaton](https://www.edgepedia.org/diane-keaton) and [Albert Finney](https://www.edgepedia.org/albert-finney)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001869/bio/). Shortly after the film, she was cast as Jennifer Keaton on *Family Ties*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001869/bio/).
## Family Ties
*Family Ties*, created by Gary David Goldberg, ran on NBC for seven seasons, from 1982 to 1989, and centered on former hippie parents Steven ([Michael Gross](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-gross)) and Elyse ([Meredith Baxter](https://www.edgepedia.org/meredith-baxter)) Keaton raising their children, including their politically conservative son Alex ([Michael J. Fox](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-j-fox))[7](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/gary-david-goldberg). Yothers, cast at age nine, played Jennifer, the youngest of the three Keaton children and the petulant, know-it-all younger sister of Alex and Mallory (Justine Bateman)[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tina-yothers/). She appeared in all 172 episodes of the series[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083413/fullcredits).
The role made her a star, and she grew up on the show, entering as a nine-year-old and leaving as a young woman when the series ended in 1989[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tina-yothers/). In 1985 she won a Young Artist Award for Best Young Supporting Actress in a Television Comedy Series for the role, and she received three further Young Artist nominations in 1983, 1984, and 1989[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/tina-yothers/bio/3000188945/). During the 1987 season, producers added a fourth Keaton child, baby Andy ([Brian Bonsall](https://www.edgepedia.org/brian-bonsall)), which unseated Jennifer as the family's youngest sibling[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tina-yothers/).
## Work after the series
After *Family Ties* ended, Yothers found the transition to adult roles difficult, as many former child actors do[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tina-yothers/). She continued to land parts through the early 1990s, starring in the television movies *The Laker Girls* (CBS, 1990) and *Spunk: The Tonya Harding Story* (1993), in which she played the figure skater, and appearing in *Crash Course* (1988) earlier in the run[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tina-yothers/). Her last televised acting role was in *A Perry Mason Mystery: The Case of the Jealous Jokester* (NBC, 1995), followed by a guest appearance on *Married... with Children* in 1996[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tina-yothers/) • [8](https://www.thelist.com/2224605/what-family-ties-star-tina-yothers-has-been-doing-since-leaving-hollywood/).
She also wrote a book, *Being Your Best: Tina Yothers's Guide for Girls*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001869/bio/).
## Music
Yothers described music as her first love, saying on *The CBS News Early Show* in 2000, "As young as I can remember, I wanted to be a singer"[9](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-happened-to-tina-yothers/). She had started a singing career at age 13, and one of her early bands toured with the Latin teen group [Menudo](https://www.edgepedia.org/menudo-group)[8](https://www.thelist.com/2224605/what-family-ties-star-tina-yothers-has-been-doing-since-leaving-hollywood/) • [4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tina-yothers/). Around this time she also dyed her natural blonde hair jet black, a look she kept[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tina-yothers/).
In the mid-1990s she formed the rock band Jaded with her brother Cory on keyboards, with Yothers as lead vocalist[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tina-yothers/). The band released one self-titled album, which [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide) dates to 1998, while a [CBS News](https://www.edgepedia.org/cbs-news) report from 2000 states that the siblings completed their debut CD and video in 1999 and were then seeking a recording contract[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/tina-yothers/bio/3000188945/) • [9](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-happened-to-tina-yothers/).
## Stage and reality television
In 2004, after roughly a decade away from acting, Yothers returned to the spotlight in the title role of *Lovelace the Musical*, a stage show based on the life of the former adult film star [Linda Lovelace](https://www.edgepedia.org/linda-lovelace)[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tina-yothers/). The stage work led to a stint as a stock player at the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theater in [Boca Raton, Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/boca-raton-florida), where she performed from 2005 to 2007[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tina-yothers/).
[Reality television](https://www.edgepedia.org/reality-television) brought her back to a wider audience. She appeared on the fourth season of VH1's *Celebrity Fit Club* in 2006, where she lost 42 pounds, more than 21 percent of her body weight, and then took part in the American debut of ABC's *Celebrity Wife Swap* in 2012, trading places with comedian [Niecy Nash](https://www.edgepedia.org/niecy-nash)[10](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=5287) • [4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tina-yothers/). Other self-appearance credits include *What Not to Wear*, *The Weakest Link*, and *The View*[11](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/tina-yothers/credits/3000188945/).
## Personal life
Yothers married Robert Kaiser, an electrical contractor, in August 2002[5](https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-10182-150349/tina-yothers-in-biographical-summaries-of-notable-people). Their daughter Lillian Grace was born in 2005 and their son Robert Jake in 2007[5](https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-10182-150349/tina-yothers-in-biographical-summaries-of-notable-people). She has remained on friendly terms with her former co-star Michael J. Fox, and the two have occasionally reunited at cast events[12](https://parade.com/news/family-ties-star-tina-yothers-turns-53-and-shes-still-friends-with-michael-j-fox).
## References
1. [Tina Yothers – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001869/bio/)
2. [Family Ties (TV Series 1982–1989) – Full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083413/fullcredits)
3. [Tina Yothers Biography, Celebrity Facts and Awards, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/tina-yothers/bio/3000188945/)
4. [Tina Yothers – Actress, Singer, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tina-yothers/)
5. [Tina Yothers – Biographical Summaries of Notable People, MyHeritage](https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-10182-150349/tina-yothers-in-biographical-summaries-of-notable-people)
6. [Inside the Life and Career of Tina Yothers after 'Family Ties', AmoMama](https://news.amomama.com/192306-inside-life-career-tina-yothers-family-t.html)
7. [Gary David Goldberg – Emmy Awards and Nominations, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/gary-david-goldberg)
8. [What Family Ties Star Tina Yothers Has Been Doing Since Leaving Hollywood, The List](https://www.thelist.com/2224605/what-family-ties-star-tina-yothers-has-been-doing-since-leaving-hollywood/)
9. [What Happened To Tina Yothers?, CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-happened-to-tina-yothers/)
10. [Tina Yothers, TVSA](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=5287)
11. [Tina Yothers Movies & TV Shows List, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/tina-yothers/credits/3000188945/)
12. ['Family Ties' Star Tina Yothers Turns 53, and She's Still Friends With Michael J. Fox, Parade](https://parade.com/news/family-ties-star-tina-yothers-turns-53-and-shes-still-friends-with-michael-j-fox)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames Y to Z*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license