Kyla Pratt From The Dr. Dolittle Movies Grew Up To Be Gorgeous

If you've watched classic kids movies from the late '90s and early 2000s, then you're most likely familiar with the "Dr. Dolittle" franchise. It was a huge hit for young fans, with Eddie Murphy playing the titular character in that particular adaptation of the book. Yet, while Murphy starred in the first two movies, it was the child actor who played his daughter, Kyla Pratt, who appeared in the majority of the films. "I actually got to do five," Pratt told Showbiz CheatSheet, adding, "We had so much fun shooting those."

"Dr. Dolittle" was certainly Pratt's breakthrough role, but she had already been working for years. Pratt's mother had been an actor, but her grandmother was the one who got Pratt her first gig after showing her photo on an airplane. "At my first modeling show, I met agents and managers ... and I just fell in love with everything about it," Pratt recalled on Fox Soul.

Pratt went on to star in the family sitcom "One on One" and the Disney cartoon "The Proud Family." Because of that, she's probably best known for having been a child star, despite continuing to work in Hollywood as an adult. She even told L'Officiel, "I have been working basically my entire life. And my love for acting grows more and more as the years pass." Pratt clearly grew up to be gorgeous and has kept busy over the years as well. So let's break down what she's been up to.

It's safe to say that Kyla Pratt is turning heads these days, but her heart has belonged to one man for a long time. That's Danny "KP" Kilpatrick, who happens to be the star of the tattoo shop focused reality show, "Black Ink: Compton." The two have been dating since 2005 after meeting through Kilpatrick's cousin. "It's crazy because when I seen her, she looked familiar, and I was like, 'That's that little actress,"' he recalled to VH1. Kilpatrick then had to get used to Pratt's fame, which included posing on red carpets together.

The couple eventually got engaged in 2011, but as of 2023, they still haven't tied the knot. Pratt, however, doesn't seem to be in a rush because, as she said on VLAD TV,  they'll get married when they're ready. She explained, "I feel like there's a lot of pressure ... as far as getting married ... Why not work on your relationship before jumping into all that pressure?"

Another pressure Pratt seemingly feels comes from sharing their relationship on Kilpatrick's reality show because as an actor, she's always been very private. She even said on "Jemele Hill Is Unbothered" that she was "extremely concerned" about this. She added, "It was a weird experience ... I don't believe that every moment of my life is meant for the world." Pratt apparently means it because she and Kilpatrick rarely post about each other on social media too.

It may be hard for some fans to wrap their heads around the fact that Kyla Pratt not only grew up, but is also a mom now too! The former "One on One" star and her fiancé, Danny Kilpatrick, welcomed their first child together, Lyric, back in 2010, when Pratt was 24 years old. "I'm always greeted by this little mini-me ... and it's the best feeling in the world," Pratt gushed to Houston Style Magazine, adding, "I want more kids. I always wanted to be a mom."

Pratt and Kilpatrick did just that: In 2013, the couple had their second daughter, Liyah. They are also raising Kilpatrick's son from a previous relationship, Danny Kilpatrick Jr., whom Pratt calls her "bonus baby." When asked about juggling being a mother with her acting career on MadameNoire's "Moms on the Move" show, Pratt said, "I've always said that as a woman, I can have everything." She continued, "I can be a mom. I can work. So when you have those days when you're tired, it's like, 'remember.'"

Pratt has also said that she sees her children following in her showbiz footsteps. "They're characters. Their parents are both artists in every single way, so there's no way around it," she said on Pix11 News. While she added that she was hesitant about that at first, she'll always support their dreams as long as they're enjoying themselves and having fun.

Kyla Pratt obviously didn't just become a full blown adult overnight. Yet, many fans might not realize that the former Disney star had grown up on TV right before our very eyes, considering that she never stopped working. She even admitted on "Jemele Hill Is Unbothered" that she feels "triggered" by people who don't, saying, "The worst thing was always, 'Oh my gosh ... you used to be an actress ... What are you doing now?' and I'm like, 'I just did a TV show, y'all didn't see it?'"

Pratt has actually worked on many TV shows in her adult life, such as BET's "Let's Stay Together," which she starred on from 2012 to 2014. However, she admitted to Vibe that she got that gig through connections she made as a child star. She explained, "Some of the writers ... used to work on 'One on One' with me. One of them hit me up on Facebook and asked me if I would be interested."

While Pratt continued to make other TV appearances after that, her next major role was on Freeform's 2016 show "Recovery Road," where she showed off her acting chops by playing an addict. She later starred in several Lifetime Christmas movies, such as "No Time Like Christmas." You can probably expect to see her in more of those too. As she told MediaVillage, "I've gotten so much love and respect from Lifetime, that I'll do Christmas and beyond."

Kyla Pratt has come a long way from her Disney days, but in 2022, she returned to her roots by voicing one of the characters that made her famous. That's right: We're talking about Penny Proud from "The Proud Family" because Pratt returned for the Disney+ reboot of the show, "The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder." "Not a lot of artists get to revisit a character they played 20 years before, so I feel blessed to be able to do so," Pratt told L'Officiel.

Naturally, it's different for Pratt to portray a teen now that she's a mother in her 30s, and not the 14-year-old she was when she first voiced Penny. Yet, as she told Wondermind, "To see things from a different perspective this time around has been interesting, and I'm thoroughly enjoying it." What makes this even better is that Pratt's children are fans of the show too. She said that they've not only rewatched it multiple times, but that they're also super excited when new episodes air.

It's not just Pratt's kids, though, because the reboot seems to have gotten a great response. As Pratt explained to Elle Canada, "There's so many people who enjoyed the show the first time around who were excited about us coming back — and there were so many new fans of the show." Pratt is also proud that the cartoon has continued to stay committed to representation and remained relevant with the changing times.

These days, Kyla Pratt seems to be focusing on comedy. From 2021 to 2023, she starred alongside Mayim Bialik on the Fox sitcom "Call Me Kat." Pratt admitted to L'Officiel that she didn't feel that the show found its footing until Season 3 because it premiered during the COVID-19 pandemic. "[I]t wasn't very easy to create a show or develop characters with all that was going on in the world. But now I feel like we are finally getting on track with who we are," she said.

Unfortunately, "Call Me Kat" was canceled after that season. That had to be a bummer for Pratt, especially because she had raved about working with her co-stars. As she said on "The Jennifer Hudson Show," "We have an amazing, amazing cast ... I'm always very fortunate to work with great people." She reiterated that to Essence too,  how comfortable Bialik had made her on set, especially when it came to who she worked with for hair and makeup.

Pratt didn't stop showing off her comedic skills after she stopped filming for "Call Me Kat" though, considering that in 2023, she also appeared in two episodes of HBO's "A Black Lady Sketch Show." She promoted her appearance on Instagram and made clear how excited she was to guest star, writing, "When you get a chance to act a damn fool with talented & equally crazy people, you take it."

Kyla Pratt might have continued to thrive professionally in adulthood, yet her personal life took a hit in 2022 after she lost someone very close to her. That person was late actor Leslie Jordan, with whom Pratt had been working on the sitcom "Call Me Kat" when he died in a car crash that October. Pratt later told Elle Canada, "It's been extremely difficult, especially because we are all so close. Leslie didn't have family on the West Coast, so we felt like his family."

To make matters worse, the show's star, Mayim Bialik, revealed on "The Jennifer Hudson Show" that the cast had learned of Jordan's death while waiting for him on set. While they were able to later honor him in an episode, Pratt told KTLA that she had a difficult time coping with his death. "[T]o go from seeing someone every single day, who lights you up, to realizing you're not going to see them in person anymore was frustrating, to say the least," she said.

Pratt even told E! News that she dealt with Jordan's death by just pretending he was away for the week. Yet she said she knew that deep down, he'd want her to stay strong. "In my mind, I can hear him saying, 'B****, you better get it together,'" she said. Pratt eventually changed her focus to feeling lucky enough to have met Jordan and to helping keep his legacy alive.

Kyla Pratt received another unfortunate blow in late 2022 when the talent management company that represented her sued her. According to the Daily Mail, Industry Entertainment Partners claimed that the "Back to the Goode Life" star didn't pay them commissions for money she earned on TV shows they helped her get. It seems that was specifically the Fox sitcom "Call Me Kat," which Pratt had been starring on at the time. The lawsuit had alleged "breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and negligent misrepresentation" on Pratt's part.

Pratt's publicist, Heather Besignano, denied that she did anything wrong. As she told the Daily Beast, "We have just become aware of this frivolous lawsuit and will strongly defend against the allegations in the complaint if or when it is filed." Radar reports that Pratt even went on to file her own lawsuit against Industry Entertainment Partners. She claimed that they weren't a licensed agency in California and that she had actually fired them after Season 1 of "Call Me Kat." Pratt wasn't only not going to pay them, but she also wanted them to give her money back too.

While the lawsuit was clearly a setback for Pratt, she was apparently able to handle it and fight back. As she explained to PopSugar, "I don't have to people-please. I don't need to be liked by everyone."

Kyla Pratt was inspired to use her fame to spread awareness about emotional wellness after struggling with her own following the birth of her second daughter. She told Health she didn't realize what was wrong at first and didn't know how to address it. "I feel like everyone is working through something they don't talk about ... We can normalize it, and it becomes something we can bond over," she said.

Pratt has focused on supporting mental health for children and teens because she feels social media has made life harder for them. This is of course a priority with her own children as well. She told Wondermind that they have conversations about self-acceptance and even use topics that "The Proud Family" has covered as examples. 

She also told Elle Canada that she keeps her own mental health in check by saying no to anything that doesn't serve her, making sure she does some sort of physical activity every day, and surrounding herself with positive vibes. "I'm just making sure that I'm trying to grow into a better me every day," she said.

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

Kyla Pratt is stunning, which is why it's probably surprising that when it comes to her fashion and beauty, she's actually very low key. When asked to describe her style to Vibe, the "Let's Stay Together" star even said, "I'm comfortable and cute. I'm very laid back." That's also perhaps why she told Square Mile that her favorite thing to wear is "workout pants," and that you can always find her in sweats when she's not on set. She added that she loves rocking a "Dad hat" too, mainly so she doesn't have to style her hair.

Yet, Pratt has been criticized for her chill take on fashion. In 2023, she was blasted on Twitter for dressing too casually to the "Little Mermaid" premiere. According to BuzzFeed, one person said she looked like she was "running errands," while another commented on her wrinkly shirt. Some of her fans came to her defense though.

Pratt's beauty routine is just as low maintenance. As she told Who What Wear, she rarely wears makeup aside from a bit of mascara. "I'm not a really big 'makeup all the time' person. I'm one of those people that loves to wash their face, and ... be moisturized, and that's how I feel the most comfortable," she said. She went on to add that her skin care routine is just as simple, and that it usually shocks her fans that she barely does anything to keep her gorgeous glow.

Although Kyla Pratt grew up to be a Hollywood beauty, the "Hotel for Dogs" actor doesn't just want to work onscreen. She also has aspirations to work behind the scenes. As she told Pix11 News in 2023, "I'm writing ... directing, producing ... Mama has to spread her wings and do as much as she can as long as she wants to." Pratt even apparently told Square Mile that trying her hand at different aspects of show business is the thing she's most proud of professionally. When asked about her greatest career accomplishment, she answered, "I would say allowing myself to grow and learn behind the scenes and not letting doubt take over."

Pratt did clarify that she still wants to continue acting, but that her fans can expect to see a whole different side of her as she gets older. She told Elle Canada, "Being a part of projects where you might not necessarily see my face, but my name and work will be there." They may also see her name on projects outside of Hollywood, given she has also said she wants to write a children's book series.

Unlike many former child stars, it appears that Pratt has really come into her own as an adult and continued to find success. She's not only become a beautiful woman, but has also proved that she has the talent and drive to last in the entertainment industry for years to come.