LL Cool J is basically the blueprint for the modern hip-hop mogul. He’s got the Grammys, the Kennedy Center Honors, and a permanent spot on your TV screen every week. But if you look past the "Mama Said Knock You Out" bravado and the smooth NCIS charm, there’s a heavy, complicated story about the man who gave him his name. People ask who is LL Cool J's father because they want to know where that drive comes from. The answer isn't a happy Hollywood script. It’s a story about a man named James Nunya, a family tragedy that almost ended in a double homicide, and a path toward forgiveness that honestly seems impossible for most people to wrap their heads around.
James Nunya wasn't just some absent figure. He was a central, chaotic force in James Todd Smith’s—that’s LL’s real name—early life.
The Night Everything Changed in St. Albans
Growing up in Queens during the late 60s and early 70s should have been standard. But when LL was only four years old, his world shattered. James Nunya and LL’s mother, Ondrea Griffith, were having serious marital problems. It wasn't just "not getting along." It was volatile. One night in 1972, things hit a breaking point. James Nunya picked up a weapon and shot both Ondrea and her father—LL’s grandfather.
Think about that for a second.
A toddler is in the house, and his father shoots his mother and grandfather. It’s the kind of trauma that usually breaks a person permanently. Ondrea was hit in the back; her father was hit too. Miraculously, they both survived, but the family unit was incinerated in an instant. James Nunya fled to California shortly after. He didn't just leave; he vanished from the daily reality of his son’s life, leaving a young Todd Smith to be raised by his grandparents and a mother who was physically and emotionally recovering from an unthinkable act of violence.
Why the Name James Nunya Matters
You’ve probably noticed that LL Cool J doesn't go by "James Nunya Jr." or anything like that. He’s James Todd Smith. The name Nunya itself is somewhat rare, and for years, LL didn't speak much about him. When he finally did, specifically in his autobiography I Make My Own Rules and later in a deeply emotional Finding Your Roots episode with Henry Louis Gates Jr., the layers started peeling back.
He found out his family tree wasn't even what he thought it was.
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Through DNA testing on the show, LL discovered that James Nunya wasn't actually the biological son of the people he claimed were his parents. It turns out James had been adopted. This revelation added another strange layer to the "who is LL Cool J's father" mystery. It meant that LL’s entire paternal lineage was a question mark until he was well into his 50s. He learned his biological paternal grandparents were actually Ethel Mae Carter and Nathaniel Mitchell.
This kind of news can wreck a person's sense of identity. But for LL, it seemed to provide a weird sort of clarity about the cycle of chaos he grew up in.
The Complicated Road to Forgiveness
Now, here is where it gets really "kinda" wild. Most people would have never spoken to James Nunya again. If a man shoots your mother, you’re usually done with him. Period. But LL Cool J chose a different path. Later in life, he actually reconciled with his father.
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Why?
LL has talked about this in interviews, explaining that he didn't want to carry the baggage of hate. He realized that his father was a "confused, hurt man" who made horrific mistakes. In the 1980s, as LL was becoming a superstar, James Nunya re-entered the picture. He didn't come back as a villain; he came back seeking a relationship. Surprisingly, Ondrea—the woman he actually shot—was one of the people who encouraged LL to forgive him.
James Nunya actually ended up working for his son. He helped manage some of LL's early tours and was involved in his business affairs for a time. It’s a level of grace that’s honestly hard to fathom. They spent years building a relationship out of the ashes of that 1972 shooting. James Nunya eventually passed away in 2012, but by the time he died, the rift had been healed.
Breaking the Cycle of the "Fatherless Child" Narrative
The reason this matters for anyone researching LL’s history is that it flips the script on the typical celebrity tragedy. Usually, these stories end in estrangement or a tell-all book fueled by bitterness.
Instead, LL used the void left by his father’s early absence and later chaos to fuel his own fatherhood. He’s been married to Simone Smith since 1995. They have four kids. He’s famously present. It’s almost like he looked at the blueprint James Nunya provided in those early years and decided to build the exact opposite structure.
What We Can Learn From the James Nunya Story
When you look into the life of James Nunya, you aren't just looking at a trivia answer about a celebrity’s dad. You’re looking at a case study in generational trauma and the choice to end it.
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- Trauma isn't destiny. Being the son of a man who committed a violent crime didn't stop LL from becoming a global icon of "cool" and stability.
- Forgiveness is for the forgiver. LL didn't forgive James because what James did was okay. He did it so he wouldn't have to be "the guy whose dad shot his mom" for the rest of his life.
- DNA isn't everything. The Finding Your Roots discovery proved that LL’s biological heritage was hidden even from him, yet his character was built by the grandparents who stepped in when James Nunya left.
If you’re looking to dive deeper into this, the best move is to watch the Season 3 premiere of Finding Your Roots. Seeing LL’s face when he realizes his father’s entire identity was based on a secret adoption is incredibly moving. It puts the whole "who is LL Cool J's father" question into a much larger, more human perspective. It reminds us that even the people we think we know—the ones on our posters and TV screens—are often carrying stories that are much heavier than the music they make.
To really understand the man, you have to understand the grace he showed to the man who nearly destroyed his family. James Nunya was a flawed, violent, and eventually repentant figure. LL Cool J is the result of surviving that, and somehow, coming out the other side without the weight of a grudge holding him back.
Actionable Insights for Understanding Family History
If you are exploring your own complex family history or looking into the lives of public figures like James Nunya, keep these points in mind:
- Check Primary Source Memoirs: For the most accurate account of the shooting and the reconciliation, read LL Cool J’s 1998 autobiography. It’s raw and lacks the PR polish of modern celebrity bios.
- Genetic Genealogy is a Game Changer: Just as LL found out his paternal line was different than the Nunya name suggested, DNA testing can bypass family secrets or "don't ask, don't tell" adoption histories.
- Separate the Art from the Origin: You can appreciate the music of LL Cool J while acknowledging the dark environment it was born from. Often, the intensity of "Radio" or "B.A.D." makes more sense when you realize the performer was navigating a home life that was literally a matter of life and death.