Everyone remembers Elizabeth Walton. She was the red-headed youngest child on The Waltons, the one we basically watched grow up in real-time over nine seasons. But while her TV siblings often stayed in the limelight or chased the Hollywood dragon for decades, Kami Cotler took a hard left turn.
She swapped script readings for lesson plans.
And right by her side through most of that transition? Her husband, Kim Howard.
If you go looking for Kim Howard in the tabloids, you’re going to be disappointed. He isn’t an actor. He doesn’t do the red carpet thing unless he’s supporting Kami. Honestly, that’s probably why their marriage has actually lasted. In a world where "celebrity marriages" are measured in months, these two have built a decades-long life away from the cameras.
Who Exactly Is Kim Howard?
It’s kind of funny. People search for kami cotler husband kim howard expecting some dramatic Hollywood backstory. Maybe they think he was a guest star on the show or a high-powered producer.
He wasn't.
Kim Howard is a private citizen, through and through. The couple met long after the original run of The Waltons ended in 1981. While Kami was busy figuring out that she actually preferred the "real world" to the soundstage, she and Kim were building a foundation that had nothing to do with Nielson ratings.
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They’ve been married for ages. They have two kids—a son and a daughter—who are now fully grown adults. Kami is pretty protective of them. She’s mentioned on social media that her kids value their privacy, which makes sense when your mom was one of the most famous children in America for ten years.
The Move That Changed Everything
Here is the part that sounds like a movie script but is actually just their life.
After Kami graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Social Sciences, she didn't head for an audition. She headed for Virginia. Specifically, she moved to Nelson County—the very place where The Waltons creator Earl Hamner Jr. grew up.
She spent about five years teaching there in the 90s. Kim was part of that journey. Imagine being a local in a small Virginia town and finding out that the "real" Elizabeth Walton is teaching your kid's 9th-grade social studies class.
It wasn't a gimmick. She was doing the work.
Eventually, the family moved back to California in 2001. That’s when Kami’s career in education really exploded. She didn't just teach; she helped start schools. We're talking about the Environmental Charter High School in Lawndale and later becoming the founding principal of Environmental Charter Middle School.
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Kim Howard has been the silent partner in all of this. While Kami was navigating the stress of being a school principal and a "Director of Strategic Initiatives," Kim was the steady hand at home.
Why They Stay Out of the Press
You’ve probably noticed that you don't see Kim Howard in "Where Are They Now" segments.
That is intentional.
Kami has been very vocal about the fact that she realized early on that acting wasn't her "forever" job. She told VisionTV years ago that she found auditioning to be a drag. It wasn't as fun as actually working. When she met Kim, she found someone who shared that grounded perspective.
- They live a normal life in Los Angeles.
- They focus on environmental causes.
- They show up for Waltons reunions as a family.
- They don't sell stories to magazines.
Basically, they’ve mastered the art of being "famous-adjacent" without letting it ruin their day-to-day existence.
What Most People Get Wrong About Their Life
There's this weird misconception that child stars who "quit" are somehow failed actors. That's just not the case here. Kami Cotler didn't fail at acting; she succeeded at education.
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When people ask about kami cotler husband kim howard, they often wonder if he "let" her leave Hollywood. What a weird way to look at it, right? If anything, their partnership allowed her to walk away. Having a supportive spouse who isn't obsessed with fame makes it a lot easier to say "no" to a mediocre TV pilot so you can go be a principal at a school in an underserved community.
Actionable Takeaways from the Cotler-Howard Story
If you’re looking at their life and wondering how they made it work, there are actually a few "real world" lessons here that apply to anyone, not just former TV stars.
- Privacy is a Choice: You don’t have to post everything. Kami and Kim prove that you can be part of a beloved cultural touchstone and still keep your family life behind a closed door.
- Career Pivots are Healthy: Just because you did one thing at age 10 (or 25) doesn't mean you have to do it forever. Kami’s transition to education was a conscious choice based on her values, not her resume.
- Support Systems Matter: A long-term marriage like theirs works because they aren't competing for the spotlight.
The next time you catch a rerun of The Waltons and see little Elizabeth running through the grass, just remember that she grew up, found a guy named Kim, and decided that helping kids learn was way more important than hitting a mark on a floor.
If you want to keep up with what Kami is doing today, she’s actually pretty active on Facebook and YouTube, where she shares memories of the show. Just don't expect her to post a 50-photo gallery of her husband. Some things are better kept for the people who actually live them.
To see Kami’s current work in education, you can look up the Environmental Charter Schools network in Los Angeles. It’s a great example of how she turned her "Elizabeth Walton" legacy into something that actually helps the planet and the next generation.