Is Fani Willis Married? A Look At The Fulton County District Attorney's Personal Life

Daniel Figaro
Feb 15, 2024
Feb 15, 2024

Fani Willis is the first woman to serve as the district attorney of Fulton County, Georgia, which includes most of Atlanta. She is also the prosecutor who is leading the criminal investigation into former president Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. Willis has gained national attention for her role in this high-profile case, but what do we know about her personal life? Is Fani Willis married? Does she have children? Here is a brief overview of Fani Willis' family and background.

Key Takeaways:

Fani Willis, Fulton County's first female district attorney, was previously married to Fred Willis, with whom she shares two daughters, Nia Kisura and Kinaya Imani Willis, reflecting her role as a dedicated mother alongside her professional achievements.
Born into a family with a strong legal and activist background, Willis's career trajectory from a prosecutor handling significant cases to becoming the district attorney showcases her commitment to justice, influenced by her father's legal career and her education.
Willis's leadership in high-profile cases, including the investigation into former President Donald Trump's election interference efforts, underscores her reputation for courage and integrity in the face of challenges and threats, highlighting her dedication to her role and principles.

Is Fani Willis Married?

At the moment, no, Fani Willis is not married to anyone. Fani Willis was married once, to Fred Willis, but they are divorced, and she does not currently have a husband. She met Fred on the day she took the bar exam in 1996, when he was working as a videographer in Atlanta. She was attracted to his legs and decided to stay in Atlanta with him. They got married six months after she graduated from Emory University School of Law.

The couple had two daughters, Nia Kisura Willis and Kinaya Imani Willis, who are now 23 and 21 years old, respectively. Nia is a graduate of Howard University, her mother's alma mater, and Kinaya is a student at Texas Southern University, majoring in radio and TV.

Fani and Fred divorced in 2005, when their daughters were about four and five years old. Fani said that the divorce was amicable and that they remained friends. She also said that she balanced her career and motherhood by having a couch in her office where her children could visit and sleep while she prepared for trials.

As of 2024, she was reported to date Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor Fulton County District Attorney. Fani Willis hired Nathan Wade to lead the state’s 2020 election interference case against former President Donald Trump and his allies, testified on Thursday that he’s no longer dating the DA. However, the special prosecutor in Trump's Georgia case says he's no longer dating the DA, Fani Willis.

Who Is Fani Willis?

Fani Taifa Willis, born in 1971 in Inglewood, California, was primarily raised by her father, John C. Floyd III. A founder of a Black Panthers faction, Floyd later became disillusioned with the movement’s infighting and transitioned into a career as a criminal defense attorney in Washington, D.C. This shift had a profound influence on young Fani, who developed a keen interest in law.

After her parents’ divorce, Fani’s mother relocated back to California, while Fani continued to live with her father. During her early years, the family moved to Washington, D.C., where she began her first-grade education.

In 1989, Fani graduated from Regina High School, an all-girls Catholic school in Maryland. She then pursued higher education at Howard University, a historically black university in D.C. There, she studied political science and graduated cum laude in 1993.

Seeking to follow in her father’s footsteps, Fani moved to Atlanta to attend Emory University School of Law. She earned her Juris Doctor degree in 1996, marking the beginning of her legal career.

Beyond her professional life, Fani is a Democrat and a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. Her faith plays a significant role in her life, as she is a devout Christian and attends the Cascade United Methodist Church in Atlanta. In her leisure time, Fani enjoys reading, traveling, and spending quality time with her family and friends.

Fani started her career as a solicitor, prosecuting misdemeanors and city ordinance violations. She then spent 16 years as a prosecutor in the Fulton County district attorney's office, where she handled some of the most prominent cases in the county, such as the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal, where she served as the lead prosecutor and secured convictions of 11 educators for racketeering in 2015.

In 2018, Fani left the district attorney's office and opened her own firm in Atlanta, specializing in criminal defense and family law. She also ran for a seat on the Fulton County Superior Court, but lost. In 2019, she became the chief municipal judge for South Fulton, Georgia.
In 2020, Fani ran for district attorney of Fulton County against Paul Howard Jr., her former boss and a six-term incumbent. She won the election with 73% of the vote, becoming the first woman to hold the office. She took office on January 1, 2021.
As district attorney, Fani has been involved in several high-profile cases, such as the shooting death of Rayshard Brooks by a police officer in June 2020; the indictment of rapper Young Thug and his associates for racketeering and gang-related charges in May 2022; and the investigation of Donald Trump and his allies for allegedly trying to interfere with Georgia's election results in November 2020 and January 2021. In August 2023, Fani announced that she had obtained grand jury indictments against Trump and 18 other people for conspiracy to commit racketeering and other crimes related to their efforts to overturn the election outcome in Georgia.

Fani has been praised for her courage, integrity, and professionalism by many supporters and observers. She has also faced criticism and threats from some Trump supporters and others who disagree with her actions. Fani has said that she is not intimidated by anyone and that she is doing her job according to the law and evidence.