The late philanthropist has a touching connection to both Netflix and “Queen Charlotte.”
On Thursday, May 4, Netflix premiered the highly-anticipated Bridgerton prequel series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. The six-episode Regency-era drama delivered an emotional retelling of young Queen Charlotte’s life after marrying King George III on the day that she met him.
Queen Charlotte’s premiere episode, “Queen to Be,” follows young Charlotte after she makes the trip to London to tie the knot with the king after discovering that her brother had arranged for her to be married. As the episode ended, a dedication for Jacqueline Avant appeared on the screen, leaving many viewers questioning who Jacqueline Avant was and how she was connected to the series. Read ahead for everything we know about Jacqueline Avant and her role in the creation of Bridgerton’s prequel series Queen Charlotte.
Who was Jacqueline Avant?
Jacqueline Avant was born in Jamaica Queens, New York, on March 6, 1940. According to The Hollywood Reporter, she worked as a hospital technician and phlebotomist in New York City. Avant was also a model at Johnson Publishing Company’s annual fashion show Ebony Fashion Fair. The outlet claims that Avant met her soon-to-be husband, Clarence, as her modeling career began to take off. He was flourishing as a music manager, producer, executive, and entrepreneur.
The couple moved to Los Angeles after tying the knot in 1967 and welcomed two children, Nicole and Alexander Du Bois Avant. During her time in Los Angeles, The Hollywood Reporter claims the proud wife and mother served as the chairwoman of NOW membership in 1974. One year later, Avant was named the president of the Neighbors of Watts, a support group for the South Central Community Child Care Center. The outlet reports that she later served on the board of directors of the International Student Center at UCLA. She even presided as president of the Museum of African American Art of Los Angeles for two terms.
While Avant made strides in philanthropy, her husband continued to secure his role as an executive and mentor in the music industry. So much so that he was the subject of Netflix’s 2019 documentary film The Black God Father.
How is Jacqueline Avant connected to Netflix and Queen Charlotte?
The Reginald Hudlin-directed film wasn’t the couple’s only tie to the streaming service. Their daughter, Nicole, who served as the former United States Ambassador to the Bahamas, is married to Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos.
Bridgerton series creator Shonda Rhimes revealed that Avant was the inspiration for the Queen Charlotte spin-off in a statement obtained by DigitalSpy. “But what really pushed it was Ted Sarandos, who called me up and said, ‘My mother-in-law is obsessed with Queen Charlotte. Do you want to do a Queen Charlotte story?'” Rhimes explained. “And I immediately said yes. Not just because it was Ted but because I loved the idea.”
Rhimes further discussed inspo for the series in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. “Ted called me, and my brain started humming, and the show was born,” she said. “So this is a show about Queen Charlotte, but it all started because of another great queen, Jacqueline Avant.”
What happened to Jacqueline Avant?
According to the Los Angeles Times, Aariel Maynor broke into the Avants’ Trousdale Estates home in Beverly Hills with an AR-15-style rifle in an attempted robbery on December 1, 2021. He shot and killed the 81-year-old and injured an unarmed security guard during the robbery. Maynor, who was paroled from state prison three months before shooting Avant, pleaded guilty to the murder and was convicted of first-degree murder and other charges and sentenced to 190 years in prison.
