Where Is Kiami Davael Now? The Lavender Who Kept Going

By CelebPaid Research · Updated October 7, 2026 · 8 min read

Thematic illustration: a library's bookshelves, evoking Matilda's book-loving world. This is a generic image, not a photo of the subject.Image via Wikimedia Commons

She dropped the newt in the water jug. With her huge glasses, perfect braids, and raspy voice, Kiami Davael played Lavender — Matilda Wormwood's best friend — in Matilda (1996), Danny DeVito's beloved adaptation of Roald Dahl. For a generation of viewers, and especially for little Black girls who rarely saw themselves in family films, Lavender was unforgettable: quiet but brilliant, weird but wise.

Unlike most of the child stars in this series, Davael never fully quit. She went to college, got the degree, and kept a foot in the industry on her own terms. This is the verified story of where Kiami Davael is now.

The Peak: Lavender and the Newt (1996–2000)

Born August 21, 1986, in Kentucky, Davael made her film debut at ten in Matilda (1996) — and what a debut. As Lavender, she was Matilda's partner in crime: the girl who slipped the newt into Miss Trunchbull's water, who stood by her friend with glasses, braids, and zero hesitation. The film, directed by DeVito and co-starring Mara Wilson, Rhea Perlman, Pam Ferris, and Embeth Davidtz, became a cult classic — and Lavender became an icon of representation, as MadameNoire later put it, making "every little Black girl who was quiet but brilliant" feel seen.

The TV work followed: Simone Bien Aime on The Pretender (1997), Keeta on Conan the Adventurer (1998), Lucy on Promised Land (1998), Anna on Moesha (1999), plus In the House, The Steve Harvey Show, and Grown Ups. Her last acting role to date: Shawniqua in Bruno (2000), the Shirley MacLaine-directed comedy — her first theatrical film since Matilda and, so far, her last.

The Education: Kentucky Psychology Degree (2008)

Here's where Davael's story diverges from the typical fade. She didn't disappear into obscurity; she went home to Kentucky and enrolled at the University of Kentucky, graduating in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. The child star became a college graduate — not as a publicity move but as a life choice, the same choice so many in this series made, executed with the same quiet determination.

The degree matters for what came after. Davael has described herself as something like a motivational speaker, and her social media presence — active on Instagram as @officialkiamidavael — mixes Matilda nostalgia with messages about resilience, faith, and growth. She is a Christian, a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority (with its community-service tradition), and someone whose public writing dwells on overcoming hardship: her mother's battle with cancer, her father's death in 2013, and her gratitude for her mother's recovery. The psychology degree and the motivational voice are two sides of the same coin.

The Present: Burbank, Cameo, and the Occasional Credit

Davael lives in Burbank, California — back in the industry's orbit, but on her own terms. She engages with fans via Cameo, recording personalized videos that trade on Matilda nostalgia with obvious warmth. She wrote her own short film, Recklass, in 2012. She mentors young actors. She caught up publicly with former co-star Countess Vaughn. And her filmography lists upcoming projects — The Forfeiture Clause, Wealthy and Wise — suggesting the acting door was never fully closed, just left ajar.

The 2025 Parade piece — "Rarely-Seen '90s Child Star Is 'Gorgeous' Now" — captured the dynamic: fans stunned by how gracefully she aged, a new generation discovering Lavender through streaming, and Davael herself active, gracious, and unbothered. The Black Geek Squad tribute that August said it best: "Before Matilda ever lifted a finger, Lavender had already flipped the vibe... Her name is Kiami Davael — and for every little Black girl who was quiet but brilliant, weird but wise, soft-spoken but scheming? Lavender made you feel seen."

She is private about her personal life — single, no confirmed relationships or children (social-media speculation about a child remains unverified) — but public about her gratitude. No controversies, no flameouts, no regrets on the record. Just a woman who played an icon at ten, got her degree at twenty-two, and built an adult life with the same quiet brilliance as her most famous character.

The Legacy: Why Lavender Endures

Matilda's afterlife is the engine of Davael's enduring relevance. The film flopped theatrically in 1996 and became a classic on video — the rare children's film that adults quote back at each other, its anti-authoritarian streak aging better than anyone expected. And Lavender, the best friend, is central to its emotional logic: Matilda's powers mean nothing without someone to share them with, and Lavender — brave, loyal, funny — is the film's proof that brilliance needs friendship.

For Black audiences, the character carried extra weight. Family films of the mid-'90s rarely centered Black girls; Lavender wasn't the lead, but she wasn't a token either — she was a full person, with agency, humor, and the film's single most triumphant scene. Davael has embraced that legacy without being trapped by it: the Cameo videos, the convention-adjacent appearances, the warm engagement with fans who tell her what Lavender meant to them. She knows what she represents, and she carries it lightly.

Where Is Kiami Davael Now?

As of 2026, Kiami Davael lives in Burbank, California — a University of Kentucky psychology graduate (2008), occasional actress, motivational voice, Cameo creator, and mentor to young actors. She remains active on social media and connected to the Matilda legacy.

Lavender dropped the newt. Kiami Davael dropped the act — and kept the brilliance.

The Matilda Phenomenon: Flop to Classic

Matilda's journey mirrors its heroine's: underestimated, then triumphant. Directed by Danny DeVito — who also played Harry Wormwood alongside his real-life wife Rhea Perlman as Zinnia — the film underperformed theatrically in the summer of 1996, crushed between bigger family offerings. Then home video happened, and the film found its true audience: kids who recognized themselves in Matilda's bookish defiance, parents who appreciated its anti-authoritarian streak, and a generation that would quote Miss Trunchbull's punishments like scripture.

Roald Dahl's 1988 novel was already beloved, but DeVito's adaptation gave it visual inventiveness — the chocolate cake scene, the flying newt, the telekinetic finale — that made it endlessly rewatchable. Mara Wilson, already famous from Mrs. Doubtfire and Miracle on 34th Street, anchored it; Pam Ferris's Trunchbull became one of cinema's great villains; Embeth Davidtz's Miss Honey its beating heart. And Davael's Lavender — the best friend, the co-conspirator — was the film's proof that genius needs loyalty.

The afterlife has been extraordinary: a hit Broadway and West End musical (Matilda the Musical, with its own Lavenders), a Netflix film adaptation, endless streaming rediscovery. Each revival sends a new wave of fans to Davael's Instagram, where she receives them with the warmth of someone who understands exactly what the film means. The flop became the classic; the ten-year-old became the legacy. Hollywood's math rarely works this way, which is why Matilda's does.

And the newt scene — Lavender's moment — deserves its status. It is the film's turning point: the first open rebellion, executed not by the telekinetic heroine but by her entirely ordinary best friend, with nothing but nerve and a water jug. "Best friends don't tell... they ride," as the tribute put it. Davael played it at ten with perfect comic timing, and the scene has outlived every box-office figure attached to the film.

Then vs Now: Two Chapters

Kiami Davael never had to choose between the degree and the dream — she took both, and made them work together.

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