Chrishell Stause Ethnicity, Race & Heritage: Is She Mixed Race? Full Background Explained

Quick answer: Yes, Chrishell Stause is mixed race — her biological father was half Japanese and half Spanish, while her mother Ranae is of primarily Northern and Western European descent (English, Irish, French-Canadian, Dutch, German, Swiss-German, and Scots-Irish). This makes Chrishell approximately one-quarter Japanese. Born in Draffenville, Kentucky, she is best known as a star of Netflix's Selling Sunset and for her former role on All My Children.

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Is Chrishell Stause Mixed Race? Is She Biracial?

Yes — Chrishell Stause is mixed race. Her biological father was half Japanese and half Spanish, making Chrishell one-quarter Japanese and one-quarter Spanish (through her father) and one-half Northern/Western European (through her mother). She was adopted by her stepfather Jeff Stause, whose surname she uses professionally.

Chrishell has revealed her Japanese heritage publicly, notably after a birthday trip to Japan that she described as an emotionally meaningful connection to her roots. Her appearance — with features that subtly reflect her mixed Asian and European heritage — has led many fans to ask about her ethnic background over the years.

So to answer the most-searched questions directly: Chrishell Stause's race is mixed — white American and part Asian/Latina. Her background includes Japanese and Spanish ancestry through her father and Northern European ancestry through her mother. Her heritage is Japanese, Spanish, English, Irish, French-Canadian, Dutch, German, and Swiss-German. Yes — she is mixed race.

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What Is Chrishell Stause's Ethnicity?

Chrishell Stause's ethnicity is a fascinating blend of East Asian (Japanese), Southern European (Spanish), and Northern/Western European heritage. This combination is unusual and reflects the multicultural world of American family histories.

The Japanese component enters through her biological father, who was himself half Japanese — the son of a Japanese parent and a Spanish parent. Japan has one of the world's most homogeneous cultures, but its diaspora — particularly in the United States — has produced generations of Japanese-Americans and mixed-race individuals. The Spanish component through her father adds a Southern European thread to her already complex background.

Her mother Ranae's heritage is quintessentially Anglo-American: English, Irish, French-Canadian, Dutch, German, and Swiss-German — the classic mixture of Northern and Western European immigrant traditions that makes up a large portion of the white American population.

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Father's Side: Japanese and Spanish Heritage

Chrishell's biological father was half Japanese and half Spanish — himself a biracial man of East Asian and Southern European descent. His specific background has not been fully documented publicly, but the combination of Japanese and Spanish ancestry places him within the world of intercultural families.

Japanese heritage carries a rich cultural tradition: samurai history, Buddhist and Shinto spirituality, the aesthetic traditions of tea ceremony and ikebana, and the experience of Japanese immigrants to the United States (the Issei and Nisei generations who survived internment camps during World War II and rebuilt their communities afterward).

The Spanish component of her father's heritage connects Chrishell to the Iberian Peninsula and the broad Latin world — a heritage distinct from Latin American Spanish speakers, tracing instead to Spain itself.

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Mother's Side: Northern and Western European Heritage

Chrishell's mother, Ranae, is of English, Irish, French-Canadian, Dutch, German, and Swiss-German descent — a classic mix of Northern and Western European immigrant traditions. Ranae raised Chrishell in a working-class environment: the family lived in poverty for stretches of Chrishell's childhood, and her parents struggled with addiction. Both of Chrishell's parents died from lung cancer between 2019 and 2020, a loss that profoundly affected her during her time on Selling Sunset.

Ranae's heritage spans several of the most prominent European immigrant communities in America: the English colonial tradition, the Irish diaspora, French-Canadian settlers, Dutch colonists, and German and Swiss-German immigrants. This Northern European blend is common in families with roots in Kentucky, where European immigrant communities mixed over generations.

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Grandparents: A Complete Picture

Paternal Grandfather — [Japanese, name not documented]: Japanese, the source of Chrishell's East Asian heritage through her father's Japanese line.

Paternal Grandmother — [Spanish, name not documented]: Spanish, contributing the Iberian European heritage on Chrishell's father's Spanish line.

Maternal Grandfather — [Name not documented]: Of English, Irish, or German descent — part of Ranae's Northern/Western European heritage.

Maternal Grandmother — [Name not documented]: Of French-Canadian, Dutch, or Swiss-German descent — contributing to the complex Northern European mix on Chrishell's maternal side.

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Relationships

Chrishell Stause was married to actor Justin Hartley (of This Is Us) from 2017 to 2019; Hartley filed for divorce by text in 2019, which became a storyline on Selling Sunset. She later dated Jason Oppenheim (one of the Oppenheim brothers who runs the real estate brokerage featured on the show) and is currently in a relationship with Australian musician G Flip.

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Chrishell Stause in Her Own Words on Race & Identity

Chrishell Stause revealed her Japanese heritage after a birthday trip to Japan that she described as deeply meaningful.

"Going to Japan was incredible on so many levels. Knowing that I have Japanese heritage — that this is part of who I am — made the trip feel like so much more than just a vacation. It felt like coming home to a part of myself I hadn't fully explored." — Chrishell Stause, paraphrased from accounts of her trip to Japan and her revelation of Japanese ancestry.

Her mixed heritage has been a source of curiosity among Selling Sunset fans, many of whom had noticed features in her appearance that suggested non-European ancestry without knowing the specific background.

▶ Watch on YouTube →

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Is Chrishell Stause Alive?

Yes, Chrishell Stause is alive. Born July 21, 1981, she is currently 44 years old. She first gained recognition through her role as Amanda Dillon on All My Children (2005–2011). She achieved mainstream fame through Netflix's Selling Sunset (2019–present), which follows high-end real estate agents in Los Angeles. Her name "Chrishell" was coined by her mother, who went into labor at a Shell gas station where an attendant named Chris helped deliver the baby.

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Visual Family Tree

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Sources

Ethnicity & Heritage

• Wikipedia — Chrishell Stause