CHRISTEL KHALIL
Pakistani (father), African American/Native American/Caucasian (mother)
Quick Facts
▶ Watch
Christel Khalil — heritage & background
Quick answer: Yes, Christel Khalil is mixed race — her father, Adnan Khalil, is Pakistani, and her mother, Belita Edwards, is of African American, Native American, and Caucasian (European American) descent. She has described herself as a "unique mutt" and identifies as mixed race.
Is Christel Khalil Mixed Race? Is She Biracial?
Yes — Christel Khalil is mixed race. Her father, Adnan Khalil, is an immigrant from Pakistan — bringing South Asian heritage to one side of her ancestry. Her mother, Belita Edwards, is herself of mixed descent — African American, Native American, and Caucasian — making Christel a genuinely multiracial person spanning South Asian, African American, Indigenous American, and European heritage.
Christel has spoken openly about her mixed heritage, describing herself in her own words as a "unique mutt" and saying: "My dad is Pakistani, so I'm half Paki and my mom is mixed. She's black, white and American Indian." This straightforward self-description captures the extraordinary racial complexity that she carries — Pakistani South Asian combined with tri-racial African American/Indigenous/European on her mother's side.
Her race, background, and heritage make her one of the most genuinely multiracial actresses in American television — a complexity that has informed her work as Lily Winters on The Young and the Restless, the longest-running daytime drama in American television history, where she has been one of the longest-serving cast members.
What Is Christel Khalil's Ethnicity?
Christel Khalil's ethnicity spans Pakistani South Asian (through her father), African American (through her mother), Native American (through her mother), and Caucasian/European (through her mother). Born Christel Adama Khalil on November 24, 1987, in Los Angeles, California, she grew up in a multicultural household shaped by her father's South Asian immigrant identity and her mother's complex tri-racial American heritage.
The Khalil surname is of Arabic/Persian origin — a name common throughout the Arab world, South Asia, and Muslim communities globally, derived from the Arabic word meaning "close friend" (as in Khalil Allah — "Friend of God," one of the epithets of Prophet Abraham). This name reflects the Islamic cultural tradition that is central to Pakistani identity.
Her father's Pakistani heritage connects to the South Asian subcontinent — a land of extraordinary cultural and linguistic diversity, where the Urdu-speaking Muslim community that Pakistan is centered on has produced remarkable traditions of music (Qawwali), literature (Urdu poetry), architecture, and cuisine. Pakistan was created in 1947 as the Muslim state carved from British India, and its immigrant communities in the United States form one of the most educated and professionally accomplished diaspora populations in America.
Her mother's African American, Native American, and Caucasian heritage represents the complex layering of American racial history — the West African heritage of enslaved ancestors, the Indigenous peoples of North America, and the European immigration that shaped the country — all contained within one maternal lineage.
Father's Side: Pakistani Heritage
Christel Khalil's father, Adnan Khalil, is an immigrant from Pakistan — part of the South Asian Muslim diaspora that has established significant communities in California and other American states. His Pakistani heritage connects to the Urdu-speaking Muslim culture of Pakistan, with its distinctive tradition of scholarship, music, craftsmanship, and family-centered community life.
Pakistani Americans are one of the most highly educated immigrant groups in the United States — with rates of advanced degree attainment among the highest of any foreign-born community. Adnan Khalil's immigration to the United States reflects this broader pattern of Pakistani professional immigration that has brought doctors, engineers, academics, and entrepreneurs to American cities since the 1960s.
The specific regional background of Adnan Khalil's Pakistani heritage — whether from Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, or Balochistan — is not documented in public sources. But his presence as a Pakistani immigrant father raising a multiracial daughter in Los Angeles is part of the larger story of South Asian America and the extraordinary diversity of California's immigrant communities.
Mother's Side: Tri-Racial African American Heritage
Christel Khalil's mother, Belita Edwards, is of African American, Native American, and Caucasian descent — a tri-racial combination that represents three of the major ethnic strands in American history. This maternal heritage makes Christel's background even more complex than a simple biracial Pakistani/Black identity might suggest.
The African American component of Belita Edwards's heritage connects to the West African peoples whose descendants were enslaved and brought to North America — the foundational African thread of Black American identity. The Native American component reflects the historical mixing between African Americans and Indigenous peoples in the American South and Southwest — a mixing that began during the colonial era and continued through the 19th century as both communities navigated the same landscapes and, sometimes, the same communities. The Caucasian component reflects European American ancestry, common in many African American family trees as a result of the history of slavery and subsequent interracial relationships.
Belita Edwards's tri-racial heritage is itself a microcosm of American racial history — the three great streams of American ancestry (African, Indigenous, European) meeting in a single person and then combining with Adnan Khalil's South Asian Pakistani heritage to create Christel Khalil's extraordinary multiracial identity.
Grandparents: A Complete Picture
Paternal Grandfather — [Unknown Khalil], Pakistani: Adnan Khalil's father — Christel's paternal grandfather — was a Pakistani man, carrying the South Asian Muslim heritage of Pakistan.
Paternal Grandmother — [Unknown Khalil], Pakistani: Christel's paternal grandmother was also Pakistani, her South Asian heritage forming the maternal strand of the Khalil family's Pakistani identity.
Maternal Grandfather — [Unknown Edwards], African American/Native American: Belita Edwards's father — Christel's maternal grandfather — was of African American and possibly Native American descent, part of the Edwards family's complex American racial heritage.
Maternal Grandmother — [Unknown Edwards], Caucasian/Native American/African American: Christel's maternal grandmother was of Caucasian and/or Native American and African American descent — the European and Indigenous components of Belita Edwards's tri-racial background.
Children's Heritage
Christel Khalil has a son, Crawford Wilson (born May 2014, with ex-boyfriend Jordan Sellers) and another son from her relationship with Sam Restagno. Her children carry her extraordinary multiracial Pakistani, African American, Native American, and European heritage alongside their fathers' backgrounds.
Christel Khalil in Her Own Words on Race & Identity
"My dad is Pakistani, so I'm half Paki and my mom is mixed. She's black, white and American Indian. I'm a unique mutt." — Christel Khalil, describing her background
Christel Khalil has been direct and unapologetic about the complexity of her racial background, using the self-deprecating term "unique mutt" with evident affection rather than discomfort. Her willingness to discuss her heritage openly reflects a comfort with multiracial identity that is increasingly common among the younger generation of mixed-race Americans.
Her role as Lily Winters on The Young and the Restless, which she has played since 2002 (initially as a child and then continuously as an adult), has made her one of the most familiar faces in American daytime television — a multiracial actress playing a character who is also of mixed heritage in the show's narrative.
Is Christel Khalil Alive?
Yes, Christel Khalil is alive. Born November 24, 1987, in Los Angeles, California, she is currently 37 years old. She continues to appear on The Young and the Restless and maintains an active career in American daytime television.
Visual Family Tree
Christel Adama Khalil
Adnan Khalil (Pakistani — South Asian immigrant)
[Paternal Grandfather] (Pakistani) · [Paternal Grandmother] (Pakistani)
Belita Edwards (African American, Native American, Caucasian)
[Maternal Grandfather] (African American/Native American) · [Maternal Grandmother] (Caucasian/Native American/African American)
Sources
Genealogy & Ethnicity Research
Identity & Heritage
EthniCelebrity Research Team
Ethnicity & Heritage Writers
Our team specialises in researching and documenting the ethnic backgrounds, nationality, and ancestry of public figures — drawing on genealogical records, interviews, and verified biographical sources.