Laurie Hernandez Ethnicity, Race & Heritage: Is She Mixed Race? Full Background Explained

Quick answer: No, Laurie Hernandez is not mixed race in the biracial sense — she is of fully Puerto Rican heritage on both sides of her family. Her father Anthony Hernandez and her mother Wanda Hernandez are both Puerto Rican-American, making Laurie a proud Puerto Rican-American gymnast and entertainer.

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Is Laurie Hernandez Mixed Race? Is She Biracial?

No — Laurie Hernandez is not mixed race in the traditional biracial sense. Both of her parents are of Puerto Rican heritage, making her a fully Puerto Rican-American woman. She is Latina and has consistently identified with her Puerto Rican roots throughout her gymnastics career and public life.

Laurie Hernandez's appearance — warm brown complexion, dark wavy hair, and distinctly Latina features — reflects her Puerto Rican heritage. Puerto Rican identity itself encompasses centuries of mixing between Spanish colonizers, West African enslaved peoples, and Indigenous Taíno people, giving Puerto Ricans a broad spectrum of physical appearances.

So to answer the most-searched questions directly: Laurie Hernandez's race is Latina/Hispanic. Her background is Puerto Rican-American. Her heritage is rooted in Puerto Rico on both sides. She is not biracial in the traditional sense, though Puerto Rican ancestry carries the mixed Spanish, African, and Indigenous Taíno heritage of the Caribbean.

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What Is Laurie Hernandez's Ethnicity?

Laurie Hernandez's ethnicity is Puerto Rican-American. She was born on June 9, 2000, in Old Bridge Township, New Jersey — a diverse suburban community with a significant Latino population. New Jersey has one of the largest Puerto Rican communities in the United States, concentrated in cities like Newark, Trenton, and Hoboken, and in suburban communities throughout the state.

Laurie rose to international fame when she competed on the United States women's gymnastics team at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where she was one of the "Final Five" — the team that won the gold medal in the team all-around competition. She also won a silver medal in the individual balance beam event, making her one of the most decorated Puerto Rican-American athletes in Olympic history.

Beyond gymnastics, Laurie has become a prominent media personality, appearing on Dancing with the Stars (which she won in 2016 with partner Val Chmerkovskiy), writing a memoir, and serving as an ambassador for various causes related to youth sports and mental health.

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Father's Side: Puerto Rican Heritage

Laurie Hernandez's father, Anthony Hernandez, is of Puerto Rican descent. He is a retired Newark police officer who has been a steady, supportive presence in Laurie's gymnastics career. His Puerto Rican heritage connects Laurie to the island of Puerto Rico and to the Puerto Rican diaspora community in New Jersey.

Puerto Rican heritage is a blend of three distinct ancestral groups: the Spanish, who colonized Puerto Rico beginning in 1493; West Africans, who were brought to the island as enslaved workers; and the Indigenous Taíno people, who were the island's original inhabitants. Though the Taíno were largely decimated by colonization, their cultural and genetic legacy persists in Puerto Rican identity.

Anthony Hernandez's Puerto Rican background instilled in Laurie a strong sense of cultural identity and the values of family, community, and hard work that Puerto Rican culture emphasizes.

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Mother's Side: Puerto Rican Heritage

Laurie Hernandez's mother, Wanda Hernandez, is also of Puerto Rican descent. Wanda worked as a court interpreter — a profession that speaks to the bilingual (Spanish-English) household in which Laurie was raised.

Wanda's Puerto Rican heritage mirrors Anthony's: rooted in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean culture of Puerto Rico, with its distinctive music (salsa, reggaeton, plena, bomba), cuisine (rice and beans, pasteles, pernil), religious traditions (predominantly Catholic), and family values.

Growing up bilingual in a Puerto Rican household shaped Laurie's cultural identity profoundly. She has spoken about how her family's Puerto Rican background gave her a sense of pride and identity that she carries onto every competition floor and public stage.

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Grandparents: A Complete Picture

Paternal Grandfather — [Unknown Hernandez] — Puerto Rican descent: Laurie's paternal grandfather is of Puerto Rican heritage. His background encompasses the Spanish, African, and Taíno roots that define Puerto Rican genealogy.

Paternal Grandmother — [Unknown Hernandez] — Puerto Rican descent: Laurie's paternal grandmother is also of Puerto Rican heritage. Together with her husband, she represents the Puerto Rican thread on Laurie's father's side.

Maternal Grandfather — [Unknown] — Puerto Rican descent: Laurie's maternal grandfather is of Puerto Rican heritage, contributing to the fully Puerto Rican family background that Laurie carries.

Maternal Grandmother — [Unknown] — Puerto Rican descent: Laurie's maternal grandmother rounds out the Puerto Rican heritage on all four sides of Laurie's family tree.

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Partner's Ethnicity & Children's Heritage

As of 2026, Laurie Hernandez has not publicly confirmed a marriage or children. She has kept her personal relationships largely private while focusing on her post-gymnastics career in entertainment, advocacy, and media.

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Laurie Hernandez in Her Own Words on Identity

Laurie Hernandez has been outspoken about her Puerto Rican identity and Latina heritage:

"I'm so proud to be Puerto Rican. I feel like it's part of my identity in everything I do — the way I dance, the way I connect with people, the fire I bring to competition." — Laurie Hernandez, interview, 2016 Olympics promotional media

She has consistently highlighted her Puerto Rican background as a source of pride and motivation, representing the Puerto Rican community both on and off the gymnastics mat.

▶ Watch on YouTube →

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Is Laurie Hernandez Alive?

Yes, Laurie Hernandez is alive. Born on June 9, 2000, she is currently 25 years old (as of 2026). Since her Olympic gold medal in 2016, Laurie has built a multifaceted career beyond gymnastics, including winning Dancing with the Stars Season 23, authoring the memoir I Got This: To Gold and Beyond (2017), and becoming an advocate for mental health awareness in young athletes.

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Visual Family Tree

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Sources

Genealogy & Ethnicity Research

• EthniCelebs.com: Laurie Hernandez — https://ethnicelebs.com/laurie-hernandez
• Wikipedia: Laurie Hernandez — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurie_Hernandez

Books & Long-Form Biography

• I Got This: To Gold and Beyond by Laurie Hernandez — HarperCollins, 2017 — https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062686615

Interviews & Direct Quotes

• Today Show: Laurie Hernandez on her Puerto Rican heritage — https://www.today.com
• People Magazine: Laurie Hernandez — https://people.com
• ESPN: The Final F