Lin-Manuel Miranda's Eldest Son Was Named, in Part, For Sebastian From "The Little Mermaid"
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Fans know Lin-Manuel Miranda is an actor, singer, playwright, director, and songwriter, but they might not know that he's also a dad. The Broadway songster shares two children — Sebastian and Francisco — with his wife, Vanessa Nadal. The parents are very protective of their kids, and when Miranda does share photos or videos of them, he never shows their faces.
"As my kids get older, I know it's going to be harder to keep them out of the spotlight when they're out with us and out in the world," Miranda wrote to his Twitter followers in June 2019. "I really just wanted to thank you for helping us with that so far. I've seen you swarm to protect when someone's uploaded their pictures, I've gotten DMs from you when video of them has surfaced. You have all been so incredible and understanding. My kids didn't sign up for all this."
Miranda has shared that his kids have picked up something from him: coming up with songs. "I have two incredibly smart and brilliant and creative kids who — and who knows if they would be doing this if I didn't do what I do for a living — but they make up songs," he told ABC's "Close Up" podcast in 2022, per People. "And they're invariably about breakfast," he added. When the kids like a song enough that it becomes a common tune around the house, Miranda adds music and records their rendition.
He added in that same interview that Sebastian was an early fan of the song "We Don't Talk About Bruno" from 2021's "Encanto," since he heard his dad composing it at home. "He came home and said, Daddy, that one's catchy. I almost sang it at school, which he knows he's not allowed to do yet because, you know, we've had the NDA for toddlers conversation."
Learn more about Miranda's kids ahead.
Sebastian Miranda
Miranda and Nadal's first child, a son named Sebastian, was born on Nov. 10, 2014. Miranda announced his son's birth on Twitter with a photo of the newborn and the very-fitting-for-a-playwright caption: "[The screams reach a frenzied pitch. SEBASTIAN MIRANDA enters. He is 7 pounds 10 ounces.]" So adorable!
Sebastian seems to be a budding filmmaker and actor, according to Miranda, who shared in a tweet in May 2020 that every weekend, he acts as cinematographer for his son's movies. "And while I can't show you clips because he and his brother are the stars, I have permission to post this exclusive pic of my brother-in-law Tristan as an elephant," he wrote alongside a photo of Tristan in a handmade elephant mask.
In September 2020, Miranda celebrated Sebastian's first lost tooth and turned to his followers to ask the going rate for the Tooth Fairy these days — $1 for a first tooth, according to a Twitter poll. "BREAKING: We got a first lost tooth here, I repeat, the five year old lost a tooth, pretty sure it is ALSO the first tooth he ever got," Miranda wrote, adding in another tweet: "The five year old BOUNDED in at 1am with a crisp bill covered in a magical glitter only known to tooth fairies and pharmacies open late on Tuesday evenings. Also included: a receipt of sale filled out in a cursive that looks NOTHING like [Vanessa]'s handwriting. Thank you all."
A fun fact about Sebastian's name: Miranda told The New York Times in 2015 that part of the reason he liked the name Sebastian is because of the character in "The Little Mermaid," making his involvement in the live-action adaptation of Ariel's story particularly fitting.
Francisco Miranda
Miranda and Nadal's second child, a son named Francisco, was born on Feb. 2, 2018. His birth was also announced on social media with a similar caption to his brother's. "Int. Hospital Room. Night. [The screams reach a delirious crescendo. FRANCISCO MIRANDA enters. He is 7 pounds and 13 ounces.]" Francisco also goes by Frankie.
The day before Francisco's second birthday in 2020, Miranda posted a sweet photo of him and his boy playing on the floor in their New York City apartment with the caption, "The one on the bottom is 40 now and the one on top is 2. Happy Saturday."