'SEAL Team' Star Kerri Medders Convinced Her Parents to Move to L.A. When She Was 10

Though the CBS drama SEAL Team largely focuses on Bravo Team leader Jason Hayes (David Boreanaz) as he navigates the stresses of his high intensity job, his complicated personal life adds another dimension to his character.

The Master Chief Special Warfare Operator is a single dad to Emma (Kerri Medders) and Mikey (who was played by Kelton DuMont and Ammon Jacob Ford).

While Mikey has largely disappeared from the show with little explanation, Emma's often-tense relationship with her dad is a common storyline. Over the years, viewers have seen her struggle with her mom's death, her dad's commitment to work, and her desire to be more independent. 

Does art imitate life for actress Kerri Medders? Read on to learn about her personal life and for her family background. 

The 21-year-old actress/singer has been playing Emma Hayes since SEAL Team debuted in 2017, and most of her scenes are with her on-screen dad.

Though her character's romantic life has often made Jason concerned, Kerri seems to be focused on her career. The actress has not indicated that she is in a relationship, and she appears to be single. 

In February of 2021, Kerri wrote that she was her "own Valentine" on Instagram.

She was previously linked to musician Holden Glazer in 2019, and the two made several red carpet appearances together. The timeline of their reported relationship and their breakup is publicly unknown. 

Kerri and Holden no longer follow one another on Instagram. They also don't have any photos together on their respective feeds.

The Houston native hasn't shared much about her family online, though she does occasionally share photos of her loved ones. She does have a sister, Joni Waldron, and she's also an aunt to two nieces. 

In 2018, Kerri spoke with KHOU11 about how her parents supported her acting dreams. They ultimately moved to Los Angeles so Kerri could go on auditions regularly. 

"I was about seven when I started wanting to do acting," she said. "When I was about 10 years old, I decided to finally ask my parents. I was like, 'Can we please go out there?'"

The move clearly paid off, as Kerri has been acting regularly since 2010. 

Aside from her role in the CBS series, Kerri is best known for her part in the Netflix comedy Alexa & Katie. Kerri's character was Gwenny, who was a frenemy to Alexa (Paris Berelc).

She appeared on 19 episodes of the show before it came to an end in 2020.

She had brief roles on comedies like Young Sheldon and Speechless as well.

Kerri is next set to star as Ginger in the upcoming Disney Channel Original Movie, Spin. She will also play Ruby Anne McDonough in three episodes of the Amazon Prime series, Panic. The teen show, which also stars Jordan Elsass and Tatiana Roberts, is set to debut on the streaming service on May 28.

You can catch Kerri in her current series, SEAL Team, on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.