'The Jeffersons' Theme Song Was Sung by Someone Close to the Show's Production
Of all the theme songs in the world, 'Movin' On Up' just seems to hit different. Who's the voice behind the tune?
Published Aug. 4 2024, 3:03 p.m. ET
You can't think American sitcoms without The Jeffersons coming to mind. The classic show was a spin-off of All in the Family. It ran for 11 seasons and had a very distinctive theme song.
Main characters George and Louise Jefferson move to Queens from Manhattan as they see an uptick in social status and financial wealth. The show centered Black characters and tackled issues such as racism, suicide, and gun control.
Who sang 'The Jeffersons' theme song?
Ja’Net DuBois, also known as Jeannette Theresa DuBois, notably co-wrote and song on The Jeffersons theme song called "Movin' on Up." This wasn't her only connection to the franchise, though.
Ja'Net played Thelma Evans Anderson on Good Times which was essentially a spin-off of a spin-off. It was directly connected to the unfolding story in Maude, which was a spin-off of All in the Family.
Ja'Net DuBois died in February of 2020.
The Ja'Net died in February of 2020. Prior to her death, BernNadette Stanis, Ja'Net's co-star, told the Associated Press that she appeared to be in good health, so her death came suddenly and unexpectedly.
“She used to keep us laughing all the time,” BernNadette said. “She was very, very talented. If she wasn’t singing ... she was creating a character to make us laugh.”
Glendale, California police received a call about her death and arrived on the scene, they were able to immediately declare it a death of natural causes and did not further investigate. Later, it was discovered, she died of cardiac arrest.
Ja'Net DuBois kept her age a secret.
“Nobody really knows,” said BernNadette of Ja'Net's age. She recalled telling DuBois, “'Oh, you’re so lucky. Nobody knows your age, girl!'” After all, especially at the time, it was easy to accidentally age out of the Hollywood life.
She kept that secret so close to her that police reportedly had a difficult time identifying her age at the time of her death. Later, however, it was revealed that her birthday was Aug. 5, 1932.
Another secret the actress seemed to carry with her was her family. Her death certificate gave fans a peek into what her life was really like outside of her acting glamor.
TMZ reported that the certificate revealed her father to be jazz musician Cab Calloway. He was known for his ability to thrive with swing music and helped elevate Harlem's Cotton Club venue.
Prior to this revelation, her father was believed to be Gordon Dubois. However, he didn't appear on her death certificate anywhere. Lillian Gouedy is still listed as her mother which lined up with what everyone believed to be true.
The accuracy of the document was confirmed by Ja'Net's daughter who provided the data for the death certificate. She told TMZ that Gordon was "instrumental" to Ja'Net's upbringing.
