Laurie Metcalf is one of the most decorated actors of her generation — three Emmy Awards for Roseanne, two Tony Awards, an Oscar nomination for Lady Bird, and the voice of Mrs. Davis in the Toy Story films. But when people go looking for her daughter, they find a name that barely exists in the public record: Mae Akins Roth, born in 2005, the younger daughter of Metcalf and actor Matt Roth.
That obscurity is no accident. Unlike most celebrity children, Mae has not grown up as a public figure. She has no red-carpet career, no tell-all interviews, no tabloid trail. Instead, she has quietly assembled an early artistic life on her own terms: a short-film debut in 2023’s Butterface, original music released on streaming platforms, and a small social media presence devoted to songs, causes, and the occasional backstage glimpse.
So who is Mae Roth, really? In this article, we separate what is verifiable from what the internet has invented: her birth and her famous family, her schooling, what she has actually done as an actor and singer, and the surprising amount of fiction attached to her name — including confusion with a completely different actor’s family. For more profiles of the families behind famous names, browse our Celebrity section.
Quick Bio
| Full Name | Mae Akins Roth |
| Known For | Younger daughter of Laurie Metcalf and Matt Roth; emerging actor and singer |
| Birth Year | 2005 (exact day disputed: July 3 is most cited; June 3 also reported) |
| Birthplace | Has never been made public (reported as California) |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | John Burroughs High School, Burbank (graduated May 2023, per reporting); further performing-arts studies reported in New York |
| Profession | Aspiring actor and singer |
| Parents | Laurie Metcalf (mother), Matt Roth (father) |
| Siblings | Half-sister Zoe Perry; brothers Will and Donovan Roth |
| Current Status | Private; early-career artist focused on music and acting |
Who Is Mae Roth?
“Mae Roth” is how the internet knows her, but her full name is Mae Akins Roth, and she is the younger daughter of two working actors: Laurie Metcalf, one of the most honored performers in American film, television, and theater, and Matt Roth, a television actor whose career includes Roseanne, where he met Metcalf. She was born in 2005 and, according to multiple biographies, arrived via surrogate.
She is one of four children in a blended Hollywood family: her older half-sister Zoe Perry — an accomplished actress in her own right — is Metcalf’s daughter from her earlier marriage to actor Jeff Perry, and Mae’s brothers Will and Donovan Roth are Metcalf and Matt Roth’s sons. It is a family where acting is less a profession than a native language.
And yet Mae has treated fame as optional. While her parents’ and sister’s careers play out on television and on Broadway, she has kept her own life small and deliberate: school, music, a first film credit, and a modest online following — the outline of someone deciding for herself whether she wants the family business at all.
The Family She Was Born Into
To understand Mae, you have to understand the household. Laurie Metcalf, born in Carbondale, Illinois, won three consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards (1992–1994) playing Jackie Harris on Roseanne, later returned for The Conners, won two Tony Awards for her stage work, and earned an Academy Award nomination for playing the mother in Lady Bird (2017). She also voices Mrs. Davis in the Toy Story films and played Mary Cooper — Sheldon’s mother — on The Big Bang Theory.
Here is the detail competitors miss: Metcalf’s daughter Zoe Perry now plays the young Mary Cooper on Young Sheldon — the younger version of the very character her mother portrayed. It is one of television’s loveliest pieces of casting, and it makes Mae the younger sister of an actress literally playing her own mother’s character’s youth. None of the Mae Roth biography pages on Google mention it.
Matt Roth, Mae’s father, is a working actor whose credits include Roseanne — where he and Metcalf met — along with film and television roles across the 1990s and 2000s. Metcalf and Roth married in 1993 and divorced in 2014, after separating years earlier. By all accounts they continued to co-parent Mae, who was a young child when the marriage ended. The family’s instinct for privacy, it seems, is inherited from both sides.
A Quiet Childhood and an Arts-Focused Education
Mae grew up in Southern California, largely out of the spotlight. The few verifiable milestones come from her own public posts and media coverage: she attended John Burroughs High School in Burbank and graduated in May 2023. After high school, reporting indicates she pursued further performing-arts studies in New York, with a focus on musical theater — a natural direction for someone raised by stage and screen actors.
Music has been part of her life from an early age. On Instagram, where she posts as @_maeroth, she has shared covers of songs by Taylor Swift and Florence and the Machine, collaborations with fellow young artists, and glimpses of her creative process. She has also used the platform for causes she cares about, encouraging followers to register to vote and supporting LGBTQ+ rights. It is a small, genuine presence — a few thousand followers — rather than an influencer operation.
She has also stepped into her family’s orbit at public events: photographs and press coverage show her attending charity benefits, theater galas, and industry gatherings, often alongside her mother. But the appearances are occasional, and she has never been a fixture of celebrity media — a notable choice for someone with her access.
“Butterface” and the First Credits
Mae’s first reported screen credit came in 2023, when she made her acting debut in the short film Butterface. It is a small project — the kind of early-career work typical for an emerging performer building experience through shorts, stage shows, and guest spots — and it is consistently cited across biography sites as the start of her acting career.
On the music side, she has released original material publicly: a single titled “Here” is listed on major streaming platforms, marking her first professional release as a singer. Between the short film and the single, the pattern is clear — she is pursuing both of her parents’ crafts, acting and performance, at her own pace and without the machinery of a star launch.
Industry databases list her as an actor with early credits, and her public YouTube channel introduces her as an actor and singer. Nothing about it is rushed. If anything, the striking thing is how un-rushed it all is: no manager-driven debut, no nepotism blockbuster, just the slow accumulation of small work.
Living Outside the Spotlight
Mae’s public image, such as it is, is that of a young performer from an acting family who has declined to be consumed by the family’s fame. Media coverage of her tends to be folded into articles about her mother or into family photo galleries; she is rarely the subject herself. That balance — visible enough to have a career, private enough to have a life — is difficult to strike, and she seems to be striking it on purpose.
It helps that the family modeled it. Laurie Metcalf has had one of the longest, most respected careers in American acting without ever becoming a tabloid figure. Zoe Perry built her career gradually before Young Sheldon made her widely known. Mae appears to be following the same playbook: train, work small, stay out of the gossip columns, and let the work — when there is work — speak.
What the Internet Gets Wrong About Mae Roth
Because Mae is private and young, the content farms have had a field day — and the results are unusually sloppy. A few corrections:
The birth date shell game: different sites state her birthday as June 3, July 3, and July 5, 2005 — each with total confidence, none citing a source. July 3 is the most commonly reported, but the honest answer is that only the year, 2005, is consistent across credible reporting.
The invented body: some sites publish her height as 5’6” and her weight as 55 kg — while others claim she is 4’11” and 39 kg. Both cannot be true, and neither is sourced. Publishing a young woman’s body measurements as SEO filler is its own kind of problem; that they contradict each other tells you how much care went into them.
The invented fortune: net worths of $1.5 million and $3 million circulate with no basis whatsoever. She is an emerging artist with one short film and one single; there is no public information about her finances.
The stale social media claims: some profiles still say she has “no social media presence,” which is simply out of date — her public Instagram and YouTube channel are among the best sources for what she is actually doing.
The Tim Roth confusion: searchers sometimes wonder whether Mae is connected to Tim Roth, the English actor. There is no evidence of any connection. Tim Roth’s mother was Ann Roth, a painter and teacher — not Mae — and his family is an entirely separate Roth lineage. The surname is a coincidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are Mae Roth’s parents?
Mae Akins Roth’s parents are Laurie Metcalf, the Emmy- and Tony-winning actress known for Roseanne, Lady Bird, and Toy Story, and Matt Roth, a television actor. They married in 1993 and divorced in 2014.
Is Mae Roth related to Tim Roth?
No evidence connects them. Tim Roth’s mother was Ann Roth, a painter and teacher; his father was Ernie Roth, a Fleet Street journalist. Mae Akins Roth is the daughter of Laurie Metcalf and Matt Roth — a separate family that happens to share the surname.
When was Mae Roth born?
In 2005. The exact day is disputed across biography sites: July 3 is the most commonly reported date, but June 3 and July 5 are also published, none with a cited source.
Has Mae Roth acted in anything?
Her reported acting debut was the 2023 short film Butterface. Industry databases list early credits consistent with an emerging performer, and her public profiles describe her as an actor and singer.
Does Mae Roth make music?
Yes. She has released a single titled “Here” on major streaming platforms and shares covers and original music on her public Instagram and YouTube channel.
What is Mae Roth’s net worth?
It has not been publicly disclosed. Figures published online are estimates without any verifiable basis; she is an emerging artist at the start of her career.
Bottom Line
Mae Akins Roth could have done what plenty of celebrity children do: trade the family name for instant fame. She has done the opposite — finishing school, releasing a song here and a short film there, singing covers for a few thousand followers, and showing up at galas beside her mother without ever asking the cameras to follow her home.
It is too early to say whether she will become a star. But there is something quietly admirable about a young woman raised inside the machine who is taking her time deciding how much of it she wants. In a family of performers, Mae Roth’s most distinctive performance so far may be her privacy — and it is entirely her own.
