Adorable Star Of Cheerios Commercial Hails From Oklahoma

A Cheerios commercial featuring a mixed-race family has sparked debate over what the American family is supposed to look like.

Friday, June 28th 2013, 10:35 pm



A Cheerios commercial featuring a mixed-race family has sparked debate over what the American family is supposed to look like.

You've probably seen it--the one with the cute, wild-haired little girl, who pours the box of cereal on her dad after confirming with her mom that it would keep his heart healthy.

The commercial drew such a harsh response, YouTube had to disable its comment section.

The star of the commercial is from Oklahoma.

Grace Colbert was born here in the state and moved to LA with her mom, dad and two brothers when she was 3.

But the rest of her family is still here in Oklahoma, so she comes back often to visit, so we caught up with her in Tulsa Friday.

She has a face for TV. And in the past month it's been all over the airwaves.

See Grace's Cheerios commercial here

Grace started acting when she was 5 years old. And at 6, a year's worth of auditions paid off. She landed the starring role in a Cheerios commercial--her big break.

"Once you get on commercials and movies, you'll be a movie star, and I don't say this, but a commercial star," Grace said.

But being a commercial star is a lot of work, especially in the fast-paced city of Los Angeles.

"In California, you don't get that much vacation. You're very busy," Grace said.

So, she and her brother, Ezra, came to Oklahoma to slow down and relax with family for the summer.

"It's a pretty hot place," she said.

Luckily, the pool wasn't far away, and her aunt didn't mind when the kids took an impromptu swim, fully clothed.

Since Grace has been in the state, her family says she's been recognized several times by strangers who are fans of her work.

"Now, I know it has a lot of attention," Grace said.

And in Grace's young, innocent eyes, the attention she's getting has nothing to do with the color of her skin, and everything to do with her cuteness.

"Maybe I'm thinking what they like is my hair," she said. "And my smile."

The commercial sparked hateful comments over the fact that Grace's screen mom is white and her dad is black, just like her real-life parents.

The vice president of marketing for Cheerios says the commercial reflects an American family.

Grace's aunt, Beth Humphrey, couldn't agree more.

"I thought it was great, I thought it was a sign of the times and we were excited about that," Humphrey said.

And as the nation debates over race, Grace is more focused on the simple things in life.

"Every girl's dream is to watch TV, get popcorn, candy and drink soda," Grace said.

Grace shot a public safety announcement in California, which will be online soon.

She said she screamed and had a party the first time she saw the commercial. And she admits it is a little strange to see herself on TV.

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