All About Jason Momoa's Parents, Joseph and Coni Momoa

Jason Momoa is the only child of his parents, Joseph and Coni Momoa

Jason Momoa's personal history mirrors that of his character Aquaman — both include the influences of two very different cultures.

Jason's mother, Coni Momoa, is from Norwalk, Iowa, and his father, Joseph Momoa, is Hawaiian, hailing from Nanakuli. Jason said Joseph grew up in a Quonset hut, which was very different from the Midwest landscape of Coni’s upbringing.

Coni gave birth to her only child, Joseph Jason Namakaeha Momoa, on Aug. 1, 1979, while living in Honolulu with Joseph. When Jason was still an infant, the two divorced and Coni moved with Jason to Iowa. She raised him there for the next 12 years before Jason began spending summers in Hawaii with his dad.

Since their son became famous, Coni has attended premieres with Jason and supported him through the ups and downs of stardom, and Joseph has talked about being proud of his son.

In a 2018 interview with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Joseph talked about sharing his son's ambitions. “It’s like my dreams and my prayers for every evening I didn’t share with my son when he was young,” he said about Jason’s success in Hollywood. “Now, he brought it to reality. Every evening, I always call out to him and pray, blow my conch shell, and just love the ocean because I know he’ll come back someday. And lo and behold, he’s in a movie that pertains to the ocean.”

Here is everything to know about Jason Momoa’s parents, Joseph and Coni Momoa.

Joseph and Coni met in Hawaii

Jason told the Star-Advertiser that his mom arrived in Hawaii in the 1970s, where she met Joseph and ultimately gave birth to Jason.

“That marriage never made it but she came home to a very, very white family in a place called Iowa, where it is awesome," he told the outlet.

Jason didn't see much of his dad during his early childhood

While Coni and Jason lived in Iowa, Joseph made periodical visits. But eventually, he would feel too homesick to stay for long periods of time.

And when Jason met his Hawaiian family at 12 years old, he wanted to stay with them permanently. However, Joseph directed his son to remain in Iowa to complete his education first. Afterward, the elder Momoa said Jason could return to Hawaii as often as he wanted.

“I told him, you need to go and gain all this knowledge, and when you graduate you can come back here any time you want," Joseph told the Star-Advertiser. "Hawaii is always here. This is a place to rest, a place to gather your mind.”

Jason spent his summers with his dad in Hawaii

At 12 years old, Jason began traveling to Hawaii to be with Joseph every summer and interact with his father’s side of the family. During these visits, Jason spent time with his cousins and developed a deep passion for the ocean, leading him to consider marine biology as a career.

But the bigger lessons between father and son revolved around the kind of person Jason would become. Joseph has said that it was imperative to him that Jason remained respectful to everyone who surrounded him, especially as a movie star.

“Throughout his life I taught him what aloha means, how to ... never be higher than anyone else,” Joseph said in his 2018 interview with the Star-Advertiser. “I told him the cameraman, the grip man, chefs, the people that clean your rooms, these are the true people, so you need to stay near them and give them the time of day and respect, and trust me, everything will come good.”

Joseph has appeared on Jason's Instagram

Jason shares much of his life through social media, including his father. In December 2018, when the first Aquaman movie premiered, Jason posted a photo on Instagram of Joseph holding a conch shell in front of an Aquaman poster.

"My pops. Joe 'da fish' Momoa. And my unko Gigi. Super proud to represent MOMOA," Jason wrote in the caption. "Kaeo Keaulana there so many more but these moments are very dear to me. Mahalo Hawaii nei for welcoming me home Aloha j."

Joseph and Jason maintain a tradition during visits

Whenever Jason arrives in Hawaii to spend time with his father, they have a tradition of going to Zippy's, a famous local restaurant.

Jason also connects with other family members while in town. The actor's cousin, Brian Keaulana, told the Star-Advertiser the community is very respectful, giving Jason and his family space to finish their meals before anyone approaches.

Coni is Jason's hero

The Aquaman actor has referred to his mother as his "superhero" for all her hard work and sacrifices when he was young.

"Raised by women so thankful for everything you did ma," Jason wrote in a 2019 Instagram post that also highlighted his grandmother. He included the hashtags #singlemama, #realsuperhero, #grandmasboy and #mamasboy.

In a video for Carhartt in 2016, Jason described Coni as a "strong single mother" who is "an artist in every way." He shouted out Coni's work as a painter and photographer, while also classifying her as "a wanderer, always searching, always seeing."

"I guess you could say my mom gave me her eyes," he added. Jason went on to share how Coni introduced him to skateboarding and rock climbing. "And I absolutely love her for that," he said.

Coni's mom also influenced Jason

Coni's mother, Mabel, was a huge influence on her grandson. Mabel died in 2021, and Jason opened up about their relationship one year later.

"I LOVED MAKING MY GRANDMA LAUGH it's been a year now i miss u grams. i wish she got to see this last movie she would have been so happy," Jason wrote on Instagram in November 2022.

"I would facetime her when i was playing FLIP in slumberland. and she was so giddy seeing me dressed up like a wild animal i got the news when i was giving a speech to the UN on aquaman," Jason wrote in the caption. "Talking about saving our beautiful planet. i think the scene didn't make the cut. but it was a hard day and she was right there with me."

Coni has attended events with Jason

Coni has occasionally attended star-studded events with her son and his family.

Jason's mom was photographed at the Aquaman Los Angeles premiere in 2018 and, later that month, attended a taping of The Late Late Show with James Corden, where she met Julia Roberts.

Jason later posted photos of himself with the famous actress and his mom. "Took me MA to see @j_corden. Meet the legend @juliaroberts the momoaz geeked out a lil," Jason wrote on Instagram.

Coni appeared in a Guinness commercial with Jason

Ahead of St. Patrick's Day 2024, Guinness released a commercial starring Jason and his mom. The two-and-a-half-minute ad follows the actor as he discovers he's 2% Irish after taking a DNA test. In the end, Coni is waiting at a nearby bar to give her son a big Irish kiss.

"[My mom] is the one that introduced Guinness to me. It only made sense for us to be together,” Jason told PEOPLE, adding that Coni was "so nervous" on set. "She did a great job, but it was really cute to see my mom kind of panicked on the lines.”

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