Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer is better known as the doting mother of American singer and rapper Doja Cat. Her daughter Cat dabbled into the music world as a teenager and gained wide recognition after her song Mooo! released in 2018. The same year, Doja released her first studio album ‘Amala.’ And the young artist achieved wider attention after came with her second studio album ‘Hot Pink’ which peaked in the top 10 of the Billboard 200. And like any proud kid, Doja credits her immense success in the music world to her mother Deborah.
So, aside from her successful music career, what does Doja Cat’s mom Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer do now? Is Deborah a painter? Here are numerous unknown facts you didn’t know about her including her artworks, movie credits, and more.
Further, we will talk about Deborah’s nationality, her husband, and more.
Doja Cat’s mom Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer Age, Biography
Deborah was born on 1st Jan 1970, in Los Angeles, California, United States of America. As of 2023, Doja’s mother Sawyer’s age is 53. However, the details about her early life and parents are yet to be revealed.
She spent most of her childhood in her hometown Los Angles with her family.
Her Education and College
Deborah completed her schooling in her hometown and then went on to study at the College of New Jersey. She later graduated with a bachelor of fine arts in studio art.
She further earned her master of fine arts in painting from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.
Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer Biography in Detail
Age and Date of Birth | 1st Jan 1970 (53 age) |
Nationality | American |
Ethnicity | White |
Religion | Christianity |
Zodiac Sign | Capricorn |
Height | 5ft 6 in |
Weight | 55kg |
Ex-Husband | Dumisani Diamini |
Profession | Painter |
Net Worth | $1 million |
What Nationality Is Doja Cat’s Mother Deborah?
Deborah belongs to the American nationality and is a white Jewish. People started searching for her nationality and ethnic background after her singer-daughter Cat heavily criticized the people who question her “Blackness.”
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Sawyer’s daughter was born on October 21, 1995, in Los Angeles, Califonia. She belongs to a mixed ethnical background. While her mother Deborah is white, her dad Dumisani Dlamini is black and hails from South Africa.
In an exclusive interview with Dazed, Cat responded to all the rumors the actress didn’t grow up in a Black community,
“I read something the other day where someone said I was never surrounded by Black people, and I have no Black influence in my life, which is so unbelievably crazy to me.”
She said that her “mum was the only real white influence in my life. It’s easy to make assumptions about people you don’t know.”
The singer added,
“I’m a Black woman. Half of my family is black from South Africa, and I’m very proud of where I come from.”
Besides, Doja spent her childhood in NY, particularly in the Bronx and New York City. She lived in the city for around five years and then went to Oak Park and joined ballet, tap, and jazz dancing classes.

Source: Instagram
Doja used to dance and also competed in many programs in Los Angeles. She dropped out of high school while in 11th grade in order to focus on her music career.
Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer Career: Her Painting Works and Love for Music
Deborah grew up in a family of Jewish. She is a painter and also loves to sing. While talking about her mother, Doja once stated,
“My mom was a painter and loves to sing behind closed doors. My father is a South African actor who danced in broadway musicals for Lion King. I took a little bit of everything from both of them.”
Sawyer is still a pinter who has explained a variety of her paintings and other works on her own website which read,
“I work in a large variety of media: from casting in metal and plastic to painting with oil, gouache, or wax. This website attempts to cover a variety of media.”
She further said her newest medium is painting with pigmented wax. Most of her artworks are exhibited in her NCAUSTICS and LANDSCAPES galleries.
Right, the internet needs to get it straight, THIS is Doja Cat’s mother. pic.twitter.com/cMmYUpMNhz
— 📸 (@BabetteOnIt) December 18, 2021
Besides, Doja touts her mother was the greatest influence in her music career. During her childhood, her mom would often play music from several established singers like D’Angelo, Jamiroquai, Wind & Fire, Tupac, and Erykah Badu in the house.
The singer told in an interview with the rapper and actor Dumbfoundead that her mommy was quite into hip-hop despite her race. She said,
“was kinda a hip-hop head, really ironic because like — I’m Jewish, my grandma’s Jewish, she’s white, and she was never exposed to music like that until she started meeting people and was like, wow I really love this.”
Doja further added,
“Once she had me, she would play a lot of Erykah Badu, a lot of Fugees, and Jamiroquai and Seal, Earth, Wind, & Fire, Alice Coltrane, John Coltrane, a lot of stuff like that…”
What about Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer’s current work?
Elizabeth Sawyer has never talked about professional endeavors publically. But her daughter told in a 2020 interview with DJ vlad told that her mom is a designer for men’s clothing.
Here is the clip check it out,
What is Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer’s Net Worth?
The exact amount of Deborah’s net worth is $1 million. And her daughter Doja has a net worth of $8 million, as per the guesstimation made by Celebrity Net Worth in 2023.
The artist, who is just 27 at present has racked such a considerable fortune from her flourishing music career within and a few other works.
Who is Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer’s Husband? Her First Meeting With Her Ex-Partner
In the past, Deborah was married to her ex-husband Dumisani Dlamini. In an interview with TshisaLive, her former hubby told they came across during his America tour in the 1990s. Upon meeting, they hit it off immediately. The two were in a loving relationship for years and they later married.
In addition to Doja, the ex-couple also shared another daughter, however, the identity of the girl is yet to be revealed.
Dumisani’s Homesickness and Break up with Deborah
The actor Dumisani after his U.S. tour started suffering from homesickness. He then made a plan to come back to his home country South Africa with the family.

However, things didn’t work according to the plan as the rest of the family wasn’t ready to go to Africa. But Dlamini eventually left the United States and his family too. Since then, Deborah and Dumisani are not together.
Her Husband Dumisani’s relationship with children
Dumisani shares a beautiful relationship with both of his daughters. Doja once told the outlet, The Fader, “I don’t hold grudges against him or anything in any way.”
Doja also confessed that she still has a healthy respect for her dad who often comments on her Instagram posts.
Deborah Sawyer’s ex-Partner Dumisani Dlamini is an actor
Dumisani is an actor from Durban, a city in South Africa. He made his acting debut appearing in the 1992 musical drama movie Sarafina!. He then appeared in Operation Delta Force 2: Mayday in 1997. His other projects quickly followed like Stander and Operation Delta Force 3: Clear Target.
Dlamini landed his first job as an associate producer in the 2008 documentary Of Journey, Home and Treasure. He also worked in The Seven of Daran: Battle of Pareo Rock and Entabeni in the same year.
In 2009, the actor portrayed Priest in Project MorningStar.
Deborah’s current relationship status
Elizabeth has always kept things out of the public glare and has never revealed her real identity to date. Furthermore, she is also less active on social media. Therefore, it is hard to trace out if Elizabeth is dating anyone or is still single.
While talking about her now-former-partner Dumisani, he also remains secret about his love life.
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What is Deborah Sawyer’s height? Her body measurement
- Doja Cat’s mother Deborah is 5ft 6 in (1.67m) tall.
- Her weight is 55 kg.
- She has brown eyes.
- Her hair color is blonde.
- Deborah’s body measurements are 36-30-37 inches.
Facts About Doja Cat’s Mother Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer and Her Summary
- Deborah is 53 years old in 2023. Born in 1970, Sawyer celebrated her last birthday on 1st Jan 2023.
- She is of white ethnicity and has an American nationality.
- Doja Cat’s mother Sawyer is a skilled painter.
- She was previously married to Dumisani Dlamini, the father of Cat.
- Her husband is from South Africa.
- Dlamini is an actor by profession.
- Deborah currently resides in Los Angeles, California.