CELEB FEATURE
THE ADAMS FAMILY A normal day in the Adams home is anything but predictable.
“ It’ s like having a thousand balls in the air and just trying to see what you can catch,” he laughs. Still, he and his wife, Michelle, have built a rhythm that works.
A father of four, husband, performer, and businessman, Adams opens up about family life behind the spotlight, and why being present matters more than applause.
“ Fatherhood taught me to step up. In the beginning, life moves so fast that you almost assume your partner will catch all the balls. Then, eventually, you realise how much one person is carrying, and you understand that you have to be fully present too.
“ Not just financially or physically, but emotionally. I had to learn that being an entertainer carries no weight beyond a title. It’ s quite ironic to think that the job of a father, which comes with no salary, means more than the job of an entertainer that comes with one.”
Adams admits that the COVID-19 pandemic was a turning point in how he approached fatherhood.“ Before COVID-19, I thought I was a present dad, but I realised I was more of an‘ occasion dad’. I was there for the big moments, but missing the smaller moments in between that actually matter most.
“ During the pandemic, I reconnected with my family in a deeper way. It made me realise that being an entertainer doesn’ t make me different from any other father. A plumber is a dad. A teacher is a dad. A radio presenter is a dad. We all just happen to have have different jobs.”
Since then, he’ s made a conscious effort to show up for everyday moments, from hockey matches and market days to ordinary school activities.
“ And now my children actually ask me to come and be there. That means a lot to me.”
“ I do the morning school drop-offs. Michelle handles pickups later in the day. Then we figure out which child and which parent needs to show up where. And that’ s before homework even comes home.”
When asked about Michelle’ s influence on his career, Adams doesn’ t hesitate.
“ I would be bold enough to say Michelle’ s role has probably been the most pivotal part of everything I’ ve done.”
From styling his television appearances to helping shape the public image of the Emo Adams brand, he says much of his success carries her fingerprints.
“ She pushed me from baggy jeans into fitted suits and skinny ties,” he jokes.“ The only style I had before that was colour coordination.”
But beyond image and entertainment, he credits her for carrying the unseen load behind the scenes while raising their children and helping build their businesses.
While many know Adams as a performer on stage, few people know about his growing entrepreneurial ventures, including MYKOFFI, the coffee business he and Michelle launched during the pandemic.
“ When the entertainment industry shut down, we needed another source of stability for our family,” he explains.
What started as a small mobile coffee setup during lockdown evolved into multiple locations, including their first official coffee shop in Mowbray, Cape Town.
“ We wanted to create a space where creatives, business people, and ordinary people could sit, relax, work, and connect.”
JUNE 2026 / INBOUND SA 81