All About Hunter Schafer's Parents, Katy and Mac Schafer

‘Euphoria’ star Hunter Schafer’s parents supported her long before she joined the entertainment industry

Hunter Schafer may be most famous for her starring role as Jules in HBO’s Euphoria, but she’s been a star in her parents’ eyes for much longer.

Raised by her mother and father, Katy and Dr. Mac Schafer, Hunter grew up in Raleigh, N.C. There, her parents worked for the Presbyterian church.

In 2016, before Hunter was acting and modeling professionally, Katy and Mac made headlines for supporting Hunter as a plaintiff in the ACLU’s lawsuit against HB2, an anti-trans bill that aimed to ban transgender people from single-sex restrooms and other public facilities. Per the ACLU, it also “prohibited local municipalities from extending nondiscrimination protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.”

The Schafers’ support of the LGBTQ+ community has surprised people and made headlines, given their Christian devotion. For Mac’s part, he has been clear that it’s his faith that motivates him to do the advocacy work, especially given what he’s learned as the parent of a transgender child.

On Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast, Hunter admitted to, at times, being envious of friends whose parents work in the entertainment industry.

“My parents don’t come from this world and sometimes I get really jealous of my peers in this industry that do have, like, family in it, because – I mean there’s pros and cons, for a lot of reasons I’m really grateful that my family’s in this separate world – but the guidance part, I think that’s what [my parents] were worried about. … They just didn’t want me to get f----- up by it,” she explained.

From raising four children to watching their daughter on TV, here’s everything to know about Hunter Schafer's parents, Katy and Mac Schafer.

They share four children, including Hunter

Katy and Mac share four children who they raised in their home of Raleigh. Hunter is the eldest, followed by two sisters — Hannah and Tory — as well as a younger brother.

Despite the magnitude of Hunter’s fame, her siblings largely keep their lives out of the spotlight.

Hunter’s parents work for the Presbyterian church

Hunter’s father is a minister, having served in the Presbyterian Church (USA) for more than 30 years. He has also served at churches and congregations in New Jersey, where Hunter was born, and Arizona.

Mac holds a master's of divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, as well as his doctorate of ministry from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.

Like her husband, Katy also works in service of the Presbyterian faith. She works at a separate church from her husband and serves as director of children and family ministries.

Hunter’s dad says his faith motivates him to support transgender rights

Today, Mac is a pastor in Raleigh. In an op-ed for PEOPLE, Mac shared that his faith has called him to support his daughter and the LGBTQ+ community. “Some folks have raised concerns about whether the Equality Act interferes with people's religious freedom. But as devoted people of faith, Katy and I strongly disagree with these concerns," he wrote.

Mac continued, “We fully believe that LGBTQ folks are beautifully and wonderfully made by God and are an essential part of the human community.”

Hunter’s parents have seen Euphoria

In a 2024 interview with Alex Cooper, host of the podcast Call Her Daddy, Schafer explained that her parents attended the Euphoria premiere.

Though Schafer seems glad to have their support, she was also concerned that her parents, as well as their congregation, would see her in graphic scenes. She told Cooper that she’d described the show as “risque” to her parents.

Hunter’s parents continue to fight LGBTQ+ discrimination in North Carolina

Following the publication of Mac’s PEOPLE op-ed, as well as Hunter’s skyrocketing to fame from Euphoria, he and Katy participated in the Campaign for Southern Equality.

In the campaign video, Mac referenced his support of Hunter during the HB2 case, stating, “When we don’t understand things ... or people, or lives, I think the first posture is always a posture of ‘well let me listen, let me learn, and let me grow.’ Unfortunately, HB2 pressed fear first.”

Regarding the law, Katy also described how it was affecting their own family. “It worked against everything that we were doing to support Hunter to thrive as her best self. Everything that was coming from that law was undoing that," she said.

The video not only centers on their famous daughter’s situation, but also showcases that they haven’t allowed their religion to be a barrier to equality. Katy explains, “I hope one day soon we [will] look at [a ‘No Hate in My State’ sign] and go, 'Thank heavens that this has been put to rest.’ ”

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