"Little Mermaid"'s Jodi Benson Says Daughter Is 'on Her Own Path' While Following in Mom's Acting Footsteps (and Playing Ariel) Nicholas Rice, Kimberlee SpeakmanOctober 19, 2025 at 2:00 AM 0 Jodi Benson/Facebook; Hannah Turner Harts/BFA.
- - "Little Mermaid"'s Jodi Benson Says Daughter Is 'on Her Own Path' While Following in Mom's Acting Footsteps (and Playing Ariel)
Nicholas Rice, Kimberlee SpeakmanOctober 19, 2025 at 2:00 AM
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Jodi Benson/Facebook; Hannah Turner Harts/BFA.com/Shutterstock
Delaney Benson (left) and Jodi Benson (right), Delaney Benson in 2024. -
Jodi Benson celebrated her daughter for following in her acting career footsteps, while also carving out a name for herself at the same time
"It's really wonderful," the proud mom said at New York Comic Con (NYCC) on Oct. 11
Jodi, who voiced Ariel in Disney's 1989 film The Little Mermaid, is mom to daughter Delaney Benson
Like mother, like daughter — but different!
Jodi Benson sang her daughter Delaney Benson's praises for following in her acting career footsteps while also carving out a name for herself at the same time.
"She's doing her own path, own journey, so it's really wonderful," Jodi, 64, said while attending the Voices of The Little Mermaid panel at New York Comic Con (NYCC) on Oct. 11.
Delaney, 24, was in attendance at the event, as were Jodi's husband, Ray Benson, plus their son McKinley Benson and his wife, Mackenzie Benson.
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Jodi Benson at New York Comic Con, Ariel in 'The Little Mermaid.'
Jodi voiced Ariel in Disney's 1989 film The Little Mermaid, as well as its sequel, prequel and television series spin-off, plus numerous other related works.
The actress even made a cameo in the 2023 live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. Jodi starred in the reimagining of the animated classic, portraying a marketplace vendor who offers a now-human Ariel (played by Halle Bailey) a bowl of food.
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Jodi and Ray wed in 1984. Years later, they welcomed son McKinley, 26, in 1999 and daughter Delaney in 2001.
McKinley and Mackenzie tied the knot in June 2022. Jodi marked the occasion with a social media post at the time, writing, in part, "We love you to the moon and back and the moon again."
VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty
Delaney Benson (left) and Jodi Benson (right) in 2018.
Delaney — an actress, singer and dancer in her own right — has performed in various regional and educational theater productions, including playing Ariel in The Little Mermaid for Area Stage in Miami, Fla., from July 11 to Aug. 4 in 2024.
Reflecting in a social media post at the time about her daughter taking on the role she made famous, Jodi wrote, "When Delaney was 4 yrs old, I brought her up on stage with me during my concert. I did a little interview with her before I started to sing my song 'Part of Your World.' I asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. She very quickly and confidently took the mic out of my hand and said, 'I want to be Ariel when my Mommy dies!' "
Going on to explain that it was at that moment when she realized her daughter would someday play the role, one she said Delaney was "born to play," the mother of two wrote to Delaney directly, "You made her your very own."
"You were so brilliant. You infused your joy, your humor, your passion and your love into every moment of her story. It's hard for me to find the words to express how I felt as I watched you on stage. I was and am so incredibly proud of you," Jodi added, concluding how she was "honored to pass my treasured dinglehopper to you."
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