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Josh Allen was the second of four children born to Joel and LaVonne Allen. The Buffalo Bills quarterback has an older sister, Nicala, a younger brother named Jason, and a younger sister named Makenna. The four siblings, who grew up in Firebaugh, California, are very close.
Here’s what you need to know about Josh Allen’s siblings:
1. Josh Allen Grew Up With 3 Siblings in a Farming Household, With His Father Working Long Days as His Mother Ran a Restaurant
Joel and LaVonne Allen have four children, two sons and two daughters, and the close-knit family grew up in Firebaugh, California, a small town around 45 minutes out of Fresno. Joel Allen worked on their family farm, with help from Josh and his brother Jason, working from morning to night.
Allen said that seeing his father work tirelessly on the farm “instilled a work ethic” in him that was instrumental in his football training. “Seeing my dad wake up super early when the sun wasn’t even out and then coming home when the sun was set, he worked his tail off to provide for our family and did a great job,” Allen told the Denver Post.
As for LaVonne Allen, she ran a restaurant for several years, where her sons would often go during their school lunch breaks to eat and help her clean up, she told the Casper Star-Tribune. She sold it after six years when it got to be too much with Allen’s football schedule, the Chicago Tribune reported.
At home, the Allen children had access to all the sports they wanted to play as their parents set up a batting cage, putting green, basketball court, sand beach volleyball court and more, where their four kids and their friends could play.
2. Josh Allen Has a Younger Brother, Jason Allen, & the 2 Are Best Friends
Allen has a younger brother, Jason Allen, and the two were very close growing up, almost like twins. “They pushed each other on the basketball court,” LaVonne Allen told the Casper Star-Tribune. “They pushed each other on the baseball field. When I say push each other, they were competitive, but they were very supportive. To this day, Jason is the first one to call me, ‘Mom, did you read this about Josh? Mom, did you see this?’”
She said the two brothers are like best friends and people have asked her, “‘What have you guys done with your family that they’re so close?’ I go, ‘I don’t know. We just support each other, and I wanted my kids to do that, too.’” Their close bond didn’t stop them from being very competitive with each other, however, as Allen said he and his younger brother made almost everything a competition.
“We’d jump out the car and race to see who was the first one to get the Xbox controller and race outside to be the first one to start shooting hoops,” he recalled. The two of them played several sports growing up, including baseball, football, basketball and swimming. Although Jason was younger by 13 months, he was usually bigger than Allen, ESPN reported.
Allen recalled that his love of football began when he was really young, running around the living room table with his brother while they watched Monday Night Football and their father threw them the ball, he told Democrat and Chronicle. “There were a few dents in the walls, some broken cases, stuff like that,” he added.
The brothers often poured their excess energy into helping their parents on the farm, clearing weeds, digging ditches, setting up irrigation and helping to pick the cotton, the Los Angeles Times wrote.
Jason Allen played baseball at Saddleback College but was unable to take the sport further due to back issues, Buffalo News wrote. He studied agriculture at Fresno State to carry on the family trade. He’s married to Delani Allen.
3. Josh Allen’s Older Sister Is Named Nicala Madden, & She Works for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society & Is a Realtor
Allen’s older sister is Nicala Madden, a realtor and mother who lives in California. Madden attended California State University in Long Beach, where she obtained a bachelor of arts in communication studies with a minor in sociology in 2015, her LinkedIn indicates.
She’s been working for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for over 7 years, and now holds the position of Campaign Development Director, her profile shows. According to her LinkedIn bio, Madden is an “Experienced relationship builder with a demonstrated history of working in the healthcare industry/nonprofit sector.” She wrote that she is “Skilled in relationship management, project management, leading product sales teams, strategic planning, and event management.”
Madden’s Instagram bio also shows that she’s a licensed realtor in California and working with Realty Concepts. “Nicala is a Central Valley native and has been an active member of her community for several years now. She is so excited to be turning that community focus toward real estate,” her realtor bio states.
It adds that she spends her free time traveling and being outdoors with her husband, Brayden Madden and their dog Dallas. The couple welcomed their first child together, a son, on March 24, 2023.
4. Josh Allen’s Younger Sister Is Makenna Allen, a 3-Sport Athlete Who Graduated From the University of Arizona in 2022
Allen has a younger sister, Makenna Allen, who’s also a talented athlete. He shared that she’s a three-sport athlete, playing volleyball, basketball and softball, he told the Casper Star-Tribune.
“I’m anxious to get home in January and February and get to see her play some basketball,” he told the publication in September 2017. “Basketball is her main sport.” In January 2018, Allen wished his younger sister a happy birthday and wrote in the caption on Instagram that she was “The Allen’s best athlete.”
Makenna Allen attended the University of Arizona from 2019 to 2022, when she graduated with a degree in agricultural business and management, her LinkedIn shows. She has a dog named Zona, a silver Lab, with its own Instagram page.
5. Josh Allen Credits His Charitable Efforts With the Oishei Children’s Hospital of Buffalo to Having Seen His Brother Hospitalized When They Were Children
Some of Allen’s charitable initiatives since joining the Buffalo Bills have been rooted in a personal connection the quarterback has. He’s worked with the Oishei Children’s Hospital of Buffalo and visited the children. In October 2020, he participated in several virtual visits and spoke with the Bills organization about his brother Jason getting diagnosed with Kawasaki disease when they were younger.
Kawasaki disease is an inflammation of the blood vessels in children, with symptoms of high fever, swollen hands and feet, and red eyes, according to the Mayo Clinic. It is usually treatable and “most children recover without serious problems if they receive treatment within 10 days of onset,” it adds.
According to Allen, his younger brother spent a week or two in hospital with the disease when they were young. “I remember it was very tough on him, tough on my family,” he told Buffalo News. In fact, he said he and his family couldn’t be there all day, every day, which is why he knows the importance of visiting children in the hospital, he shared with the Bills.
“To go there and be at Children’s Hospital, it’s heart-wrenching,” he added to the Buffalo News. “But at the same time, to go into these rooms and see these kids’ faces light up, and see how impactful just a simple visit can (be) for somebody, especially the families that are staying in there with their kids — it’s a tough one because of some of the kids you do see. But it’s the most meaningful one to me.”