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Howard was born in Orlando, Florida. While attending Lake Highland Preparatory School, she appeared in a Juicy Fruit commercial. After graduating from high school, Howard enrolled in Florida State University where she was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority. During that period Traylor steered away from acting and focused on different career alternatives. She graduated from Florida State with a degree in Communications and Advertising and a minor in English. A former boyfriend introduced her to acting. Howard's mother is Dorothy (née Traylor).
Howard has been married twice. Her first marriage was to Cameron Hall in 1991, which ended in divorce.citation needed On November 24, 2006, Howard gave birth to a son, Sabu. She was pregnant with him during season 5 of Monk, so she spent several episodes with boxes, newspapers and the like in front of her abdomen to hide the pregnancy. She has not released any information on who the father is, but has stated of Sabu, "Sabu is beautiful, and he has such a sweet demeanor."1