Brooke Shields and Her Daughters: How the Star Raised 2 Strong Women She’s Proud to Call Her Friends (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

“I’m terrified to be an empty nester!” says the 59-year-old actress and beauty icon who’s married to comedy writer and director Chris Henchy. Adds Grier, “I’m worried about me, just as much as I’m worried about her.”

Explains Rowan, “Feelings are fraught. I mean I’ve already done it and she was a mess. I think she’s really busy now which is good.” Then with a mischievous smile at her mom, she adds, “Off record, I’m hoping you and dad rekindle the flame."

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Brooke Shields and her daughters Rowan and Grier shot at home in Southampton, NY on July 21, 2024. Photographer: Michael Schwartz.Michael Schwartz

Michael Schwartz

Watching her daughters grow into confident young women, (who also raid her closet and advise her on TikTok) says Brooke, has left her in “awe.”

“All of a sudden, they’re not yours anyone,” she notes. “When you realize they are their own human beings, you get to meet them again. To have them reveal themselves to you, it’s a new type of relationship. I didn’t mold them but I protected them enough so that they could become who they are and I got out of the way.”

Adds Grier, “I feel like we’re now friends. You still discipline us but I feel like we’re much closer.”

Brooke Shields and her daughters Rowan and Grier shot at home in Southampton, NY on July 21, 2024.Michael Schwartz

Says her mom, “I feel if you’ve done it in a healthy way, you start to revel in these people that you actually like. They go away and then they come back and I now get such a kick out of watching and listening to them.”

She grows emotional hearing what her two daughters have to say about one another. “Grier is extremely loyal and strong in her opinions,” says Rowan. “She has a good judgment of other people’s character. She’s very funny when she lets her guard down a little. It’s often up but that’s okay.”

Adds Brooke, “I’m going to cry.”

“They’re going to have each other’s back,” she continues. “They’re both tough and strong-willed. The world is not going to undo them. I’m proud of who they are.”

“I’m going to really miss them,” she admits. “I want to stay on the periphery but I’m also excited about what’s ahead.”

Brooke Shields' daughters in NYC in 2008.courtesy brooke shields

courtesy brooke shields

As the founder and CEO ofCommence, her hair care line for women over 40, and the newly elected president of Actors Equity, the labor union for actors and managers, numbering 51,000 members, the beloved star has a new chapter as well.

“Having this happen while they’re absent is like an elixir,” she says. “Then again, maybe I took on all this stuff subliminally to keep myself busy.”

“It’s bittersweet,” she says of her daughters leaving home. “But I haveTuzi. She’s my replacement obsession and she’s staying with Mommy!”

For more on Brooke Shields and her daughters, pick up the new issue of PEOPLE.

source: people.com