Tina Knowles, Mandy Teefey, Maggie Baird and Donna Kelce sit down with Glamour's editor-in-chief Samantha Barry to discuss what motherhood looked like for them. Was there a moment when they realized their child was destined for this career? How did they keep their kids grounded? From having to give up mindless Target runs to the proudest moments they've ever felt, hear the iconic mothers dish on the challenges, adjustments and highlights of being a mother of some of the most famous people in the world.
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00:00And I started doing the girls hair because they were 14, 15 years old.
00:05It was to protect my kids and they need protection.
00:08Trust me.
00:09Totally different experience with me with two boys in sports.
00:12I do not worry about them at all.
00:15I just don't.
00:19Welcome to an iconic group of mothers who have raised
00:23some of the most famous people in the world.
00:26I want to start with having you all introduce yourself.
00:28I'll start with you, Maggie.
00:29I'm Maggie Baird.
00:31My children are Billie Eilish O'Connell and Phineas O'Connell,
00:34both musicians, songwriters, and all around wonderful people.
00:39I'm Tina Knowles and I'm the mother of three wonderful children,
00:43Beyonce, Solange, and Kelly, my bonus daughter.
00:46I'm Mandy Teefee.
00:47I am the mother of Selena Gomez and Gracie Teefee.
00:50Hi, I'm Donna Kelsey.
00:52I'm the mother of two football players, Jason and Travis,
00:55who are unashamedly themselves.
00:57I just want to get straight into motherhood and what you imagined
01:01motherhood would look like for you and how it is different from what you expected.
01:06I expected it to look very much like it did.
01:08Been the best job that I've ever had and it's daunting.
01:11It's a lot of responsibilities and I felt so blessed because I lost my mom
01:15like six months before I got pregnant.
01:18It was the best blessing ever in life to me.
01:21I always wanted to be a mother.
01:23Also lost my mother in my 20s.
01:26As much as I'd always wanted to be a mother,
01:28I don't think I was prepared for the depth of the love and the joy.
01:33Also the hard.
01:34You'd see it like a mother out walking a baby
01:36and you'd think this was like the image of peace and ease.
01:39And then when you are a mother, you're like,
01:40oh my gosh, it was so hard to just get out the door.
01:43So it was the hardest thing, but the most joyous thing.
01:46And also I felt very needed.
01:50Every creative skill you have, every talent you've ever had,
01:54everything is needed in that job.
01:56I found that very fulfilling.
01:59Mandy, what do you think?
02:00Well, I had Selena at 16, so I really didn't have any idea of what to expect.
02:06I was obviously really scared and nervous.
02:08It's almost like we grew up together.
02:10We joke that we're going to have to be in retirement homes at the same time.
02:13Then I had Gracie later in life, 37.
02:16So it's been different experiences completely.
02:20Then you have the added pressure of them under the spotlight
02:24and they're trying to grow and be themselves
02:26and go through what every other kid goes through.
02:28And they don't get to do that free of judgment.
02:32Was there a moment where you realized your child was maybe going to
02:35buck any expectation that you had on what their life would look like?
02:38Beyonce was seven and her dance teacher put her in a talent show
02:43with bigger kids, like all the way up to high school.
02:45And I was like, that's not fair because she's only seven.
02:48And she went in and she was shy.
02:51And I mean, she got on that stage and commanded the stage.
02:54And my husband and I were like, who is that?
02:57You know, because the confidence came and the joy.
03:00I could see it.
03:01And so she felt so confident.
03:03She said, well, I just want to get my trophy.
03:05I'm hungry and I want to go home.
03:07And I'm like, you don't know if you won.
03:08Like, sit down and chill.
03:10But it was something that happened on that stage that I had never seen before.
03:15So I felt very confident.
03:17That's what she wanted to do because she'd always say,
03:19you know, I want to be like Michael Jackson.
03:21I'm like, yeah, well, who doesn't?
03:22You know, whose kid doesn't?
03:24She showed a lot of confidence.
03:26And that was my main thing is I saw the joy in it.
03:29When you see the confidence in your children and you see them doing so well,
03:32is there moments of motherhood where you want to keep them more grounded?
03:36How was that conversation at home for you, Maggie?
03:38People would always say to me, like, you're mind blown that,
03:41you know, Billie's playing Radio City or MSG or something.
03:44I was like, my mind was blown when she played the hi-hat in Highland Park.
03:48I mean, I think everyone's parent is mind blown when you see your child,
03:52you know, step on a stage and do anything, graduate something.
03:55Yeah, you step on stage in front of 10 to 100,000 people.
03:59And that's an hour and a half, you know?
04:02And then the rest of the time you're at the dinner table
04:04and your brother's giving you shit, you know what I mean?
04:08And so I think that the family part is the part that keeps it sane.
04:14Yeah, especially, you know, once they played each other and that was special.
04:18I don't think they even knew that they were brothers.
04:21Because they're a little different, but basically the same.
04:24They're pretty funny, pretty boisterous.
04:26But yeah, trying to keep kids grounded when they do get to that stage is,
04:30I think if you just bring things that they did when they were children
04:34to just show them that they're like everybody else.
04:37How many broken windows there were,
04:38how many times I had a call from the neighbor or, you know, just silly stuff.
04:43They weren't mean children or bad children, just that they were very rambunctious.
04:47Do you still get to do all those normal things with your kids?
04:50Is there anything that you've had to give up in the world of fame?
04:54I'm looking at you, Tina.
04:55What have you had to say goodbye to in the world of normalcy for a family unit?
04:59You know, Solange just won't play the game.
05:01She'll just put a hat on and go shopping.
05:03But obviously that's not something that we can do.
05:07That's what I miss.
05:08Like I miss us going to the grocery store, going to with my kids, going to eat.
05:13Something that's just really simple
05:16because you don't get to do that.
05:17You don't get to go to the mall anymore.
05:19I always use Disneyland as the example.
05:23Like you have to go in the back where all the mechanical things are.
05:26You don't really get to go through the park.
05:28And you can, but you have to walk like 90 miles an hour and go really fast.
05:32And so, yeah, you do miss out on that.
05:35We used to have a lot of times that we would go to Target
05:37and just hang out at Target and just shop and do silly things.
05:42But you can't do that anymore.
05:43You three in particular, your children found fame very young.
05:47For the boys, it was a little later in life.
05:49That trajectory has been probably more intense in the last two years.
05:53Oh, yeah, we can't go anywhere, really.
05:55Yeah, it's just if we want to do something,
05:58you have to run out the restaurant or the movie theater.
06:02But I do, you know, get to sneak away every once in a while.
06:06And we go to places that nobody knows where they are.
06:08Do you get the moments where somebody's stopping you on a plane
06:12or when you're walking down the street and saying,
06:14are you Travis and Jason's mom?
06:17Yeah, they know.
06:18And I've tried everything.
06:19I've tried sunglasses, but I'm just so tall and big.
06:22It's hard to not notice me walk by.
06:24I'm grateful that people know who I am.
06:27And most of them are very, very respectful.
06:29And it's like, we love your children.
06:31I mean, what mom doesn't want to hear that?
06:33It's just when somebody tries to take a picture of you in the bathroom.
06:37I'm like, whoa, I draw the line at the toilet.
06:40You know, let's let's stop.
06:42And those moments of like, you're Selena's mom.
06:44I don't get that a lot, actually.
06:46And I'm thankful because I usually am in sweats and no makeup and hair in a bun.
06:51So if I do get recognized, I'm like, oh, my God.
06:54Like, I look like this all the time that you recognize who I am.
06:57So my youngest, Gracie, gets it a lot.
06:59My husband gets it a lot.
07:01But me, I for some reason, I don't get it that much.
07:04So it's nice.
07:05Tina, you must I feel like you're one of the most recognizable moms in America.
07:09I get it a lot.
07:10But, you know, I enjoy talking to people.
07:12I'm a people person.
07:13So I don't mind taking a picture.
07:14I don't mind as long as people are respectful.
07:16It's fun for me.
07:17I've met some really interesting people.
07:20What about you, Maggie?
07:20I've been traveling with Billie since she was 13, 14 years old.
07:24So a fan will probably know who I am.
07:27I love it because they always say really nice things.
07:29And they've been touched and their lives have been changed.
07:32And I find it very moving.
07:33And I have kind of taken advantage of it to promote what I care about,
07:38which is addressing food equity and climate change.
07:41It's not only nice, but it also you can use it to help make things better.
07:46I talked to my own mother about this.
07:48Somebody who's deeply invested in being a mother.
07:50Where do you become a mother and where you come back to being the individual?
07:54Is that more intense when you're the mother of somebody that the world knows?
07:58I don't try to hide the fact that I'm a mom.
08:01I do have my own identity and I invest my own time in things that I have passion for.
08:06I think you have that relationship with yourself first.
08:08I think that life has seasons, right?
08:10You know, the whole you can have it all, like you can't have it all at the same time.
08:13And so you have a period of your life where you're very focused on yourself
08:17and your career or whatever that is.
08:19And maybe you're still doing that when you have children, but it changes a little bit.
08:22And then when your child becomes in this position,
08:25where they really need you in a way that is more than a toddler needs you.
08:30You know, for me, I'm a founder of a nonprofit and that's very fulfilling.
08:34I'm still an actor.
08:35But my number one thing every single day is how are my kids doing?
08:42And do they need me?
08:43Maggie, for you, you were certainly in the industry of Hollywood
08:47before you had your two children and just a resurface clip from Friends
08:51ended up on the internet of late.
08:53How was that for you?
08:54OK, let's talk about that.
08:55I think it's hilarious because that came out.
08:58Oh, Billy is a nipple baby.
08:59And I'm like, did you know that I got that episode of Friends
09:02because I actually was about to lose my health insurance?
09:06And I talked to a friend who was casting director and he got me an audition
09:09and I got that part, which was a small part.
09:12But Friends became the biggest show ever.
09:14So of all the things I've ever done in my career, that's what everyone has seen.
09:18You know, my husband and I are working class actors.
09:21You know, we eked out a meager living as most actors do.
09:26You know, we were lucky to barely make our health insurance.
09:29So when all of this happened to our kids, we'd never been on that side of it.
09:35Talk to me a little bit more about that, because they're surrounded by,
09:38I'm guessing, a lot of people that work for them, that are on their payroll.
09:41Again, at a very young age, they kind of run empires of their own.
09:45How do you cut through that as a mother and say, this is the right thing?
09:48This is the wrong thing.
09:48You need to listen to me.
09:50I think that your mother and your father, your parents, as great as your team is,
09:56everyone has an agenda.
09:58And that's not necessarily a bad word.
09:59They do have an agenda.
10:01But your agenda is that your child should be happy and healthy and fulfilled
10:08and give back to the world.
10:09Very early on, you know, I owned a very successful hair salon
10:14and I started doing the girls' hair to earn my keep so that I could travel with them.
10:19Because I wanted to protect them, not because I wanted to go and be on planes every day,
10:24because there was nothing glamorous about it.
10:26It was to protect my kids because they were 14, 15 years old in an industry that can,
10:33I mean, chew you up and spit you out.
10:35After a while, I was like, oh, I'll get to go back home.
10:37But I never did because I saw the need to be there.
10:41Because like Maggie said, you're the person that doesn't have any other agenda.
10:45Those are your kids and you want to protect them.
10:48And they need protection.
10:49Trust me, they need it.
10:51Yeah, totally different experience with me.
10:53With two boys in sports, they're out the door the minute they graduate from high school.
11:00They are on their own and they're totally independent.
11:03And they don't need me for anything, seriously.
11:06There are people that are helping them in college with their grades, keeping out of trouble.
11:12They've got the NFL that's getting involved with everything from foundations to,
11:19you know, financial planners to this and that.
11:21And they have so many more technical and more advanced individuals that I can ever be.
11:27I do not worry about them at all.
11:29That's just so great.
11:31We are very lucky.
11:32Yes, you are.
11:33Because that's not the case.
11:34It's different.
11:35Because, you know, in 18, they're out the door and they don't come back.
11:40They're also giants.
11:41Yeah.
11:43I have to go visit them.
11:46Well, that's a blessing because my experience was totally different.
11:50I can see that.
11:51Yeah.
11:52Is there something in when your children do art that you see yourself reflected in?
11:55I'll start with you, Donna, because we've all been watching them on TikTok do their show.
11:59All of us have said their mom must have taught them how to cry,
12:02as in the vulnerability of these men.
12:04You know, I don't think you teach somebody.
12:07I think that's in your DNA, whether you're going to cry or not.
12:09It's just in our family.
12:11We do.
12:11We cry at movies.
12:13We cry.
12:14You know, we're very, very soft when it comes to that.
12:17Obviously, on the football field, they're totally different human beings.
12:20They're out there to kill.
12:22But they're in touch with themselves.
12:25They're very genuine.
12:26And they care about individuals.
12:28And I think that started at a very young age.
12:31And they care about each other.
12:32Mandy, when you see Selena do stuff, do you see,
12:35is there any part of her work in music or on TV that you're like,
12:40that really feels like a part of me that she's doing?
12:44No, no, no.
12:45Like right now, I'm sweating because I'm so nervous.
12:47And she will get out there and just be partying and just so happy and doing her thing.
12:52And I'm just like, how are you doing this?
12:55I'm doing a little inch of what she does.
12:58It's all her.
12:59It's just definitely her personality, her passion.
13:02And I just get to sit back and watch someone turn into a fabulous human who gives back.
13:08And every day, it's a surprise.
13:09This morning on the way here, I was sobbing because she got nominated for an Emmy.
13:13And she broke a record.
13:15The Latina who's got the most Emmy nominations in history.
13:19So I was crying on the way here.
13:21And she's like, don't make me cry.
13:23I'm in hair and makeup.
13:24And then I'm like, OK, I won't.
13:25Is there a moment for you that you were like,
13:27this is the proudest I've ever felt as a mom?
13:29Yes, it is actually.
13:30It's a cute story.
13:31Her and Demi were on Barney together.
13:34And they would always practice in the car, the Disney, you know, the ears.
13:39And they would always like, hi, I'm Demi Lovato.
13:41Hi, I'm Selena Gomez.
13:42And they would like practice with like, glow stuff flowing all over the house in the car.
13:46Whenever she did her ears for Disney, I was like, wow, that's pretty powerful that she
13:52was practicing.
13:53And we were just in a small town in Texas.
13:55And then now she's getting to live her dream.
13:57I'm the most proud when they do something that is artful that they love, but it also
14:03has a good repercussion on the world.
14:05You know, that they're teaching, that teaching somebody something or they're giving back
14:11doing charity work and that type of thing.
14:14I'm just, I can't stop smiling.
14:16I do see myself.
14:18And I'm proud to say that I do see the things that I instilled in them to treat people well,
14:23not to get stuck on yourself.
14:25Because we had some moments where I was like, listen, they can pick up their own suitcases,
14:30look people in the eye, say hello.
14:32Don't turn into a diva.
14:34You have to teach your kids that.
14:35I don't believe that that's something that they just get.
14:38Because everybody's trying to handle everything for them and, you know, kissing their butts
14:43sometimes.
14:44And I'm like, you know, no, no, no, you're not helpless.
14:47Be a good person first.
14:48So I'm most proud when they're good people.
14:51Yeah, that's a really interesting one, because I think, Mandy, you've spoken before about
14:54somebody just trying to hold her umbrella and you're like, let her hold her own umbrella.
14:59Especially for those that found fame very young.
15:02What are those moments for you were like, no, they're going to learn how to be an adult.
15:06That is one of my favorite stories.
15:07Like she was getting out of the trailer and there was an umbrella and they were holding
15:11it for her.
15:12And then they were bringing her food and all this stuff.
15:15And I was like, she can hold her own umbrella.
15:17She needs to learn how to pump her own gas in her car.
15:20Like she needs to be a person first.
15:22I think one of my biggest fears is, you know, people always saying yes.
15:27And people have to say no.
15:29Like you have to look out for someone's best interest is really what I was saying earlier.
15:33And their best interest sometimes is everyone leave them alone.
15:38Give them a break.
15:39You've got to have some rails and you've got to have people not afraid to say, this is
15:44the truth.
15:44Right.
15:45And I do remember like one time I remember talking about a tour and suddenly there were
15:49all these conversations.
15:51She loves to drive.
15:52And they're like, well, we could tow your car behind you.
15:54I was like, stop right there.
15:57She's 17 years old.
15:59Not towing a car behind so that when she gets to a venue, she can like what drag race around
16:04the town.
16:05You know, so watching that, keeping an eye on that.
16:08You talk about taking breaks, which I think in all of your children's industry is an important
16:13thing, but sometimes harder to do than say yes to everything.
16:16Have you ever been the instigator?
16:18Like you need to take some time.
16:19For me all the time.
16:21My kids like to work and they like to be creative.
16:24And I think that's wonderful.
16:25But you do need that time where you don't have the pressure and the stress of it.
16:30So I'm always preaching that, but doesn't seem to be working too well.
16:34I think they probably all have amazing work ethics and have such passion for what they
16:38do that it's like putting the brakes on it.
16:41They're like, well, wait a minute.
16:42What it's a part of who they are and how they've like grown as people.
16:47And there was a point where when she first started, you know, being a part of the Disney
16:53family, it was very this, this, this, this, this.
16:56And then all of a sudden we looked up and she didn't have a day off.
16:59And I was like, oh, she's a minor.
17:01Like, no, she's got to have a day off.
17:03And it wasn't them being hard on her.
17:05It was us saying, oh, okay.
17:07She wants to do this.
17:08You must day in, day out.
17:11The world's media, Instagram, TikToks are fascinated with your children.
17:16Where do you stop reading the comments?
17:19Where do you jump in?
17:21What is your interaction with the world that loves or sometimes is mean to your children
17:26online?
17:27Oh, man, that's a tough one.
17:30You know, it's best just not to get involved and not to even go there.
17:35I mean, you know, it's not true.
17:36Your kids know it's not true.
17:38It's just best to just not say anything.
17:40There's only one time I think there was a comment about me and their father getting
17:45back together again.
17:46And all I said was false.
17:47You know, besides that, you know, I really have never, never engaged.
17:54I don't read comments on Instagram.
17:56I barely go on it because it's not healthy for me.
17:58And so you're right.
17:59I just don't engage and I don't pay attention to it.
18:02We're happy.
18:03We're living our lives.
18:04I hope you're happy and living your life.
18:06But you're on here being mean.
18:08That's the hardest part about this whole thing, because that's your children.
18:12We talked about protection.
18:14You want to protect them.
18:15You can't because you can't fight the whole internet.
18:17My kids are like, Mom, don't you answer those crazy people.
18:21Just ignore them.
18:22And I can to a certain degree, but sometimes it just gets to be too much.
18:27And I have to say what I have to say.
18:29And then I'm done with it.
18:30I remember very clearly when Billie did the Brit Awards and she was in a low spot.
18:36And it was because of the internet, you know, entirely.
18:38Mel C came and presented her award.
18:41And then Mel C, she didn't realize because when the Spice Girls were a thing, you know,
18:46what happens, you get a bad review in a local paper.
18:49You know what I mean?
18:50Like how, you know what I mean?
18:51It's like kind of a, that's a bummer.
18:53But you don't have millions of people commenting on you.
18:58And it is kind of an experimental generation that we're parenting.
19:04I wish there were ways that we could protect them from seeing it.
19:07I don't think we're going to do away with it, sadly.
19:10But I wish people knew the impact.
19:12I just kind of take it with a grain of salt most of the time.
19:16It just depends.
19:17You mess with my grandchildren, I'm coming for you.
19:20And because they're minors and they didn't ask to be in this.
19:24I have to say that I have gotten on and let people have a piece of my mind several times.
19:29But I take a lot.
19:31And then there's certain things that I just have to draw the line on.
19:34Two of you have, are grandmothers as well as mothers.
19:37How has that chapter of motherhood changed for you?
19:40It's just fun seeing how your children act with their kids.
19:44Trying to find out what kind of a parent they're going to be.
19:46You know, watching your son be a father is just like,
19:50how can they be so tender and be such a maniac out on the field, you know?
19:56Travis is a good uncle and Jason's a great dad.
19:59And it's just very heartwarming to know that they have that within them.
20:03To be very nurturing, very kind, very gentle.
20:06And not only that, you know, you get to hug your kids too.
20:09Hug your grandchildren.
20:11What's grandmotherhood like for you, Tina?
20:13Oh, God, it's the best.
20:15I become a kid.
20:16I was in the Hamptons with them.
20:18And I mean, I swang on a swing every day and swam and had fun.
20:23It's like being a kid again with them.
20:25Because, you know, when you're raising your kids,
20:26you don't really have the time sometimes to do all of those kiddy things with them.
20:32I could buy all the noisy toys and they get on their parents' nerves and,
20:36you know, do things that I didn't get to do with my kids.
20:38It's the best.
20:39Do you see your daughters as the similar types of mother that you were?
20:44Yes, very much so.
20:46What are your favorite depictions of motherhood and pop culture?
20:49My favorite was Claire Huxtable.
20:51She was a lawyer.
20:52She was a mother of five.
20:53And she was a wife.
20:54And she could do it all.
20:56And I'm like, that's who I want to be like.
20:58So, yeah, she was my mentor.
21:00That's what I wanted to be like.
21:02I didn't want to be your mom that just stayed home and was with you all day long.
21:08Somebody to show you the way.
21:09If you work hard, you have a good work ethic, you can achieve anything you want.
21:13When I was a little girl, I loved Julia.
21:16And you probably, Diane Carroll played Julia.
21:18And it was for a very similar reason because the Brady Bunch and all those ladies were wonderful.
21:24But they stayed at home and they were like the perfect mothers.
21:28They looked perfect.
21:28But this was a career woman who had to balance having a child with going to work.
21:33That was the first time, too, that I saw a Black woman that was a professional.
21:38So I grew up just loving Julia.
21:40And, of course, Claire Huxtable.
21:42There was some Disney moms, still watching with my grandchildren.
21:46And those moms are super cool.
21:48They're not like so perfect.
21:50Like they're kind of zany.
21:51And, you know, I love them.
21:53I grew up with Julia, too, was a favorite.
21:56You're the first person I talked to that knows.
21:58Because everybody's like, when was that?
22:00Like 1950 something?
22:021965, maybe?
22:05Currently, I mean, America Ferrera's character in Barbie.
22:09I mean, was there ever a better speech that summed it all up?
22:13That was a nice depiction of, you know, this devoted mother who was trying so hard with this.
22:19You know, I think that was nice.
22:20And you brought up Barbie.
22:22That's honestly one of the lines when we thought about this cover and wanting you four women on it.
22:27We mothers stand still so our daughters can look back and see how far they come.
22:31How was watching Barbie for all of you?
22:33I like Barbie.
22:34I mean, I have a special relationship to Barbie.
22:36So it was...
22:37Were you in Barbie?
22:38No, but my kids wrote that song.
22:39That beautiful song.
22:41But that line, I think, I think it's a balance of that, right?
22:44We don't want to just be like, we're here so you can go here.
22:47But I think it's important that as you are hoping your children grow, go much farther than you and
22:54have better lives and that we reduce generational trauma in each generation and we do that,
23:02you still have your own life.
23:04And it's important to model for them that you can still do.
23:08You know, at every age, you can still do.
23:11You can create, you know.
23:13So I think it's kind of equally important.
23:15I would agree.
23:16I think it is a mix of both.
23:19I was a commercial banker and I wanted to get ahead.
23:23And so I worked really, really hard.
23:24I was a major breadwinner in the family.
23:26I think it's important for them to see that a woman can do whatever she wants.
23:31But I did stand still.
23:34My husband and I knew that our marriage was not working, but we stayed together for the kids
23:39to make sure that they had the most normal relationship that they possibly could.
23:43In that one respect, I did stand still for several years until I could move on on my own.
23:48It reminds me of when I was in high school,
23:50because I did get pregnant with Selena at 16.
23:54And my school counselor told me I ruined everybody's life,
23:58including the child and the boy who participated in the project.
24:03I was determined to graduate high school,
24:05do something and show her that no matter what comes your way,
24:08you can really fight your way through it.
24:11And I wanted to be that role model for her because I didn't have that.
24:14Like, as I was growing up, like, I can do it and she can do it.
24:18And she's going to know that she can do it.
24:21That's kind of what we do, right?
24:22We stand in the gap for our kids.