Chrissy Teigen and John Legend know the power of community during difficult times. The couple experienced an outpouring of kind messages, gifts and other shows of support after their heartbreaking pregnancy loss this fall.
Mourning the loss of their third child, Teigen shared emotional remembrance photos taken at the hospital on Instagram, which helped break the silence around miscarriage and stillbirth.
In an interview with HuffPost just before Thanksgiving, Teigen and Legend opened up about grief, support systems, the holiday season and their new partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities.
“My therapist loves to say something that we now say every week,” Teigen said. “Life is messy and you never know what’s going to happen, you never know what to prepare for, so there’s no point trying to prepare for anything. Life is going to come at you whether you’re ready for it or not. It’s about how to cope with it, the people you surround yourself with.”
“I’ve gone through something so horrific and hurtful and painful, but I’m lucky enough to have my family with me and the support of so many hundreds of thousands of people around the word,” the model and cookbook author added. “It’s been such a kind, amazing time that I wasn’t betting on seeing without something like this happening. You start to get down on the world, and we had a rough four years here. But I feel up again. I feel positive. I feel the human connection with people ― there’s something very real about getting a handwritten letter, a bouquet of flowers. I’m going to take everything as it comes, and I’m proud of the people I’ve surrounded myself with.”
“Life is going to come at you whether you’re ready for it or not. It’s about how to cope with it, the people you surround yourself with.”
– Chrissy Teigen
Legend agreed, noting that their family has been showered with “so much love from so many people” in the aftermath of their loss.
“Chrissy was courageous enough to share our story with the world, and that was a brave thing to do, to expose us to so much generosity and love,” he said. “And there’s something powerful in knowing others are dealing with similar challenges and the hope you feel with each other.”
That communal spirit and desire to help others inspired Legend and Teigen to partner with Ronald McDonald House Charities to support families with sick and injured children by providing resources and helping them stay together during the treatment process. Through the #HereForRMHC challenge, McDonald’s will give $100 in your name to anyone who posts that hashtag with a photo of the RMHC heart on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok or Facebook until Dec. 31.
“We understand what it’s like to be absolutely in love with your kids and willing to do anything for them,” Legend said. “So many families face challenges when it comes to the health of their kids. We wanted to be there and show the rest of the world how to support them as well.”
The singer also shared a message for the families receiving support from RMHC and all those who may be struggling this holiday season.
“We want to tell them they’re not alone,” Legend said. “So many people are going through challenges all over the world. We need to support each other, show love to each other. We all need each other, and I think during this time, especially given what we’ve gone through as a family and what so may families are going through, it’s good to know others are struggling as well and can connect with you and spread love and hope.”
Teigen and Legend are committed to modeling empathy and compassion for others for their children, 4-year-old Luna and 2-year-old Miles. While Miles is still pretty young, it seems Luna is already embracing the spirit of giving.
“Honestly, I never wanted to be the mom who’s like, ‘My child is perfect, incredible!’ But Luna has this inherent ability to be the most empathetic human that I know,” Teigen said.
“She is so proud to be able to donate her clothing and toys,” the mom continued. “And she leads the charge. We don’t even have to say, ‘Luna, time to donate!’ We receive an absurd amount of free gifts, including toys and clothes for the kids, and when it’s all spread out on the table, she’ll say, ‘No, I don’t want this. Someone else needs this!’ It’s beautiful to be able to see that.”
Legend noted that they try to lead by example and include Luna and Miles in many of their efforts to give back.
“Chrissy is always coming up with ideas of how to give away more things to more people, and she doesn’t just want to give money but also the experience of connecting with people,” he said. “Chrissy has shown the kids that since they were babies, and you can tell Luna has soaked it all in because she’s so empathetic, so generous, and so considerate of other people. It makes me proud to watch. Hopefully Miles is learning from her.”
The holiday season is a big gift-giving occasion in the Legend-Teigen household, with both parents celebrating their birthdays around Thanksgiving and Christmas. And of course, the foodie family loves a big meal as well.
“I cook everything, and I never get to eat with everybody because I’ve already tasted those flavors all day and am so tired,” Teigen said, noting that she really looks forward to her day-after leftovers instead.
As for Luna and Miles, they’re gearing up for Dec. 25.
“They’re still really into Santa, so they’re excited for Christmas,” Legend said. “Christmas is a big deal for us in our house. I made a Christmas album, and again, we’re gonna be cooking lots. I think they’re most excited for Santa and gifts.”
