Nearly three months after Us Weekly confirmed that Riley Keough and husband Ben Smith-Petersen welcomed their first child, the actress has shared her first statement about motherhood.
“I’ve never talked about this in an interview. Do you want the exclusive? It’s going to go viral,” the Daisy Jones & The Six star, 33, quipped during an Interview magazine profile, which was published on Wednesday, March 29. “I became a mother in 2022.”
Keough’s rep previously confirmed to Us on January 22 that the Felix Culpa founder — who is the daughter of Lisa Marie Presley and ex-husband Danny Keough — had welcomed a baby girl with Smith-Petersen, 31. Several hours earlier, the stuntman had hinted at the infant’s arrival during the late “Storm & Grace” songstress’ memorial service that had been held at her father Elvis Presley’s Graceland estate.
“Thank you for showing me that love is the only thing that matters in this life. I hope I can love my daughter the way you loved me, the way you loved my brother and my sisters,” Smith-Petersen said during the emotional service, reading aloud the Zola star’s eulogy on her behalf. “Thank you for giving me strength, my heart, my empathy, my courage, my sense of humor, my manners, my temper, my wildness, my tenacity. I’m a product of your heart.”
Riley and the Australia native, who wed in February 2015, did not disclose their little girl’s birth date or name immediately after her birth.
“Riley wanted to keep the birth of her daughter private because her and her entire family is so public in every other way,” a source exclusively told Us earlier this month. “Ben is a huge support system. He is so kind and caring and Riley needs that right now. The possibility of more kids is something that both Riley and Ben are very open to in the near future.”
The Girlfriend Experience alum was one of Lisa Marie’s four children. The late songwriter, who died in January at the age of 54 after suffering cardiac arrest, and Danny, 58, shared Riley and Benjamin Keough, who died by suicide in 2020 at the age of 27. Lisa Marie and former spouse Michael Lockwood coparented twins Harper and Finley, 14, prior to her death.
Following Lisa Marie’s death, Riley was granted trustee over her mother’s estate. However, her grandmother Priscilla Presley has since filed a lawsuit to contest her daughter’s will, claiming that a 2016 amendment featured an invalid signature. The Dallas alum, 77, alleged in her January court filing that the document addition removed her name as trustee in favor of Riley and Benjamin. Priscilla claimed that the amendment was forged as it was neither witnessed nor notarized. Riley, as the sole trustee following her brother’s passing, has not publicly responded to the legal battle.
“Riley is taking charge and poised for a huge role in the whole family estate moving forward,” a second source told Us last month. “She’s been front and center helping with the funeral arrangements, sitting down with Lisa Marie’s people to handle her will, the custody situation involving [Lockwood], plus taking care of the twins and comforting [grandmother] Priscilla and many others her mom left behind.”
