Kelly Ripa and More Celebrity Parents Share Mixed Feelings About Their Empty Nests

Credit: Courtesy of Courteney Cox/Instagram

Kelly Ripa and More Celebrity Parents Share Mixed Feelings About Their Empty Nests

On the fence! Celebrity parents have documented the ups and downs of becoming empty nesters over the years, from Kelly Ripa to Candace Cameron Bure. The Live! With Kelly and Ryan cohost shares three children — Lola, Michael and Joaquin — with her husband, Mark Consuelos. While their eldest two children began their college careers at New York University in 2016 and 2019, respectively, Joaquin went to the University of Michigan in August 2021. “The Graduate! #2021,” the New Jersey native wrote via Instagram when the teenager graduated from high school two months prior. The actor commented, “So proud." When Ripa and the Riverdale star’s youngest child officially moved into his dorm, she posted a serious selfie taken from their couch. "So far we are crushing this empty nest thing,” the Daytime Emmy winner captioned the Instagram post, alongside a sad emoji and a spiral-eyed emoji. [sendtonews type="float" key="tPpuZKDbRC-2835040-14453"] As for Bure, the Fuller House alum exclusively told Us Weekly how her empty nest felt when Natasha, Lev and Maksim were all moved out in 2019. "We stay very connected by phone and by FaceTime and then meet up when we can,” the actress explained in September. "We work it out. I think the hardest balance is just for me not to overwork[with them gone], which can be my tendency, and just make sure that even though not everyone is at home, we’re still making time for one another.” One year prior, the Dancing With the Stars alum felt “sad” thinking about her kids leaving. "I’m only a year or two away from it,” the Kind Is the New Classy author exclusively told Us in October 2018. "I have such a great relationship with my kids, my husband [Valeri Bure], does too. We’re just a really close family.” Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Candace’s empty nest became a “full house again” in April 2020. The Los Angeles native told Us at the time: "Our conversations have been incredible. They've been great. We've been taking lots of walks and playing lots of board games and we're in sunny California. We have a pool and we've been enjoying that too because the weather's been nice. It's just been concentrated family time [with] lots of cooking and eating.” Keep scrolling to see more celebrity parents struggling to adjust to empty households, from Rob Lowe to Christie Brinkley. [podcast_block]

Credit: Courtesy of Courteney Cox/Instagram

Kelly Ripa and More Celebrity Parents Share Mixed Feelings About Their Empty Nests

On the fence! Celebrity parents have documented the ups and downs of becoming empty nesters over the years, from Kelly Ripa to Candace Cameron Bure. The Live! With Kelly and Ryan cohost shares three children — Lola, Michael and Joaquin — with her husband, Mark Consuelos. While their eldest two children began their college careers at New York University in 2016 and 2019, respectively, Joaquin went to the University of Michigan in August 2021. “The Graduate! #2021,” the New Jersey native wrote via Instagram when the teenager graduated from high school two months prior. The actor commented, “So proud." When Ripa and the Riverdale star’s youngest child officially moved into his dorm, she posted a serious selfie taken from their couch. "So far we are crushing this empty nest thing,” the Daytime Emmy winner captioned the Instagram post, alongside a sad emoji and a spiral-eyed emoji. [sendtonews type="float" key="tPpuZKDbRC-2835040-14453"] As for Bure, the Fuller House alum exclusively told Us Weekly how her empty nest felt when Natasha, Lev and Maksim were all moved out in 2019. "We stay very connected by phone and by FaceTime and then meet up when we can,” the actress explained in September. "We work it out. I think the hardest balance is just for me not to overwork[with them gone], which can be my tendency, and just make sure that even though not everyone is at home, we’re still making time for one another.” One year prior, the Dancing With the Stars alum felt “sad” thinking about her kids leaving. "I’m only a year or two away from it,” the Kind Is the New Classy author exclusively told Us in October 2018. "I have such a great relationship with my kids, my husband [Valeri Bure], does too. We’re just a really close family.” Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Candace’s empty nest became a “full house again” in April 2020. The Los Angeles native told Us at the time: "Our conversations have been incredible. They've been great. We've been taking lots of walks and playing lots of board games and we're in sunny California. We have a pool and we've been enjoying that too because the weather's been nice. It's just been concentrated family time [with] lots of cooking and eating.” Keep scrolling to see more celebrity parents struggling to adjust to empty households, from Rob Lowe to Christie Brinkley. [podcast_block]

Credit: Courtesy of Courteney Cox/Instagram

Courteney Cox

The Friends alum’s daughter, Coco, wants to “go as far away from L.A. as she can get" for college, the actress told Ellen DeGeneres in January 2022, explaining, “We are so close, but she just can't wait to go away and live on her own. It's sad. There are people that get that empty nest syndrome, and my sister literally went crazy when her second moved out. I haven't even thought about it, and I think [Coco]'s doing such a good job at prepping me for this. She never leaves her room. She's never home and if she is, literally the door is shut and I don't know what she's doing back there. But I don't think I'm going to be as affected."

Credit: Rob Latour/Shutterstock

Melora Hardin

In September 2021, the Office alum told Us that competing on Dancing With the Stars was “perfect timing” because she's now an empty nester, explaining, "It’s kind of great that I can focus on this, which really requires all of my focus.”

Credit: Courtesy of Kelly Ripa/Instagram

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos

Joaquin commented on his mom’s social media upload that he “almost had no doubt” they’d be successful empty nesters.

Credit: Scott Kirkland/Shutterstock

Candace Cameron Bure

"I am very happy that I have my kids home,” the Full House alum gushed to Us during the COVID-19 pandemic. One year later, Candace shared emotional Instagram photos sending her youngest son to college.

Credit: MediaPunch/Shutterstock

Elizabeth Hurley

In October 2019, the Gossip Girl alum exclusively told Us that having an empty nest is a “rite of life.” She explained, "Parents need their little birds to fly and leave the nest one day.”

Credit: Matt Baron/Shutterstock

Christie Brinkley

Thinking of her empty nest made the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model feel “misty-eyed,” she told Page Six in 2016.

Credit: Kristin Callahan/ACE Pictures/Shutterstock

Rob Lowe

The Parks and Recreation alum reflected on his sons leaving for college in his 2014 memoir, Love Life, writing, "Jesus Christ, pull yourself together, man! There are parents sending their kids off to battle zones or putting them into rehabs and many other more legitimately emotional situations all over our country. How dare I feel so shattered?”

Credit: Matt Baron/Shutterstock

Michelle Pfeiffer

“It is no laughing matter,” the Stardust star told Parade magazine of her empty nest in 2012. “It is really hard."