Loose Women panelist Lisa Maxwell’s daughter and only child, Beau Jessep, has died. She was 27.
“Columbia Journalism School mourns the loss of Beau Jessup, a student in our M.S. program,” a Monday, November 9, statement from the university read. “We extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends, classmates and all who knew and loved her. The J-School is working with Beau’s family to offer support and assistance during this difficult time.”
Beau is survived by her parents, mom Maxwell, 62, and dad Paul Jessep. A cause of death was not immediately shared.
In remembering Beau’s legacy, Columbia published the aspiring writer’s final interview on Wednesday, November 11.
“Sadly, after interviewing Jessup and going over an edited version of the interview with her, Jessup passed away,” a foreword noted. “With permission from her family and encouragement from leaders and her peers at the Journalism School, Columbia News decided to publish this insightful discussion in memory of her far-too-brief life and experience at Columbia and in New York City.”
Beau, who previously attended the London School of Economics and the University of Cambridge, was due to graduate from Columbia in May 2027 with a master’s degree in Journalism.
“The most special thing has been learning from my professor journalists, whose careers I aspire to emulate, surrounded by people who are equally curious and ambitious about the world,” she noted in the October interview. “Studying in New York City, at the center of global journalism, makes that experience even more exciting. I also love being part of the wider Columbia community.”
Beau further shared her aspirations to work professionally as “a journalist and writer, reporting on people, culture and social questions.”
“I’m particularly drawn to journalism for its power and immediacy, while continuing to write for theater when a subject benefits from being explored through a different form,” Beau added at the time. “I’m inspired by journalists who have also written plays.”
Beau, a playwright herself, had also counted Maxwell’s career with inspiring her own ambitions.
“As the daughter of a television actress, I grew up with an unusual awareness of the distance between people’s lives and the stories told about them,” she told the school paper. “I saw how journalism could illuminate someone’s experiences, but also how those experiences could be distorted, simplified, or transformed into a public narrative over which the subject had very little control. I was curious, from quite a young age, about who gets to tell people’s stories, and what happens when those stories enter the public domain.”
Neither Maxwell nor her husband have publicly addressed Beau’s death, though had long championed her educational journey.
“Congrats to all the new MSt students! Especially my daughter Beau (in the middle), Maxwell tweeted in October 2024, resharing footage from Beau’s Cambridge class. “Best of luck on this new and exciting part of your journey.”
