Gwyneth Paltrow is a busy lady. Even though she took some time away from starring in movies for a while, the Oscar winner (who may or may not return as Pepper Potts for upcoming Marvel movies) recently did star opposite Timothée Chalamet in Marty Supreme, is fending off rumors that she and Meghan Markle are lifestyle influencer enemies, and sold the home she raised her family in. And, Paltrow just opened up about being an empty nester now that Apple and Moses have both left home.
What Did Gwyneth Paltrow Say About Being An Empty Nester?
While turning Goop into a major lifestyle brand has almost certainly brought Gwyneth Paltrow a different level of fandom, she’s still mostly known for her time on the big (and small) screen after having appeared in a number of popular films. However, the Se7en talent took a step back from starring roles after having her daughter Apple (whom she shares with Coldplay’s Chris Martin), now 20. She and Martin also have a son, Moses, who’s 18 and has also left home for college.
When doing a Q&A on her Instagram Stories recently, Paltrow was asked how she’s handling having her kids away at school for much of the year, and she got real about the “big change,” saying:
Honestly it’s sad and it’s hard and it’s a big change. But there are also some new freedoms to be found, so that’s interesting.
I think it’s probable that most parents who’ve dedicated a lot of time and attention to their children feel roughly the same as the Sliding Doors actress does about sending them off to live on their own. This might be even more true when they’ve also spent a number of years helping to raise their partner’s children, as she has. Her second husband, Brad Falchuk, also has two kids of the same age from his previous marriage, Isabella (20) and Brody (18), so their big blended family basically sent four kids off to college at the same time.
The mom of two has been quite active on social media for a long time, and tends to be honest about a number of difficult or intriguing personal topics, both on her own platforms and in interviews. In fact, early last year she had already admitted feeling “a deep sense of impending grief” knowing that both of her kids would soon be gone, and them moving out is reportedly the reason she sold her L.A. mansion.
Though she also previously said that the very idea of Moses moving out was leading to internal “turmoil” because of how closely tied to mothering she’s been, it’s good to see that she does also see the upside of not having to schedule her life around that of her kids. I’m sure this will take some getting used to, but I can’t wait to hear about all those “new freedoms” she and Falchuk have been enjoying once they adjust to their new normal.