Famous Families
They Learned From the Best! Meet ‘Big Little Lies’ Star Laura Dern’s 2 Kids Ellery and Jaya
When it comes to her children, there isn’t much Laura Dern is willing to give up. Even though she is extremely dedicated to her award-winning Hollywood career, the most important thing in Laura’s life is being the mom of her two kids, Ellery Harper and Jaya Harper.
The Big Little Lies star shares her beloved children with her ex-husband, Ben Harper. The former couple got married in 2005, but after eight years, they divorced in 2013. Their split put a strain on everyone’s lives, including Laura, who has raised Ellery and Jaya all on her own.
“On good days, I am kind enough to remember that there are growing pains, and it is all overwhelming and not easy or always fun,” Laura told People about the struggles of parenthood in August 2019. “On the hard days, it’s stressful and there is too much going on as a single parent — and it can be hard to carve out a minute for yourself.”
Laura doesn’t have a partner to help raise Ellery and Jaya, so she feels “lucky” to have a group of “champions” supporting her. The Emmy winner knows she can “definitely” handle the responsibilities on her own, so she tries to not be too hard on herself when she makes a mistake as a mom.
“The more I learn about my mistakes as a mother, the deeper I enjoy how fully I love my children,” she shared with InStyle in May 2019. “Because I can let them know I really screw up sometimes. I hide from blame in a lot of areas in my life, but I’m trying not to do that as a mom.”
Being a single mother has gotten easier as Ellery and Jaya have grown up. Now that her kids are in their teen years and becoming young adults, this is the “first time” in Laura’s life that she feels the most “ambitious.”
“Raising kids gave me enough street cred to feel like I deserved the right to make money,” the Marriage Story actress explained. “This moment in my life is so sexy and freeing because I’ve had many relationships, I’ve had a marriage, I have my amazing children, so I’m not hiding who I am to get somebody who is willing to have kids or be married.”
Keep scrolling to learn more about Laura’s kids, Ellery and Jaya!
