The Untold Truth Of Giada De Laurentiis' Daughter Jade

Whether or not you're a fan of the Food Network, or consider yourself to be a culinary expert or not, you probably know who Giada de Laurentiis is. The celebrity chef made a name for herself bringing gourmet Italian dishes into the homes of average Americans all over the country, all while looking good at the same time. de Laurentiis has certainly been a staple in the food industry since her career launched, and she's brought with her a sidekick, her daughter Jade Thompson, who also captured the hearts of fans and viewers all over.

Thompson was born in 2008 and has been through quite a lot during her life already. The child of de Laurentiis might look like she has it all, and for the most part, she kind of does. Still, the untold truth of Giada de Laurentiis' daughter is that despite having a famous chef as her mother, she's just like any other kid out there. Well, minus all the money and fame, that is.

The whole concept of bringing a child into this world is complicated and different for everyone. And while some people have always known they wanted children, that wasn't the case for Giada de Laurentiis and her husband at the time, Todd Thompson. In fact, it turns out that their daughter, Jade Thompson, wasn't exactly planned.

In an interview with Redbook, de Laurentiis explained that having a child was a huge shock for her, and both she and her husband had to adjust. Specifically, she explained that they'd previously decided they were fine not having any children. "But then Jade came along, and I was very afraid, and so was Todd," de Laurentiis revealed. "What would happen to this life we had created, where we'd just take off for Santa Barbara for the weekend?" 

To that end, de Laurentiis and her then-husband "agreed to take it a day at a time," but it's clear that Thompson was a surprise to her parents and an adorable surprise at that.

It's no secret that Giada de Laurentiis' Italian heritage is extremely important to her. After all, her cooking shows mostly revolve around Italian dishes, and her passion for pasta is clear. Of course, de Laurentiis actually was born in Rome, Italy, and lived there until she was 7 years old. That, combined with her Italian family means that the chef knows a thing or two about Italy. So, it should come as no surprise that her first name, Giada, is actually Italian for Jade, as noted by Delish.

Yes, you read that correctly: de Laurentiis and her daughter, Jade Thompson, technically have the same first name, just in two different languages. That's pretty cool, and a super sweet tribute to de Laurentiis herself. And not only do the two share a name, but if you've ever seen a picture of them together, you know they look pretty similar as well. Clearly, de Laurentiis and Thompson are two peas in a pod, and as sweet as can be.

As the child of a celebrity chef, you might think Giada de Laurentiis' daughter, Jade Thompson, didn't have to struggle much growing up. However, she was pretty young when her parents made a huge, life-altering decision.

In 2014, when Thompson was 6 years old, her parents got divorced. They'd been married for 11 years, which is no small feat, but ultimately came to the decision that they were better off apart. "Although our decision to separate comes with a great deal of sadness, our focus on the future and overwhelming desire for our family's happiness has given us the strength to move forward on separate, yet always connected paths," de Laurentiis shared on Facebook regarding the divorce. As sad as that might have been, de Laurentiis added that, "Todd and I share a beautiful daughter and a lifetime of great memories that we both treasure more than anything." Clearly, Thompson was always the most important thing to them.

Any working parent knows just how hard it can be to balance your work and your home life, especially when kids are concerned. But for Giada de Laurentiis — who's undergone a stunning transformation — and who wasn't planning on becoming a mother at all, finding a way to continue her career and be a mom for her daughter meant learning to cultivate balance. And for a while, that meant Jade Thompson got to travel with her mom.

In an interview with Redbook, de Laurentiis explained that after having her daughter, her work life didn't change all that much. "Jade knows her mother works and travels, and she travels with me," she shared. Additionally, speaking to People, de Laurentiis said that she sometimes had to hustle in order to balance her job with parenting. "It's tricky but I take it day by day," she said. "I try to schedule my time so if I do come to New York for something, I bang it out and then I go home." Thompson is certainly a lucky little girl to get to travel with her mom and see her in action. 

Luckily for Jade Thompson, her mom has strived to be a solid role model for her daughter, and she's definitely succeeded in that endeavor. Not only does Giada de Laurentiis have her own successful career, with plenty of shows, cookbooks, and social media followers to prove it, but she also has the confidence to match; she shows her daughter just how powerful women can be. 

Additionally, while speaking to Redbook, de Laurentiis explained that while she might be considered the Food Network's "sex symbol," she's had learned to embrace it. "It's only been the last five years that I've become comfortable with that," she revealed. "A lot of it has come with age and being a mom. I felt like I had to show Jade that her mom is proud of who she is." 

So not only does Thompson get to grow up with a successful mom, but she can see a woman who's comfortable in her own skin, and who embraces her body and how she looks. As any woman can tell you, that in itself is a great gift to give anyone, especially a daughter.

Divorce isn't exactly uncommon, especially in the United States. According to the American Psychological Association, between 40 and 50 percent of married couples in the U.S. end up divorcing. So Giada de Laurentiis' divorce from her first husband, Todd Thompson, isn't shocking — and neither is the fact that Jade Thompson adjusted pretty well, and lives with both her mom and dad.

As E! News reported, shortly after Thompson and de Laurentiis' divorce, court records indicated that the couple would have joint custody of their daughter, meaning she's lived with both her parents since they split up. And, it turns out that the couple managed to keep things relatively normal for Jade after the divorce; de Laurentiis told People that she'd really figured out how to coparent. "We live a stone's throw away from each other, like five minutes, which has really helped keep Jade stable and just keep her environment as similar as possible at both places," she explained. "Getting along with my ex-husband really helps as well. We're supportive of each other and, in turn, supportive of Jade." We're glad to hear it.

While many families plan on having more that one child, plenty don't. And while there may be jokes out there about only children being spoiled, that's not always the case. After all, Giada de Laurentiis' daughter, Jade Thompson, is an only child, and her family seems perfectly content with that.

In an interview with Parade, de Laurentiis explained that she really didn't even think she wanted kids at all. "When my brother died, I was so close to him that I became very vulnerable and I was afraid to open my heart up again," she revealed. "I didn't want to experience that kind of loss and pain any more in my life, and it took me a while to really think about a child." 

Obviously, Thompson was an amazing surprise, but she'll likely always be an only child. As PopSugar reported, de Laurentiis doesn't plan on having more kids. "You don't really know what it's like to have kids until you have one of your own," she explained. "I have so many babies: the show, [her ex], and Jade." And for her, that's more than enough.

When you're the daughter of someone as successful as Giada de Laurentiis, it would only be natural for people to wonder if you wanted to continue in your parents' footsteps. So, does de Laurentiis' daughter, Jade Thompson, want to be a chef like her mom? Well, as it turns out, she has a lot more hobbies that she likes to focus on than cooking gourmet meals.

Specifically, de Laurentiis told People that Thompson probably wouldn't be a chef like her. "There's not one single part of her that's like, 'I'm going to be a cook like my mom,'" she shared. "She likes to do other things. One day she wants to be a professional horseback rider, the next day she wants to be a gymnast in the Olympics, and the next day she wants to sing. It changes every day. Cooking is never on that list." 

From horses to gymnastics and everything in between, Thompson has plenty of career options in front of her, that's for sure.

It's not uncommon for the children of celebrities, or any working parents, to have a nanny or other kind of full-time child care. And Giada de Laurentiis' daughter, Jade Thompson, was no exception; she was raised with a nanny, and that might have been for the best for everyone.

In an interview with Redbook, de Laurentiis said that she was happy to have a nanny for her daughter, but it wasn't always pleasant. "Jade gets very attached to her nanny and Todd when I go away, and that can hurt," she confessed. Additionally, de Laurentiis also explained that Thompson would sometimes want her nanny over her, but she understood. "I tell myself she's making me pay for not being home and for missing moments that were important to her," she added. She also noted that she was grateful Thompson was so fond of her nanny, and vice versa. 

Like many kids love their babysitters or caregivers, Jade formed a close attachment to her nanny, and for that, de Laurentiis was thankful.

Giada de Laurentiis' daughter, Jade Thompson, has probably grown up with a ton of delicious food always on the table. When your mom is a famous Italian chef, you'd probably get used to constantly eating gourmet meals. 

But that doesn't mean Thompson has no interest in learning to cook those foods for herself; while de Laurentiis doesn't exactly force Thompson to want to cook, it seems to be natural that she wants to. Yes, as a surprise to perhaps no one, de Laurentiis' daughter actually does enjoy cooking, and appears to want to learn more about it. "I bought Jade a little purple ceramic knife and she just loves it," de Laurentiis told People. "She's like 'What can I chop? What can I cut?' It makes her excited about what she's going to make, and then she's more apt to actually try new things and eat her dinner." 

Though Thompson might not know what she wants to be when she grows up, she's obviously gleaned some cooking skills from her mom.

Obviously, when Giada de Laurentiis had her daughter, Jade Thompson, she was still extremely busy with work. And while that did mean she had to travel and spend some time away from her daughter, she still put in plenty of effort in order to be around as much as possible. Sometimes that looked different than your typical family, but Thompson still had a mom looking out for her.

During an interview with Redbook, de Laurentiis explained that she really tried to leave work at work when she could. "When I'm home, I work very hard to be...Jade's mother," she said. "I have no problem going back to those traditional roles." And one way de Laurentiis showed Thompson she was there for her, even when she couldn't physically be there for her, was with her cooking. "Even when I'm not in town, I'll prepare menus for [Todd] and Jade so he can just heat meals up," she said of how she cared for her ex-husband and daughter while working.

Giada de Laurentiis' daughter, Jade Thompson, might be a lot more privileged than most kids her age, but at the end of the day, she's really not all that different. Seriously, Thompson goes through the same issues as any other girl her age, which is to say that her life is so not easy.

Specifically, during the coronavirus pandemic, while everyone was spending more time at home, de Laurentiis learned a lot more about her daughter. "I thought I knew a lot about my daughter and who she is, but I felt like I learned a lot more about who she was and what was going on in her world," de Laurentiis explained to People. "She's 12, so I find that for 12 year olds, there's a lot going on. She had a lot of friends stuff going on. It changes daily. It's a very emotional time." Truly, there's nothing quite like being a pre-teen, and even though Thompson might have rich and famous parents, she's still just like any other girl her age.

As the child of divorced parents, Giada de Laurentiis' daughter, Jade Thompson, has definitely learned how to adjust to new things in her life. For instance, she's gotten used to her parents not living together; it also appears as though she's taken quite well to her mother's boyfriend. 

Shortly after her divorce, de Laurentiis started dating Shane Farley, and in an interview with People, they explained how far they'd come as a blended family. "Jade has got two amazing parents, so I can be a part of her life without any pressure," Farley told the publication. "I really enjoy hanging out with her." 

And as for de Laurentiis, establishing family time with Farley and her daughter is also important. "When we sit down to dinner, it is our time as a family to sit and chat," de Laurentiis explained. "I believe in no distractions, no television, no getting up, no phones, no nothing. It's just us." As far as Thompson is concerned, she has a totally happy and whole family, and that's all that matters.

Though there are obvious advantages of growing up with a professional celebrity chef as your mother, there are some obvious downsides as well. When your mom can make you gourmet pasta with a delicious homemade sauce, why would you ever eat anything but the best? Well, Giada de Laurentiis' daughter, Jade Thompson, has turned into somewhat of a picky eater.

Well, not that picky. In an interview with People, de Laurentiis explained the one thing her daughter wouldn't eat, and it might surprise you. "My daughter hates it when it looks like someone just chewed her toast," she revealed. Yes, Thompson is very particular when it comes to her morning toast, so de Laurentiis has had to learn how to grate the butter on the warm toast so it melts better, and doesn't change the texture or break the toast. You have to admire the irony that a gourmet chef like de Laurentiis has a daughter who's biggest pet peeve with food is how butter is melted on toast.