Brooke Shields admits she's 'sick to my stomach' as daughter becomes Bravo reality star


The Mother of the Bride actress' eldest of two daughters with husband Chris Henchy will appear in Bravo's Next Gen NYC's season 2


Brooke Shields and Rowan Henchy attend Acorn TV's "You're Killing Me" New York Premiere at Crosby Street Hotel on May 07, 2026 in New York City© Getty Images
Beatriz Colon
Beatriz ColonNew York Writer - New York
6 hours ago
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Brooke Shields isn't necessarily as comfortable as her mom was to see her daughter step into the spotlight.

The former supermodel has long spoken candidly about her somewhat controversial start into acting, when she was only 11 years old.

Now, her own daughter is gearing up for her albeit very different screen debut, and she is not mincing her words about it.

Rowan Francis Henchy, Brooke Shields, and Grier Hammond Henchy attend the Z100's iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2022 Press Room at Madison Square Garden on December 09, 2022 in New York City© Getty
Brooke with both of her daughters in 2022
brooke shields and daughter rowan at glamour women of the year awards 2024© Getty Images
Rowan works for Good Morning America

Appearing on the May 20 installment of TODAY with Jenna & Sheinelle, Brooke gave her very honest reaction to when Rowan, who is 23, told her mom she would be appearing on Next Gen NYC, a Bravo reality show featuring some of the network's reality star scions.

"Oh, I was sick to my stomach!" she confessed. Next Gen NYC is going into its second season, and the cast already includes Teresa Giudice's daughter Gia Giudice, Meredith Marks' son Brooks Marks, Rachel Roy's daughter Ava Dash, among other Gen-Z New Yorkers.

Reflecting on her own early entry into the spotlight, Brooke noted: "They didn't have reality shows though," explaining: "And you were not praised for bad behavior, you know. Bad behavior was not really the goal."

She emphasized that reality TV show ratings are "geared toward" praising not the best actions.

Brooke, who in addition to Rowan also shares daughter Grier, 20, with husband Chris Henchy, who she married in 2001, then shared the advice she shared with her eldest daughter, who graduated from Wake Forest University last year and is currently also a booking producer at Good Morning America.

"I said, 'Look, don't be a [expletive] up. Don't! Be the voice of reason. You're going to be fine," she shared, noting that her time as a reality star could possibly grow into something bigger.

"She wants to be in broadcast journalism. She also likes being on camera," she added, further sharing that she told Rowan to "translate that into another opportunity," calling being on reality TV "a business choice."

Left: Brooke Shields in a red dress 1998 Right: Rowan wearing the same dress now© Screenshot The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon
Rowan graduated from Wake Forest University last year

Brooke again emphasized that "bad behavior is not the goal," and that she is rather hoping this serves as a "stepping stone of some kind" for her daughter.

Moreover she did note that the gig — season two of Next Gen NYC premieres on June 24 —  has "given her a lot of confidence in a way that it's so nice to see."

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