Donna Kelce and Tina Knowles are two of a group of four superstar mothers featured as Glamour‘s 2024 Women of the Year.
Kelce and Knowles are moms to three of the year’s most high-profile stars. Of course, Kelce’s sons are Travis and Jason Kelce, two of the biggest football icons currently in the NFL. Travis is also known for his romantic relationship with Taylor Swift; the couple publicly debuted last September.
Meanwhile, Knowles is mother to Beyoncé, the global pop icon who’s been one of music’s biggest stars for more than two decades.
In 2024, Beyoncé forayed into the country genre, putting out a long-awaited country project called Cowboy Carter. Knowles is also mom to singer-songwriter and actor Solange Knowles, and to Glamour, she identified herself as a “bonus mom” to Beyoncé’s former Destiny’s Child bandmate Kelly Rowland.
The other two moms rounding out Glamour‘s Women of the Year package are Maggie Baird, mother to superstar Billie Eilish and Grammy-winning producer Finneas, and Mandy Teefey, mother to star singer and actor Selena Gomez.
In an interview with Glamour, the four women reflect on the unique position of raising superstars — and they also speak to the more everyday experience of parenting in general.
“Being a mom is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Kelce admits. “It’s so much easier to just go to work, but raising children, when they’re totally dependent on you and you’re trying to do the best you can with the limited resources that you have, it’s the most daunting task I’ve ever had to do.”
Knowles adds that, although she’s proud of her children’s many accolades, her proudest moments are probably very similar to any other parent — of a superstar child or not.
“I’m the most proud when they do something that is artful that they love, but that also has good repercussions on the world,” she states.
“I’m proud to say that I do see the things I instilled in them — treat people well, do not get stuck on yourself — because we had some moments where I was like, ‘Listen, they can pick up their own suitcases,'” Knowles goes on to say. “‘You look people in the eye, say hello, don’t turn into a diva. That’s not going to work here.'”
“You have to teach your kids that. I don’t believe that that’s something they just get, because everybody’s trying to handle everything for them and kissing their butts sometimes,” she adds. “And I am like, ‘No, no, no, you’re not helpless.’ So I’m most proud when they’re good people.”
Other Glamour Women of the Year include Serena Williams, Pamela Anderson, Olympic stars Suni Lee and Allyson Felix, actors Sydney Sweeney and Taraji P. Henson and abortion activists Hadley Duvall and Kaitlyn Joshua.
Beyonce, ‘Cowboy Carter’ Album: 16 Things You Need to Know
Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album is a massive collaboration that features country, pop, hip-hop, opera and more. Three Country Music Hall of Famers are highlighted among the 10 pairings (on 27 songs).
Here are 16 things you need to know as you listen.
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes