Lea Michele Dishes on Baby Number Two, Mom Emergencies and Her Latest Kohl’s Campaign

Karelle McKay

September 10, 2024 at 11:40 PM·5 min read

A lot has changed for actress and singer Lea Michele since she was named the 2012 Candie’s Girl for Kohl's Spring 2012 multi-media marketing campaign. Sure, at the time, she starred in one of Ryan Murphy’s most popular shows: Glee, which is obviously still talked about to this day. That same year, Michele won a People’s Choice Award for Favorite TV Comedy Actress and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress in a Series, Comedy or Musical for her role as Rachel Berry. Her portrayal of the New Directions member also earned the breakout star nominations for a Golden Globe, Emmy and Teen Choice Award. (NBD.)

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Fast forward to 2024, and the Scream Queen alum’s life has evolved quite a bit. After starring in the hit Broadway show Funny Girl, Michele is now a wife and mother of two. Shortly after tying the knot with her husband, Zandy Reich, in 2019, the couple welcomed their now 4-year-old son—Ever Leo Reich—in August 2020.

Back in March of this year, the Broadway star announced that she and her husband were expecting a baby girl. “Mommy, Daddy and Ever are overjoyed,” she wrote in the Instagram caption, along with a carousel of photos of herself showing off her baby bump. And then, on August 25, Michele announced via Instagram that she had given birth to baby number two.

And yet, there is one thing that hasn’t changed: Michele’s relationship with Kohl’s. This time around, Kohl’s is bringing back the former Candie’s Girl for their brand-new family-focused platform, "Where Families Come First," to highlight authentic family moments.

Just before Michele welcomed her new daughter, Emery Sol Reich, I had the pleasure of sitting down with her to discuss her latest collaboration with Kohl’s in addition to her second pregnancy, mom emergencies, her Candie's Girl days and more.

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During our chat, Michele revealed how “excited” she was to partner with Kohl’s once again on their recent campaign. “I'm so honored and grateful to be a part of the Kohl’s family and to have these two moments of time in my life, sort of like, frozen in time for me. I did my first campaign in 2012—and it was for Candie’s. Now, here I am years later. I’m a wife and a mother now. [So], to have this really special moment of my life encapsulated is really exciting for me.”

The Glee alum went on to share how much her life has changed since her initial Candie's Girl days. She told PureWow, “Back then, I was living in California and working on television. Now here I am, eleven or so years later. I’ve lived back in New York City with my husband and our soon-to-be 4-year-old. And I had the honor of working back on Broadway last year, which is where I first started out in my career. And now, we’re preparing for this new baby. So, my life has really changed a lot. But, I truly could not be more grateful for being where I am and at this stage of my life. Being back at home in NYC, I feel so, so happy and grateful.”

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When I asked her how it feels to be adding a new child to her family, the Funny Girl star smiled and said, “It's definitely something that we’ve wanted for a really long time. When I was pregnant with my son back in 2020, we were in California and it was during the pandemic. So, we were really isolated from everyone. So, to be able to have this second pregnancy experience and to be able to do it at home, surrounded by everyone who loves us has been different.”

As a proud parent, Michele has experienced the joys of motherhood and its…messy moments. At one point during the interview, she recounted the time her son, Ever Leo, had a diaper emergency when he was a toddler. “During the pandemic, my husband and I moved in with my parents for a little while. And we were there with the baby. I had put him in a crib with no clothes for just, like a second, and I turned around and there was poop everywhere.”

At that moment, Michele could only think of one person to call: her mom. “I just remember calling my mom and being like, ‘You have to come over right now and you have to help me,’” she added. “It’s another reason why I am so grateful that my parents and I are so close. It's incredible being a parent. It's challenging. It's messy, it's rewarding. It's all of these things at once—and can't wait to see what this next baby will be like.” (Okay, note to self: Always have my mom on speed dial in case of all baby emergencies.)

And when it comes time for her to buy everything on her newborn baby checklist, Michele is happy to have Kohl’s right by her side. “I am so grateful for Kohl’s having everything that I need for this stage of my life and I can get everything that I need in one place,” she explained. “So, I’m trying to embrace this moment and enjoy as much time as I can with my son before life changes and we go from a family of three to a family of four.”

Keep scrolling to see some of Lea's favorites from Kohl's (for mother and baby).