Chrissy Teigen and John Legend Spoke About Grief After Losing Baby Jack

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend opened up about grief in their first joint interview since losing their son, Jack, when Teigen suffered a miscarriage.

los angeles, california january 26 chrissy teigen and john legend attend the 62nd annual grammy awards at staples center on january 26, 2020 in los angeles, california photo by axellebauer griffinfilmmagic
(Image credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin)

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend spoke candidly about grief in their first joint interview since losing their son, Jack, in Teigen's second trimester of pregnancy in September. Appearing on Good Morning America, they discussed their methods of coping with loss and reflected on the vast public support they've received.

"I definitely give myself permission to feel complete and utter grief," Teigen said. "Every day is so different. So when people ask me how I'm doing I always say I'm OK—today." She received "thousands of letters" from well-wishers after sharing her loss, she revealed. "It's so painful to go through something like this as a woman—something that was inside your body that you were nurturing and taking care of," she said. "Obviously there's a father involved, and the support for the both of us has just been so beautiful, so incredible."

"I didn't know that we could experience this grief and also share it, but when we did it really meant so much to so many people," Legend said. "And it was such a powerful experience for me to learn that. I'm just grateful that my wife was courageous enough to do it."

"This has been a lonely time for so many people because we're all separated physically in so many ways, and just the outpouring of people's love and concern for us has truly been heartening and lifting for us," Legend continued. Teigen added, "The world is inherently good. I believe people are inherently good, and it's shown itself."

Teigen and Legend also spoke about the heartbreaking photos they shared on social media, depicting their devastation after losing their son. "I don't care if you were offended or disgusted. I understand it could be that way for people," Teigen said. "It was designed for the people that were hurting, and John was very uncomfortable taking them."

"She felt like, really, that one of the ways we would carry on Jack's memory was taking pictures of that moment," Legend said. "I was like, 'I don't want to, like, commemorate this pain.' But the crazy thing about having a miscarriage is you don't walk away with anything. You have this emptiness, and we wanted to take the photos so that we had something to remember."

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los angeles, california january 26 chrissy teigen and john legend attend the 62nd annual grammy awards at staples center on january 26, 2020 in los angeles, california photo by axellebauer griffinfilmmagic

(Image credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin)
Emily Dixon
Morning Editor

Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.