Boris Kodjoe Says Being an Empty Nester with Nicole Ari Parker Is the ‘Best Thing in the World’ After Initial ‘Hard’ Months
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Boris Kodjoe is sharing what life is like since his now-adult children have all left the house
The Station 19 alum shared he and wife Nicole Ari Parker are enjoying their time as empty nesters calling it “the best thing in the world”
Kodjoe and Parker began dating after meeting on the set of Soul Food in the early 2000s and got married in Kodjoe’s hometown of Gundelfingen, Germany in 2005
Boris Kodjoe is opening up about life with Nicole Ari Parker since their now-adult children have left the house.
The Station 19 alum, 52, recently spoke with daytime talk show host Jennifer Hudson during a recent episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show about how he and the And Just Like That… actress, 55, transitioned into empty nesters. Kodjoe, who’s a father to son Nicolas and daughter Sophie, shared that the first few months was challenging, but now it’s “the best thing in the world.”
“First of all, the first couple months are going to be really hard. I was depressed. I was sad for four months. I would, you know, sleep in their bed at night. The dogs were depressed because the energy changes,” he explained. “You got to remember for 20 years, you raised these humans and there’s noise in the house and dancing and laughing and screaming and all of a sudden it’s super quiet.”
“So, Nicole and I had to get used to that first, but now is the best thing in the world. Look, you rediscover each other. You rediscover who you are. What is your identity?” I have continued. “And we get to do all these great things together. Go on all these adventures together. Be naked together. We don’t have to lock doors anymore. So, don’t be scared.”
The actors became parents for the first time when they welcomed their daughter, Sophie, in March 2005. The following fall, their family was completed with the birth of their son Nicolas in October 2006. Becoming a father changed everything for Kodjoe.
“Once you become a parent, you’re introduced to a whole new level of emotion,” he told PEOPLE in 2007. “I want to do well and conquer the world for them, like Superman. It’s as if a whole new chamber in my heart has opened up.”
Although the family had no shortage of love, there were learning moments along the way. As an infant, Sophie was diagnosed with spina bifida, a condition that occurs when the spine and spinal cord don’t form properly, according to the Mayo Clinic. The proud parents had to quickly learn how to care for a child with a disability, and it inspired them to start a charity, now called the Kodjoe Family Foundation.
Decades later, both Sophie and Nicolas are healthy and thriving, and the actors feel “lucky.”
“To me, my family is beautiful because everyone is kind,” Boris told PEOPLE in 2019 for The Beautiful Issue. “They’re compassionate, they’re considerate.”
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The Hollywood couple brought their two children to the New York City premiere of And Just Like That… on Wednesday, May 21. Parker can be seen wearing a glittery gold dress on the red carpet, posing next to her husband, who wore a black suit and smiled next to his wife.
Sophie smiled next to her mom, putting an arm around her as she stood in front of her brother. Nicholas wore a peach-colored suit and red sunglasses, posing with his hands tucked into his pockets.
In 2024, for Mother’s Day, Parker spoke with PEOPLE about motherhood and shared that becoming a parent has been one of the greatest gifts she’s received.
“I think that moms in all figures, we just get a download of something intuitive about what a child needs and when they need it,” Parker told PEOPLE. “And even if we’re not perfect, even if we do things wrong, there’s something about a woman’s wisdom that I think just kicks in when we have to care for someone.”
“And I just really love being a mom. It was very difficult at certain times, like any mom will tell you in terms of time management, self-care, doing the right thing, saying it in the right way, but I just feel like this was the greatest gift I could have ever been given.”
Read the original article on People
