Leaning on her inner circle. Priyanka Chopra Jonas opened up about hoping to “surround” baby Malti with strong women while raising her daughter with husband Nick Jonas.
“I was raised by a working mother and father and … you just kind of [juggle everything],” the 40-year-old actress exclusively told Us Weekly in this week’s Most Powerful Women issue while promoting her series Citadel. “You rely on the community around you. I was raised by my grandmom, my grandparents when my mom and dad would be at work. And we do the same [for Malti].”
The Baywatch star and Jonas, 30, welcomed their first child via surrogate in January 2022. The couple, who tied the knot in 2018, later revealed via Instagram in May 2022 that their little one spent “100 plus days in the NICU” after her arrival.
Priyanka Chopra and her daughter Malti Marie Chopra Jonas. Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
As they adjust to balancing parenthood with their busy schedules, Chopra Jonas and the “Sucker” artist have turned to their families for support. “My mom’s around, Nick’s parents come in when we have to travel,” she told Us. “Both of us have to travel, but you kind of make it work. It takes a village and she’s the greatest gift of our lives.”
Chopra Jonas confessed that she has “had to reduce [her] pace” in some aspects of her career since becoming a mom. “Like, I cannot do as many things as I used to,” she explained. “Because I like to get home for bath time. I like to be there when she wakes up. Those are things that are important to me. … So I can’t do as much, but still, you figure it out, you know?”
Priyanka Chopra Jonas. MediaPunch/Shutterstock
The Quantico alum is already a strong role model for young women around the globe — but she hopes to set an example for Malti first and foremost. “My mother was [and] is someone I tremendously admire because she led by example,” she gushed to Us. “I’ve had extremely amazing female influences in my life, in my family, in my friends and I intend to surround her by that as well.”
Since bringing their little girl home from the hospital, Chopra Jonas and the Camp Rock actor have kept her relatively out of the spotlight. In January, Malti joined her parents as the Jonas Brothers — Nick, Joe Jonas and Kevin Jonas — received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. That same month, Chopra Jonas gave a rare glimpse at her life at home with the infant.
“It’s been 20 years of hustling and working at breakneck speed. I’ve always been like, ‘What’s the next thing?’” she said in an interview with British Vogue. “But now I feel I have a center, a sense of calm, because every decision ends up being about [Malti].”
The former Miss World winner added that her priorities have slightly shifted, noting, “I want her to be able to look back and be proud of my choices. I want to do right by her. … There’s really nothing more satisfying than seeing her face as soon as her eyes open.”
Chopra Jonas went on to praise her husband for being a steady source of support throughout their path to parenthood. “He’s a wise man beyond his years,” she told the outlet. “I get affirmations from him all the time, to remind me of my value when I forget or when I get insecure. He just sees through the fog for me. He sees the best in people.”
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With reporting by Leanne Aciz Stanton