Does Tess Holliday Have Kids? 2 Sons

The Short Answer: Two Sons

Yes, Tess Holliday has two children, both sons. Her eldest, Rylee, was born in 2005, when Holliday was just 20 years old. Her younger son, Bowie Juniper Holliday, was born in June 2016, when she was 31 and at the peak of her modeling fame. As of October 2026, Rylee is 21 and Bowie is 10.

The 11-year gap tells the story of two lifetimes: Rylee was born to a struggling young mother in Mississippi, years before anyone knew the name Tess Holliday. Bowie was born to a famous model whose pregnancy was international news, complete with maternity shoots and think pieces about plus-size pregnancy.

Holliday has been candid about both experiences: the shame and struggle of teen motherhood, and the scrutiny of famous motherhood. Through it all, she's framed her kids as her motivation for the body-positivity movement she leads: she wants them to grow up in a world kinder than the one she found.

Rylee: The Son Born in 2005

Rylee, born in 2005, is Holliday's eldest. She was 20, living in Mississippi, working and struggling, when he arrived. She's described those years as the hardest of her life: a young mother with big dreams and no resources, facing judgment for her age, her size, and her ambitions.

Now 21, Rylee has grown up alongside his mother's entire career arc: from obscurity to the cover of People to international fame. He's stayed almost entirely out of the public eye, and Holliday has been protective of his privacy, sharing little about his adult life.

Their bond, by her account, is the foundation of everything: the boy who made her a mother before she was ready, and the young man she's now unspeakably proud of.

Bowie Juniper: The Son Born in 2016

Bowie Juniper Holliday, born in June 2016, arrived at the height of Holliday's fame. His father is Nick Holliday, the Australian artist Holliday married in 2015 (divorced 2020). The pregnancy was major news: a size-22 model proudly displaying her bump challenged every convention about pregnancy and body image.

Now 10, Bowie has grown up in Los Angeles, the child of a famous mother, with a childhood dramatically different from his brother's. Holliday has shared glimpses of their life: a creative, confident kid being raised with the body-positive values his mother preaches.

The name Bowie Juniper reflects Holliday's artistic sensibilities: distinctive, joyful, and entirely their own.

Relationships: Nick Holliday and Beyond

Holliday married Australian artist Nick Holliday in 2015, taking his surname professionally (she was born Ryann Maegen Hoven). Bowie, born 2016, is their child together. The marriage ended in divorce in 2020.

Since the divorce, Holliday has kept her romantic life private. She's spoken about dating as a famous plus-size mother of two with her characteristic candor, but no long-term public partner has emerged in the 2020s.

Her focus, by her own account, is her kids and her work: the modeling, the Eff Your Beauty Standards movement, and raising two boys to be kind in a cruel industry.

Who Is Tess Holliday? A Quick Biography

Born Ryann Maegen Hoven on July 5, 1985, in Laurel, Mississippi, Holliday was told throughout her teens that she'd never model at her size. She moved to Los Angeles, worked as a makeup artist, and built a following on social media, where her Eff Your Beauty Standards campaign went viral.

In 2015, she became the first size-22 model signed to a major agency (MiLK Model Management), a landmark moment covered worldwide. She followed it with a People magazine cover, a memoir (The Not So Subtle Art of Being a Fat Girl, 2017), and a career as fashion's most prominent body-diversity advocate.

Her career hasn't been without controversy: industry feuds, debates about health and representation, and the constant scrutiny of being a fat woman in fashion. She's weathered it all with the same defiance that got her signed.

Tess Holliday in 2026

As of October 2026, Holliday is 41, a mother of two sons aged 21 and 10, still modeling, still advocating, still controversial, still here. Rylee's adulthood and Bowie's childhood give her the full spectrum of motherhood at once.

The body-positivity movement she helped launch has evolved, fractured, and partially been absorbed by the mainstream, but Holliday remains one of its most recognizable faces. Her kids, she's said, are why she started and why she continues: so they'll inherit a kinder world.

Two sons, eleven years apart, two lifetimes in one family. That's Tess Holliday at 41.

Tess Holliday: Quick Facts

Does Tess Holliday have kids? Yes, two sons: Rylee (born 2005, age 21) and Bowie Juniper Holliday (born June 2016, age 10). Who are the fathers? Bowie's father is ex-husband Nick Holliday (married 2015-2020); Rylee's father is from an earlier relationship. How old is Tess Holliday? 41, born July 5, 1985, in Laurel, Mississippi, as Ryann Maegen Hoven. What is she famous for? The first size-22 model signed to a major agency (2015); Eff Your Beauty Standards; People cover; body-positivity pioneer.

Eff Your Beauty Standards: The Movement

In 2013, Tess Holliday started Eff Your Beauty Standards on Instagram, a body-positivity campaign that went viral. At the time, she was a makeup artist and aspiring model being told she was too big, too short, too tattooed. The campaign's message, beauty has no size limit, resonated with millions.

In 2015, she became the first size-22 model signed to a major agency (MiLK Model Management), a landmark covered worldwide. A People magazine cover followed, then the memoir The Not So Subtle Art of Being a Fat Girl (2017).

Her career hasn't been without controversy: industry feuds, health debates, the constant scrutiny of being fat in fashion. But she's weathered it with the defiance that got her signed. Born Ryann Maegen Hoven on July 5, 1985, in Laurel, Mississippi, she's now 41 and still here: modeling, advocating, mothering two boys (Rylee, 21; Bowie Juniper, 10).

Motherhood at 20 and 31

Holliday's two motherhoods couldn't be more different. Rylee, born in 2005, arrived when she was 20, struggling in Mississippi, facing judgment for her age and her ambitions. She's described those years as the hardest of her life: a young mother with big dreams and no resources.

Bowie Juniper Holliday, born June 2016, arrived at the height of her fame, with ex-husband Nick Holliday (married 2015, divorced 2020). The pregnancy was international news: a size-22 model proudly displaying her bump, challenging every convention about pregnancy and body image.

Now 41, with a 21-year-old and a 10-year-old, Holliday frames her kids as her motivation: she wants them to grow up in a world kinder than the one she found. The movement, the modeling, the memoir, it's all for them.

Mississippi Roots and the Road Out

Ryann Maegen Hoven was born July 5, 1985, in Laurel, Mississippi, and told throughout her teens that she'd never model at her size. She moved to Los Angeles, worked as a makeup artist, and built a social media following that became Eff Your Beauty Standards.

Her son Rylee was born in 2005, when she was 20, long before fame. Those Mississippi years, struggling, young, ambitious, shaped everything: the defiance, the work ethic, the refusal to be told no.

Now 41, with Rylee (21) and Bowie Juniper (10, with ex-husband Nick Holliday), she's still modeling, still advocating. The Mississippi girl who was told she'd never make it became the woman who changed the industry's mind.

The People Cover and Mainstream Breakthrough

In 2015, Tess Holliday landed the cover of People magazine, a landmark moment: the first size-22 model on the cover of America's biggest weekly. The issue celebrated her MiLK Model Management signing and her Eff Your Beauty Standards movement.

The cover made her mainstream: talk shows, documentaries, brand deals. She became fashion's most prominent body-diversity advocate, a role she's held through controversy and change.

Her memoir, The Not So Subtle Art of Being a Fat Girl (2017), told the full story: Laurel, Mississippi, teen motherhood (Rylee, born 2005), the move to LA, the rise. Now 41, with Rylee (21) and Bowie Juniper (10), she's still here: modeling, mothering, advocating.

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