CNN —
Parenting can be difficult, even for music legends.
Singer Gloria Estefan opened up to Wallace in a new episode of the HBO Max and CNN series Who’s Talking To Chris Wallace? that she was reluctant to let her daughter Emily come to live with her grandmother before she died. (CNN and HBO Max share parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.)
In 2020, Estefan and Emily spoke about the conflict on Red Table Talk: The Estefans. At the time, Estefan explained her reasoning, noting that she was not ashamed but had warned Emily about her actions out of concern for her mother’s health. She has since apologized to Emily.
“I told her to take it slow,” she told Wallace. “Don’t just sit her down and say boom. Give her a minute to process it.”
Estefan shared additional details about her decision to go public with what happened.
“In the Latin American community, many of these topics are not touched upon, they are taboo. People see it, but they don’t want to talk about it, they don’t want to see it,” Estefan said. “And the whole point of those 20 episodes was that I have all these people who have loved and supported me over the years. And I want them to realize that we’re all just families trying to get through the difficult moments in life.”
Estefan has since received “countless” letters from fans saying the show helped them come out to their parents too, she said.
“Life is complicated. Life is tough,” Estefan said. “And we wanted to share those things with people so they realize these are conversations we need to have. And it was really wonderful. The response.”
Estefan applauded her daughter, who is also a singer, and praised her strong will. The industry is now more difficult for young musicians, she said, but Emily is determined – she even features on Estefan’s new album Estefan Family Christmas.
“All I’ve ever told her is to do what you’re passionate about. You have to do what makes you happy,” said Estefan. “And she does.”