Emily Maynard, known for her role on “The Bachelorette,” is now celebrating a new milestone as her oldest daughter, Ricki Hendrick, embraces motherhood.

The spotlight turned to Hendrick in August 2025 when she announced her pregnancy at just 20 years old. By January 2026, she shared the joyous news of her baby’s arrival, posting a heartfelt hospital photo to confirm her new role as a mother.

“Best day ever,” she expressed in her Instagram post, capturing the emotion of the moment.

Maynard has never missed an opportunity to express her pride and affection for her daughter, frequently sharing her admiration publicly.

While many anticipate becoming grandparents later in life, some, like Maynard, find themselves joining the ranks of youthful grandparents. This exclusive club includes notable figures such as Whoopi Goldberg, Jim Carrey, and Mick Jagger, who all welcomed grandparenthood before turning 55. Now, in January 2026, Emily Maynard happily joins their ranks.

“Ricki, you are beautiful inside and out and I’m just so happy that God picked me to be your mommy,” Maynard wrote via Instagram in July 2021 on her eldest daughter’s birthday. “You are more precious than all the rubies!”

Scroll down to get to know Maynard’s daughter Ricki — and see how much she’s grown since her mom made a name for herself on The Bachelor in 2011:

Ricki Is Named After Her Late Father

Maynard was engaged to race car driver Ricky Hendrick when he died in an airplane accident in October 2004. He was 24 years old. After his death, Maynard learned she was pregnant with their first child.

Maynard, who was 19 years old at the time, gave birth to daughter Josephine Riddick Hendrick in June 2005, whom she calls Ricki or “Ki” in honor of her late fiancé.

She Was Featured on ‘The Bachelor’

When Maynard made her reality TV debut in 2011 while competing for Brad Womack’s heart on The Bachelor, she made it clear Ricki was her No. 1 priority. After mentioning her little girl for weeks, Ricki was featured on the reality show during Maynard’s hometown visit. At the time Ricki was 5 years old and shy when she was introduced to Womack.

Although Maynard received Womack’s final rose, the pair eventually called it quits. Maynard was then chosen as the Bachelorette for season 8 of the spinoff and her life as a single mom raising Ricki was a central topic. Ricki was 6 years old when The Bachelorette was filmed. Maynard got engaged to Jef Holm during her finale, but the couple broke up three months after filming in 2012.

“I wish that I would’ve kept [my time on The Bachelor and Bachelorette] totally separate [from Ricki],” Maynard confessed during a December 2017 episode of People’s “Celeb Parents Get Real” podcast. “At the time, I thought, ‘This is it,’ and I never would’ve brought her into it had I not thought that. So I wish that I maybe would’ve taken a step back. Maybe sheltered her from that a little bit more.”

She Goes to College in Florida

Maynard revealed in her 2023 Christmas card, shared via Instagram, that her eldest child would be attending Palm Beach Atlantic University beginning the next year. Ricki has since posted photos of her time in Florida, including beach pictures in February and going to a local pub in April.

She Is 1 of 6 Children

Ricki is the only child of Maynard and Hendrick, but she became a big sister after her mom married Tyler Johnson in June 2014. Maynard and Johnson have welcomed five children together: Jennings, Gibson, Gatlin, Magnolia and Jones in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020 and 2022, respectively.

“I can’t leave them,” Ricki wrote via Instagram in June 2024, sharing a photo with two of her younger brothers before she left home for college. “Bringing him to Florida,” she captioned another sibling snap the next month.