What To Know
- Joanna Gaines shared a humorous story about her son Drake texting her with a funny cooking question.
- Drake is the eldest of Joanna and Chip Gaines’ five children, including Ella, Duke, Emmie, and Crew.
- Joanna previously opened up about sending two of her kids off for their third and first years of college.
Chip and Joanna Gaines‘ eldest son, Drake, may be all grown up, but he still relies on his parents for important life questions.
The HGTV and Magnolia Network stars share five children: Drake, Ella, Duke, Emmie, and Crew. While Drake is preparing to enter his senior year of college at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, Joanna revealed that he recently reached out to her with a funny question about how to cook a meal on his own.
“Who was the last person I texted? My son, Drake,” Joanna shared in an Instagram video shared by MasterClass on Wednesday, July 8. “[He said,] ‘Mom, I’m scared.’ Second text, ‘I’m making chicken.’ Third text, ‘I think I’m gonna accidentally poison myself.’ Fourth text, ‘How do I make chicken?’”
Rather than text him back, Joanna decided to give Drake a call. “I didn’t want him to get food poisoning,” she quipped.
Fans reacted to Joanna’s relatable parenting story in the post’s comments. “You’d think Drake would have a copy of his mama’s cookbook, lol,” one person joked, referring to the multiple cookbooks the Fixer Upper star has published over the years. Another person wrote, “I’ve Had very familiar texts with my grown son.”
Drake is one of Chip and Joanna’s two children currently in college. Back in August 2025, Joanna got sentimental about sending off Drake and Ella for their third and first years of college, respectively.
“They told me it would go by quicker than I think. That the days are slow but the years are fast. And darn it if they were right. This beautiful gift of time has roared past us all just like I was told,” she wrote alongside an Instagram photo of moving boxes. “My oldest son left for his third year of college while my oldest daughter packs for her first year across the country.”
She continued, “This season already feels like one big, breathless surrender. Lord, how do I hold them close while also letting go? Help me to embrace change with a heart filled with hope for the part I know to be truer than the rest — my kids and I may have been made for each other, but I also believe they were made for more. More experiences, more knowledge, more growing than could ever happen within our walls.”
Joanna ended her message by sharing a message to other parents going through similar experiences. “To all the parents packing up and moving kids to new places, and to all those with years still to spare: hold them close, hold them well, and let’s all lean on each other when the time comes to hold it together.”
Earlier this year, Joanna celebrated another of her kids’ milestones by making floral bouquets for her son Duke’s prom group. “P R O M 2 0 2 6. Nothing like hanging in the garden all day for prom prep with some sweet mamas,” she wrote alongside an Instagram video of the high schoolers gathering at the Gaines’ house to take photos. “When the kids showed up they were gracious to let us take a million pics of them.”