Joanna Gaines Gets Emotional About Daughter Ella Going to College: ‘Still Raw’

Joanna Gaines is still working through her daughter Ella leaving for her first year of college. The former HGTV star admitted it’s “still raw” for her and much different than when her son went to school.

Joanna Gaines Is Emotional About Daughter Ella Leaving for College

During an August 19 appearance on the “Today” show, Gaines gave an update about how her kids are doing.

“The kids are good. I have my oldest son [Drake, 20], now a junior in college,” she explained. “I feel like I’m getting the hang of it. Every time he leaves, it’s not as hard.”

Gaines is finding it’s not as easy with her 18-year-old daughter, Ella, going to college, however.

“She left last week. So it’s, like, still raw. And it feels different because she went further and she’s my girl,” the “Magnolia Table” star said. “So I thought ‘Oh, I have this down with Drake’ … It’s totally different.”

As for her daughter’s college dorm room, Gaines said she wasn’t involved in the decorating. “She is very into design and she has her own unique style, so I stepped back,” she explained. “And I let her do the whole thing. So it was really what she wanted.”

On August 14, Gaines took to Instagram to share a photo of her daughter’s bags packed for school. “Our little girl, all grown up,” she wrote in the caption.

Joanna Gaines Shared the Special Graduation Gifts She Gave Her Kids

In an August 2025 interview with Delish, Gaines shared how she gave each of her kids a personalized graduation gift that involved food.

“I remember when [Drake] left, I did a card of [his favorite meals]. It was a two-sided index card that he still has at his desk,” she explained.

The card is a promise that she’ll “drive down” to make one of the meals personally, or the child can “come home” for a home-cooked meal.

She explained, “I’m already working on that list for Elle. I have it on my phone [with] like, her favorite dessert. I am just trying to think of all the things over the years so that when she’s missing me, I will get my butt on a plane and go there so fast.”

The “Magnolia Table” star added, “That is truly the connection in our family: Food. It’s mama’s cooking … Anytime you come home, I will cook for you.”