Former Miss Universe and fashion influencer Olivia Culpo has opened up about her experience with postpartum emotional vulnerability. Culpo welcomed her daughter, Colette Annalise McCaffrey, with her husband, Christian McCaffrey (49ers RB), on July 13, 2025. In an unfiltered moment, Culpo shared her recent struggles with unexplained crying while already suffering from fragility surrounding her unexpected identity shift. A message that cuts deeper into the struggles of motherhood.

Culpo’s Instagram story featured a vulnerable moment with her dog, Oliver, and her newborn daughter, accompanied by an honest text that read, “Emo me two weeks postpartum. Crying every day over Oliver… Little did I know everything would be fine and both my babies would be best friends. You never know what’s going to bring you down postpartum. Sometimes you get sad about things that seem tiny or don’t even make sense. If you’re in that vulnerable, weird spot right now, it’s OK. Be gentle with yourself and consider this a big hug from me to you ❤️❤️❤️❤️”

Culpo’s experience aligns with what medical professionals call postpartum blues (also called baby blues), a distinct condition that affects the majority of new mothers, but it only lasts for a couple of weeks.​

Beyond Culpo, other NFL partners are dismantling the polished façade of celebrity motherhood. Kylie Kelce, wife of retired NFL player Jason Kelce, has been particularly candid about postpartum realities on her podcast Not Gonna Lie. She challenged the absurdity of advice to “sleep while the baby sleeps,” emphasizing that bonding doesn’t always happen immediately. She also revealed during an interview with Alex Cooper on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast that postpartum is “one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my whole life.”

Even Culpo has been quite vocal about her transformation into her “mom era.” In an exclusive interview with Parents magazine, she reflected, “I also have a new appreciation for women in general. For those really trying to do it all. I have so much respect.”

She also has been remarkably transparent about her parenting approach with Christian McCaffrey, describing their complementary styles: “Christian is such a natural dad and so hands-on and patient. Our parenting styles balance each other really well. He brings this steady, grounding energy, while I tend to be more detail-oriented and organized.”

Culpo, who has always been ambitious and career-focused, has also spoken on how the transition required reevaluating her priorities.

Olivia Culpo opens up about the challenges of balancing motherhood and career

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model revealed that this new chapter brought about a “little bit of an identity crisis.” She shared how motherhood led her to question not just her daily routines but also her core sense of self.

Speaking candidly on an October episode of The Squeeze podcast, Olivia Culpo described the intense transition that parenthood demands. She explained, “There’s totally a shift… Whether or not you want there to be or not, you have somebody that’s physically dependent on you. So, I’m not going to sugarcoat it: Yeah, it’s scary.”

As someone who has been deeply career-focused and ambitious for many years, Olivia admitted her concerns about balancing motherhood alongside her professional life, calling herself “kind of a worry wart,” but acknowledging that such feelings are common during this phase.
Despite the challenges, Olivia credits her strong support system, especially her husband, for allowing her to maintain a sense of balance.

Reflecting on this, she said, “I’m so grateful that I have my husband because while I’m totally working and doing everything in my power to keep working, and I’m happy to have the opportunities that I have, without his support, I wouldn’t have the same motivation.”

Olivia is joyfully embracing motherhood while continuing her career trajectory. In August 2025, she was announced as the host of Netflix’s Next Gen Chef, a high-profile cooking competition series. Rather than viewing this as conflicting with motherhood, she has framed motherhood as infusing her work with new meaning.