Nikki Reed’s greatest joy: ‘watching my daughter run through the dirt’ barefoot


Nikki Reed has a new interview with People Magazine talking about her life on a farm somewhere in rural California, it’s unclear exactly where. Nikki talks mostly about being in nature and her daughter with Ian Somerhalder, Bodhi, four, experiencing that lifestyle. Nikki and Ian have been married since April, 2015 and moved to the country sometime in late 2019 I’m assuming, given that they listed their house in Venice Beach in October, 2019. I’m getting weird vibes from this People story, mainly because Nikki talks about her decision to move as a personal one and doesn’t mention Ian much. That could just be what People excerpted and it might not mean much. Here’s some of that interview:

“[Having a child] was a turning point for me,” she says. “I made a conscious choice to give my child the most normal life possible.”

That meant moving to a farm “very far outside the city” where they raise goats, cows, dogs and horses, and grow lavender and rosemary alongside cucumbers and peppers.

“It felt like a relief, moving out of the city,” Reed says. “I promise that if anybody wants a feeling of ease, of peace, of calm, the answer is nature.”

At their farm, the now-4-year-old Bodhi is “learning to grow things, getting your hands dirty in the soil,” Reed says.

“My greatest joy is watching my daughter run through the dirt with her shoes off,” she says.

And it makes a huge impact on Reed’s mental health, who now spends her days cuddling her cows, riding horses and growing tomatoes in the yard.

“Nature is the best form of therapy,” she says. “And it’s instant — you don’t have to spend six months in nature before you feel it. Go on a hike and release endorphins. Look at a tree instead of the blue light on your phone. All of our souls need a dose of that kind of medicine.”

Now busy with life on the farm, Reed has taken a step back from her acting career, but has started a nature-inspired jewelry company, BaYou with Love, and is designing a line of shoes for vegan sneaker company Løci.

“It was a very scary pivot for me to leave the only career I had ever known, that I had worked in since I was 13, to try something new,” she says. “But I learned a lot about what’s important to me. A lot of things that came with a Hollywood lifestyle, there isn’t synergy with the priorities I now have in my life and with the people I want to surround myself with.”

[From People]

You see what I’m saying about her not mentioning Ian at all? At the end she’s quoted as saying “Peace, calm, plants, animals — this is what keeps us healthy” but it’s like the royal “us” and doesn’t necessarily mean her family. (Also I hope she includes doctors and vaccinations in there, but I doubt it.) I checked Nikki and Ian’s Instagrams and Nikki posted a magazine cover photo she took of Ian in March and she wished him happy birthday in December. Ian’s last post for her was in October of last year. I’m getting weird vibes like I said.

Whatever is going on with Nikki and Ian, their life on the farm looks idyllic. I agree that it’s healing to get out in nature and now that I love hiking I wonder why it took so long for me to give it a chance. I don’t agree that it’s the best form of therapy though, it’s just *a* form of therapy. The best forms of therapy are cognitive behavioral or rational emotive, but those are expensive.

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19 Responses to “Nikki Reed’s greatest joy: ‘watching my daughter run through the dirt’ barefoot”

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  1. Jensies says:

    Just to say, there are a lot of good types of therapy beyond CBT and REBT mentioned here. Somatic, mindfulness, DBT, equine, internal family systems, just to name a few. The right kind is the kind that works for you. Research has overwhelmingly shown that the type of therapy matters less than the attunement with the therapist. And most therapists are integrative and use several types anyway. So you don’t just need to look for those (behavioral) types, look for a therapist who seems to have your values and you think you’d vibe with.

  2. BB says:

    I love nature too but this seems a little performative, especially with the pictures.
    Also the kid on a horse like that is not a good idea.
    But good for them I guess.

    • kerfuffles says:

      OMG my first thought too about the child on the horse. I’m not a mom and am not playing the mommy police here. But I’ve ridden horses much of my life and one of the big rules is you never get on horse or put anyone else on a horse BACKWARDS.

  3. Call Me Mabel says:

    I think it’s beautiful that Nikki can give her daughter a life like that, but it isn’t really any more “normal” than growing up living the Hollywood lifestyle. I don’t think having cows to cuddle and horses to ride is a common childhood experience. It *should* be, but I wouldn’t use the word normal to describe it. Peaceful, different, mindful, rural, rustic, etc. I’m just splitting hairs over ‘normal’. I’m happy to debate it though.

    (Please debate it. Let’s please debate Nikki Reed’s little house on the prairie instead of thinking about Texas. For a few minutes. Please.)

    • Rhea says:

      Mabel – I agree! I always laugh when celebrities experience something new to them and need to teach us plebes about it. And while selling us something, to boot!

  4. FHMom says:

    She and her horse are color coordinated. Lol I hope she is okay and happy. Ian gives major douche vibes, so if they are over, then good for her. Is she promoting anything? Her jewelry line?

  5. Luna17 says:

    I’ve always thought they weren’t gonna last long. He seemed so set on kids (he trashed her BC…) and that was always a weird story to me how pushy he was with her. I bet he wants/Ed more and she either doesn’t or they are on the rocks.

  6. Angela says:

    She should have run as soon as he tampered with her birth control.

  7. likethedirection says:

    Yeah any time a story comes up about her all I can think about is Ian flushing her BC down the toilet and her telling it like it was some adorable anecdote…

    • Call Me Mabel says:

      To be fair, if your man flushes your pills down the toilet, you can just not have sex with him or not have unprotected sex (assuming there is no coercion involved) .

  8. Mabs A'Mabbin says:

    Yeah normal doesn’t equal land and animals lmao.

  9. Lika says:

    I’m here for barefoot! Shoeless times are great, weather and terrain allowing. Minimalist shoes the rest of the time. It’s delightful!

    • Twin Falls says:

      I’m a big fan of being barefoot outside and you’d be surprised (or maybe not but I was) at the number of people who think that’s weird.

      • Lila says:

        I believe it! The number of people that comment, even when it’s something tiny, like gardening in my own front yard, amazes me.

  10. what's inside says:

    Sounds like they are done due to basic differences.

  11. A.Key says:

    Normal for people with money yeah. The average person can’t really afford to have an estate with animals. Good for her though, if I had the money I’d do the same.