Giada De Laurentiis Moves Daughter Jade into College Dorm in Emotional Post: ‘It Takes a Village’

Chiara KimMon, August 31, 2026 at 3:38 PM UTC

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Giada de Laurentiis and loved ones moved her daughter Jade into her college dormCredit: Giada De Laurentiis/Instagram -

Giada De Laurentiis shared emotional moments moving her daughter Jade into her New York University dorm

The chef was joined by ex-husband Todd Thompson and boyfriend Shane Farley to support Jade’s college move-in

De Laurentiis previously reflected on the bittersweet transition as Jade, her only child, begins this new chapter

Giada De Laurentiis is officially sending her daughter off to college.

The Giadzy founder, 56, shared a look into her daughter Jade’s college dorm room at New York University (NYU) in an emotional sendoff post on Instagram on Aug. 28.

In the post, De Laurentiis shared an image of Jade, 18, sitting on her dorm bed holding Radiohead’s In Rainbows record and smiling. The lofted bed also had a Fleetwood Mac record lying on it next to Jade.

The second image shows De Laurentiis, her boyfriend Shane Farley and her ex-husband Todd Thompson, along with another woman, posing for a photo as Jade sits on her bed, smiling.

The former Food Network star also included a video of the unpacking process, as she crouched down to help Jade with a suitcase full of clothes.

The pair are surrounded by the video by half-unpacked drawers and dorm furniture.

In the final image of the post, De Laurentiis and her daughter, along with Farley, Thompson and another woman, smile for a selfie at a restaurant.

“It takes a village.. my heart❤️,” De Laurentiis captioned her post, which she set to the song “End of August” by Noah Kahan.

On Aug. 26, De Laurentiis also shared a “home movie by” Farley as the group started the move.

In the video, which was taken in a car on the way to the airport, Farley films De Laurentiis and Jade

“Giada, how are you feeling?” he asks the chef.

“Excited for Jadey,” De Laurentiis replies.

Farley asks Jade how she is feeling, and she replies, “Excited and nervous.”

He then captures De Laurentiis and Jade at the airport and boarding a flight to New York City.

De Laurentiis helped her daughter unpack her bagsCredit: Giada De Laurentiis/Instagram

“And so it begins… home movie by @shanefarley, to document the beginning of Jade’s big adventure. Here we go!! 😭😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️,” De Laurentiis captioned the video.

De Laurentiis shared a sendoff to her daughter on Aug. 9, posting shots with her, Jade and Thompson posing on a balcony overlooking a beach at a celebration for Jade.

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“Celebrating our girl yesterday before we send her off… we are sooo proud of you,” De Laurentiis captioned the post. “It’s time to go to college! 😭❤️.”

A video in the post shows De Laurentiis thanking her loved ones for supporting the co-parents in getting Jade to this point in her life.

“She’s an awesome kid,” she said, before taking Thompson and Jade into a “group hug.”

The chef revealed to PEOPLE in January that Jade is attending New York University. She opened up about the change in her role as a mother as Jade was going to school.

De Laurentiis and loved ones celebrated Jade’s move-in to collegeCredit: Giada De Laurentiis/Instagram

“It’s really exciting, but I think it’s also incredibly emotional because everything I do with her I feel like is one of the last times I’m going to do it in this way,” she said. “I know people are like, ‘Yeah, but they come home for the holidays.’ But it’s different. They don’t live in your house anymore.”

She said, “I’m not here day-to-day the way that it has been for 18 years, and so that’s a huge change.”

“I only have one kid, so I’m one and done. So I think it’s emotional, exciting, all wrapped up in one, and it’s a lot to navigate through,” she added.

However, De Laurentiis revealed that she already had ideas about how to stay close.

“She’s going to NYU and I have an apartment in New York and I’m thinking of buying a house somewhere outside the city, maybe in the Hamptons, just so it doesn’t look like I’m going to hang out with her, looking to hang out with her, but I’m there in case she needs anything,” she said.

The past year has been full of milestones for the mother, from Jade’s senior prom to her 18th birthday.

“I blinked and woke up with an 18 year old this morning 😭,” De Laurentiis shared in an Instagram tribute to her daughter.

“Your wit, kindness, beauty, laughter, I am forever in awe of who you have become,” she wrote to Jade. “You are my greatest gift- I love you more than you will ever know! Happy birthday Jadeyy!!!!”

The post included images and videos from the pair’s trip to St. Barts, including beach trips and fine dining.

Last December, De Laurentiis shared a video of the moment Jade got accepted into NYU.

The mother-daughter duo jumped and screamed when Jade opened the letter, with De Laurentiis wiping away tears and saying, “Amazing, you did it, Jade.”

On another phone, Thompson said, “Jade, this is the biggest accomplishment of your life, congratulations!”

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”