MY FAMILY COMES FIRST
THE TV STAR EMBRACES TRADITIONAL VALUES & COUNTS HER FAMILY & HER FAITH AS HER BIGGEST BLESSINGS
Ree Drummond, known as the Pioneer Woman to her millions of fans, has a lot on her plate these days. Along with hosting her hugely successful Food Network show and writing her popular blog, Ree, 48, has been tirelessly building a multimillion-dollar lifestyle empire that includes a restaurant, a market, a magazine and a soon-to-open guest lodge. At an Oct. 23 New Jersey signing event for her latest book, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Come and Get It, the Oklahomaborn mom of four promised fans that, despite her exploding success, she’s still a down-home gal. “I have horse manure on my front porch, so it keeps me grounded!” she shared with a laugh.
And whether she likes it or not, Ree has to deal with a lot of manure these days, as she’s come under fire from internet critics who question her authenticity and traditional values. “The problem people have is they see what they think is a very lavish lifestyle — a huge ranch, a building just for her TV kitchen — and Ree tries to come off as simple and plain,” says food blogger Sue Gordon. “The word on Ree is that she pretends to live in a rustic way.”
While these attacks are hurtful, Ree chooses to stay positive and defends the traditional values that made her the star and person she is today. “I think the underlying theme is the love of family, home cooking and faith,” she says of her appeal, and those who know her best agree. “None of this [success] has gone to her head. Her first priority is family,” stepdad Doug Schwert tells Closer of Ree’s devotion to husband Ladd, 48, and their kids. Adds Ree, “I consider my faith, which has stayed close to me through the many ages and stages of my life, to be a gift. One I hope I never take for granted.”
HOME ON THE RANGE
Raised in Bartlesville, Okla., Ree’s never hidden the fact that her childhood was far from the rustic, pioneer lifestyle she celebrates on her blog. The daughter of William, an orthopedic surgeon,
“My faith informs how I address issues, large and small, that cross my path.”
— Ree
and stay-at-home mom Gerre, Ree took ballet and spent lots of time at her parents’ country club. She headed to LA after high school to pursue a career in broadcast news. “I wanted to be Jane Pauley,” Ree reveals, and she embraced big-city life with fervor.
In the mid-’90s, she needed a change from both LA and a boyfriend. Before heading to Chicago to start her next chapter, she popped back home to Oklahoma, where she randomly met a rugged and handsome guy one night while out with friends. It was love at first sight with Ladd, whom she quickly nicknamed Marlboro Man, “The first and only cowboy I’d ever been attracted to,” she says.
“I’d finally met my match. It had taken all of five seconds for his quiet manner to zap me that night,” she adds. And after a few weeks of dating, Ree, who wasn’t even sure she wanted children, admits she was fighting “the urge to have 12,000 of [Ladd’s] babies,” she confesses.
Because Ladd was a third-generation cattle rancher whose family owns massive amounts of land, Ree knew their whirlwind romance would keep her in Oklahoma. They wed in 1996, but by the time Ree was expecting their first child, her bliss was shattered by some shocking news. “Your mom left tonight,” her dad told her when she called to tell them she was pregnant. “My heart sank. I sat there on the sofa, unable to move,” she recalls. Her mom, she felt, “was about to demolish our family,” and it was hard for Ree to control her anger. “I was so mad at her I couldn’t see straight.”
Gerre had left William after 33 years of marriage and would later wed Doug, who had been the family’s pastor at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church until 1995. “Ree was upset as any child would be,” a fellow churchgoer tells Closer.
“In an effort to spin optimism out of the sorrow of my parents’ split, I told myself that their separation, paradoxically, had actually brought Marlboro Man and me closer together,” Ree reasons. That bond was put to the test when daughter Alex, now 20, was born in 1997 and Ree found herself struggling with a severe case of postpartum depression.
“I wanted my mom,” she says, “but I’d pushed her away to the point where she was keeping her distance out of respect for my wishes.” Ladd’s patience didn’t waver, though, and the old Ree eventually returned. One morning, “I touched my finger to [Alex’s] tiny arm, and baby love washed over me in a rushing wave,” she says. “I stared at her little ears, inhaled her indescribable scent and placed my palm on her perfect head, closing my eyes and thanking God for such an undeserved gift.”
Betsy, Ree’s younger sister who’d been staying with her to help out, was baking in the kitchen that day, which led to another epiphany. “Our mom’s cinnamon rolls,” Ree recalls of the familiar aroma that stirred memories of her youth. “When I took my first bite,” she says, “I could swear I heard the comforting voice of my mom, who, I realized, had drenched my childhood with more love and affection and fun than any child should have.”
Life made sense again, and she could start to rebuild her relationship with Gerre, who married Doug in 1999. “I didn’t have time to get mired in the past angst of my own circumstances anymore,” Ree says. “My family — my new family — was all that mattered to me.”
DIVINE INSPIRATIONS
There were more blessings on the way for Ree and Ladd, who welcomed
daughter Paige, 18, and sons Bryce, 15, and Todd, 13, to their family. Then, in 2006, Ree started a blog to “stay connected with the world,” she says, noting that their life on the ranch — 19 miles from the closest town of Pawhuska, Okla., — could feel isolated. Her photography skills helped showcase her homey charm and family recipes, and the blog exploded in popularity within a couple of years.
Balancing home life with her internet presence and all it’s led to — her Pioneer Woman TV show, book deals and a homeware line at Walmart — is a tall task, but one Ree relishes. “I surrender to the chaos,” she jokes, boasting, “I can have kids dangling off my earlobe and still blog.”
It helps that Ladd has been a constant source of inspiration and support. “They’ve always been a team,” Gerre shares. Together, they’ve also made sure their kids never got spoiled by the success and fame their family’s attained. All of their children were able to ride a horse by age 3 and, once they were old enough, were required to help out on the ranch. “The country is a great place to raise children,” says Ree, who home schools her kids. “You’re free to bring them up with your values without having to worry about too many outside influences.”
The couple even monitor what the children watch. “I’m a real freak,” Ree admits, “when it comes to shielding the kids from suggestive TV shows and movies, because I don’t want them growing up thinking women are objects or that ‘boys will be boys’ or any of that nonsense. So we’re fuddy-duddies,” she adds, “which means there’s a whole lot of the History Channel! Marlboro Man and I try our best to instill a sense of decency, propriety and goodness.” The couple also attend church every Sunday “no matter how tired we are,” Ree says. “I’ve seen the times that we’ve slipped away from that, and disaster is lurking in the bushes.”
Jo Baughman, a fellow churchgoer who watched Ree grow up, isn’t surprised by Ree’s focus on her marriage and family. “She certainly honors her children and takes great pride and joy in them,” Jo tells Closer. “She follows them in their sports and has always gone to everything they’ve been in.” Ree’s stepfather, Doug, agrees. “Ree makes sure she has adequate time with the kids and with Ladd,” he says.
The fact she’s been able to raise a family while building a lifestyle empire is a great source of pride for Ree, and she humbly accepts that she’s an inspiration to her fans. “If this can happen to me,” she says, “who knows what you might be capable of doing?” — Reporting by
Katie Bruno and Melissa Roberto
“I start every day with Psalms, so I always have that to keep me from going cuckoo!”
— Ree