Wynonna Judd's children have her love and support through their happy times and the darker periods. The mother of two is proud of her son Elijah Kelley and once called her daughter, Grace Pauline Kelley, a strong woman.
While Wynonna Judd's son, Elijah Kelly, has managed to stay relatively under the radar, his sister, Grace Pauline Kelley, has done the opposite but is on the path to redemption.
Wynonna Judd lived just a mile from her mother on their shared thousand acres of land, which gave mamaw Naomi Judd a lot of time with her grandbabies in their youth.
Wynonna Judd, with her husband Arch Kelley, and son Elijah Kelley at the Los Angeles International Airport, on June 21, 1995. | Source: Getty Images
Elijah Kelly
Wynonna had her first child, a boy named Elijah Kelly, with Nashville businessman Arch Kelley III on December 23, 1994. The singer's concurrent medical issues, such as her asthma, complicated the birth.
Her mom, Naomi, was present for the C-section, which she termed the "most terrifying experience" of her life until then. However, the surgery went well, with the mother and baby in good health.
Naomi had a special bond with Elijah; she shared in 2007, "With Elijah, I say, 'Whose boy are you?' He's 12 years old, so that he won't do it in public anymore, but he says, 'Mamaw's boy.'"
A day before his birthday in 2017, Wynonna posted that he had proposed to his "love of seven years," Hailey. "I am one proud Mama! Merry Christmas indeed!!!" she wrote.
Her aunt Ashley Judd took temporary custody of the child.
Hailey and Elijah married on October 17, 2020. For his birthday that year, the country star shared a photo with him on his wedding day, "I look at this picture & it's hard to believe that you're married!"
Maureen McGovern, Wynonna Judd, daughter Grace and Sutton Foster backstage at "Little Women" on Broadway, on March 23, 2005. | Source: Getty Images
Grace Pauline Kelley
Of Wynonna Judd's kids, Grace Pauline Kelley, born in 1996, has spawned the most tabloid headlines. The girl who used to bake cookies with her mamaw every Christmas Eve was busted for possession, manufacturing, and distribution of meth on June 14, 2016. She pled guilty on May 26, 2017.
The twenty-something has been in and out of jail several times with probation violations. Her daughter Kaliyah Chanel, conceived while on parole, was born on March 25, 2022.
Her aunt Ashley Judd took temporary custody of the child, Wyona's first grandchild. Grace was reunited with the newborn when she was rereleased on parole on December 29, 2022.
Wynonna and Grace Pauline Kelley at the "Lilo and Stitch" premiere in Hollywood, California, on June 16, 2002. | Source: Getty Images
During her daughter's first stint of parole, Wynonna Judd appeared on "The Pursuit! with John Rich" in February 2020. "I've never said this before, and so this is, as they say, 'It's exclusive,'" she said:
"I've got one on patrol, and I've got one on parole."
"My daughter is the strongest Judd woman in our 'herstory,'" she insisted, hailing the then 23-year-old for being healthier than she was at that age. The singer mused that it might have been her if she had not been on a tour bus with her mother at a young age.
In May 2022, in an Instagram check-in with her fans, Wyona explained that to be "a healthier grandparent" for Kaliyah, she needs "to break the cycle of addiction & family dysfunction" by continuing to show up for herself first and "do the personal healing work."
ncG1vNJzZmimlazAb63MqKSapZFjsLC5jmttbHFiZ3q4xc2opaeZXZ%2FCpbCMnZiun5ipsrN5x66qm5memXq0u81nn62lnA%3D%3D