Heavy/Getty Heather Rae is speaking out.
“Selling Sunset” and “Flipping El Moussas” star Heather Rae Young El Moussa is ready to end the gossip.
She said she does not favor her newborn son, 4-month-old Tristan over her stepkids, 12-year-old Taylor and 7-year-old Brayden. Taylor and Brayden are the children Tarek El Moussa shares with his ex-wife, Christina Hall.
“I’ve been a staple in their lives for a long time. And I worked really hard to have a strong relationship with them from the very beginning and be a good stepmom to them and their happiness is so important to me,” Young, 35, told Us Weekly.
Young and El Moussa, 41, have been dating since 2019. They got engaged in July 2020 and tied the knot in October 2021.
“I don’t favor any of the children more than the others,” Young told the outlet. “They’re all important to me and I love them so much. And I wouldn’t be a mommy if I didn’t have Taylor and Brayden.”
According to Young, fans accused the real estate agent of favoring Tristan because she posts more pictures of him online. But Young said there are many reasons why she doesn’t spend as much time with her stepchildren: they have school, they are in activities, and they’re with their mother — Hall — half of the time.
Another thing: Young wants to be present when she’s spending time with Taylor and Brayden. “The truth is we have them 50 percent of the time and I don’t see them as much. And when we have them, we are busy,” Young told Us Weekly.
“They’re also busy with sports and tutoring— they always have something going on. I blink and it’s 8 o’clock at night,” she told Today.com. “So when we’re all together, the last thing I’m doing is standing around taking photos with all three kids.”
And sometimes, Taylor doesn’t want her picture posted online. “She’s a teenager now and she’ll be like, ‘I don’t love my hair in that picture,’ ‘Please don’t post that one,’” Young told Today.com.
The real estate agent made her debut on Netflix when “Selling Sunset” began streaming in 2019. After hooking up with El Moussa, the couple got their own show, “The Flipping El Moussas.” She was pregnant with Tristan while season 1 was filmed.
“Tarek brings the flip knowledge and Heather brings an eye for high-end real estate,” says the show’s description on HGTV’s website. “It’s all about family as ‘The Flipping El Moussas’ work together, learn together, and grow together with Tarek’s two kids and a new baby on the way.”
Before their split, Tarek and Christina made their mark on HGTV with their beloved series, “Flip or Flop.”
Young Said People ‘Don’t Understand’
Young said people can’t grasp the El Moussa’s blended family.
“People don’t understand my relationship with Taylor and Brayden,” she told Us Weekly.
“It’s OK,” she continued to the publication. “I know my strong relationship with them and how much we love each other, and I know what a devoted stepmom I am, and that’s all that matters.”
Taylor Said She Has the Best Mom
During an episode of “Selling Sunset” season 6, Taylor gushed over her stepmother during her baby shower.
“I’ve known you for four years now. I just want to say you’re the best mom ever, and I couldn’t have asked for anyone else,” Taylor said at the party, per Entertainment Tonight Online.
Taylor told her stepmom she was “so excited for the baby.”
“My dad’s so lucky,” the pre-teen added, as noted by ET Online. “You’re way out of his league.”
