Denise Jonas, the mother of the Jonas Brothers, recently sat down for an intimate conversation with Jennifer Vickery Smith, the host of the Got It From My Momma Podcast. The mother of fast-rising country artist Conner Smith invites other parents of top entertainers into her Tennessee home to hear their unique perspectives on their child’s success and fame.
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Within the candid podcast episode, Jonas opened up about the moment she realized her sons—Kevin, Joe, and Nick—had officially made a name for themselves. It was not long after their debut studio album, It’s About Time. She said she recognized a “shift in their career” during a trip to Texas.
“The big moment when we knew something had shifted, was when it was the Texas State Fair,” recalled Jonas about the 2007 show. “They had already been touring, and they were represented by Columbia Records out of New York. They were doing small things. They opened for Jesse McCartney for a while, and they did a bunch of little things. But when they went into the Texas State Fair, the roads were backed up for like 20 miles.”
She continued to reflect on the core memory and admitted that they were about to pull out of the gig because they were too stuck in the heavy traffic. “My husband calls the promoter and says, ‘We cannot get there.’ And he’s like, ‘You are gonna get here. I’m sending a helicopter.’ They sent a helicopter. I’m getting chills talking about it. I’ve got this visual in my head. My husband was like, ‘Denise.. they’re sending a helicopter because the traffic was backed up for them. He said never has this happened in the history of the state fair of Texas…except for Garth Brooks.”
Shortly after, the Jonas Brothers became one of the most successful pop boy bands. The New Jersey natives gained popularity on Disney Channel and went on to release six albums – It’s About Time (2006), Jonas Brothers (2007), A Little Bit Longer (2008), Lines, Vines and Trying Times (2009), Happiness Begins (2019), and most recently, The Album (2023). The GRAMMY-nominated trio called it quits in 2013 after selling well over 17 million albums.
The men went on to pursue solo careers. Joe Jonas joined forces with the dance-rock band DNCE, as Nick Jonas channeled his attention towards his side project—Nick & the Administration, and released music independently. Kevin Jonas, the oldest, used the hiatus to get married and start a family of his own.
Their mother said the breakup impacted their family dynamic and was challenging to navigate.
“It was very hard,” she admitted. “As parents, you see some things differently, and there were some things about it that were really a shock and painful. I know they’ve discussed that. But when your child has difficulties, and they aren’t, maybe getting along or they have conflict—it hurts.”
She mentioned that the breakup was out of her control and said that she felt like she couldn’t intervene with the decision. “It hurts us. I think, as parents, we can’t fix it. When they’re young, we can. You sit them down, talk to them, and train them in conflict and resolution. I just tried to be encouraging to them and their gifts outside of each other. I think they figured it out. They’re back together now, and they’re on top of the world,” she concluded.
After six years of being apart, the band released “Sucker,” the lead single from their fifth studio album, in 2019. Upon release, the up-tempo anthem peaked at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The Jonas Brothers recently (May 12) dropped their latest installment, The Album. The Jon Bellion-produced project is inspired by ’70s music. The hitmakers will embark on a nationwide tour in early August, starting in New York City.
Photo by Larry French/Getty Images for iHeartRadio
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