Ms. Rachel is back—and she's singing entire episodes just for her newborn
In a rare and joy-filled interview with TODAY.com, the beloved YouTube creator—whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso—opened up about life as a mom of two, how big brother Thomas is adjusting, and the emotional journey that brought baby Susannah into the world.
'She's such a smiley, happy baby,' Rachel said during the May 31 interview, where she was joined by her husband and creative partner, composer Aron Accurso.
It's the first time we've heard much from Rachel since she quietly stepped away from her channel (which has over 15 million subscribers) earlier this year. At the time, she simply told fans there were 'some family things to attend to.' What she didn't share publicly then: she was deep in the sacred chaos of growing her family, this time, through surrogacy.
'We welcomed sweet baby Susannah into the world! We are so in love,' she wrote in an April 8 Instagram post, finally sharing her news. 'Sometimes timing isn't what you plan and the road to get there is bumpier than you expect, but when you hold your little ones you know… I'm meant to be your mama.'
Related: Ms. Rachel welcomes baby girl via surrogate: 'I'm meant to be your mama'
Rachel explained that, due to medical reasons, she was unable to carry this pregnancy herself. But thanks to the generosity of a surrogate, she and Aron were able to bring their daughter home—and build a forever bond with the woman who helped them get there.
'We were blessed to have a surrogate who gave us the most precious gift possible. We are now all family forever.'
Now that she's in the thick of newborn life (again!), Rachel's using the tools she knows best: her voice and her joy.
'I had [Susannah] in front of me, and I was like, 'I want to sing her a song. Hmm, what should I sing?' And then I was like, 'Wait, this is my area,'' she laughed. 'I've been doing full episodes for her, just as myself!'
It's an image many of us moms can relate to: middle-of-the-night feedings, soft lullabies, the desperate search for something that soothes. Except in this case, the something happens to be Rachel herself—arguably the most beloved baby whisperer on the internet.
And while adjusting to life as a family of four comes with its own messy beauty, Rachel says her 7-year-old son Thomas is stepping into his new role with so much heart.
'Thomas is even changing diapers sometimes—except for no poopy ones,' she joked. 'He's given her a bottle, he's burped her. He's just the sweetest with her.'
Susannah's name, too, is full of meaning. In another recent Today interview, Rachel revealed that her daughter is named after her own mom.
'My mom raised us with so much unconditional love and joy,' she said. 'She raised my sister and I as a single mom. I've always been in awe of her strength. She even built us an epic tree house all by herself!'
Related: Grandma's hilarious attempt to compete with Ms. Rachel will have you cracking up
So yes, the songs may be quieter for now. The set might be a living room. But the love? It's louder than ever.
And for the millions of parents who've relied on Ms. Rachel's calming presence in the background of their own parenting journeys, it's comforting to know: she's living that journey right alongside us.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Cosmopolitan
an hour ago
- Cosmopolitan
Is Leah Williamson in a relationship?
Leah Williamson, footballer and captain of the England women's national team, has long sparked dating rumours with Elle Smith, an American model and former Miss USA winner. From sweet holiday snaps to celebrating her football wins together, the 28-year-old and her beau have somewhat soft-launched their relationship on Instagram over the last few months. However, from what we, and other social media sleuths (see: fans of the pair), can see, they're yet to actually make it 'official.' So, let's take a deep dive into their rumoured relationship, including some of the sweetest moments so far... Last month, Elle took to her Instagram to share snippets of her Majorcan holiday with her 127K followers. While many shots showed off her summer fits and stunning views of the Spanish island, a couple of pics saw the pair looking super loved up. Case in point: slide 3 caught Leah and Elle on a paddleboard together, while slide 17 saw Elle snap a candid pic of the footballer dressed up and heading out for dinner. Leah also posted snaps of the getaway — where they were celebrating Elle's birthday — which included a gorgeous photo of the pair at dinner. A selfie of the two was featured in the carousel too, which saw Leah and Elle sunkissed and smiling. Elle commented on the holiday roundup: "same time next year?" to which Leah responded: "yes please x." Err, cute. Back in May, Elle posted a black and white shot of her cuddling Leah, who was sitting on her lap. Leah was clutching a medal and wearing an England shirt following her team's 6-0 win against Portugal. The post also included footage of the match, in which Elle could be heard cheering on the team. Leah commented on the post: "We did it!" Even earlier in March, Elle posted a video of her and Leah floating in the ocean on a paddleboard. Leah appeared to be lying down and resting her head on Elle's legs, as they had a sweet, intimate chat. Elle accompanied the post with the caption: "happy birthday my love x." Leah responded with the cutest emojis: "🥰🤭🧜♀️." Interestingly, this Insta post sparked 'official' comments from fans, with one person writing: "The mother of hard launches!" Others said: "So happy for you!" while another person said they were the "cutest" together. Officially obsessed with these two.
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Teen Did 13 Cartwheels on the Beach, Then She Went Blind
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. What began as a lighthearted moment among friends turned into a months-long ordeal for Deborah Cobb of Seattle, when cartwheels on the beach left her unable to see. "I decided to see how many cartwheels I could do in a row just for fun," Cobb, now 42, told Newsweek. "So I started doing them and got to 13 and fell over super dizzy. My eyes were kind of spinning so it took a moment to realize that my eyes weren't focusing." Aged just 19 at the time, she was laughing with friends at first, but quickly realized something was seriously wrong. "Looking at her face, it was a giant orange blur. My eyes wouldn't fully focus," she said. "There was no pain, and my peripheral vision was fine, but everything I looked directly at was blocked by an orange blur." It was a giant orange blur. My eyes wouldn't fully focus Despite the symptoms, Cobb tried to stay calm. "I was panicking inside, but not outwardly so my friends didn't think anything of it," she said. Later that night, she told her mother what happened but downplayed the symptoms. When her vision hadn't returned by the next morning, her stepfather contacted a family friend who was an ophthalmologist. "He said to immediately take me to the ER so that's what we did," she said. At the hospital, doctors initially believed she had "essentially sunburned" her retina, advising rest and avoidance of bright light. But a retinal specialist offered a more serious diagnosis. "I had hemorrhaged in both of my maculas and it was going to take three-six months to fully heal," Cobb said. A picture from the viral Instagram video where Deborah shared story. A picture from the viral Instagram video where Deborah shared story. @deborahcobb_ihp/Instagram "The retina is the thin sheet of 'wallpaper' like tissue that lines the back of our eye and senses light," Dr. Rajesh C. Rao, who is a ophthalmologist who specializes in surgery of the retina, told Newsweek. "Macular hemorrhage is bleeding within the central retina or underneath it. When bleeding happens in the macula, our ability to see in detail can be reduced or lost." I couldn't read, I couldn't see myself in the mirror... I couldn't even watch TV." The impact on her daily life was profound. "My central vision was completely gone... I couldn't drive, I couldn't read, I couldn't see myself in the mirror... which meant I couldn't put on makeup... I couldn't even watch TV," she said. It wasn't until a while after the incident that the reality of her condition hit her. "I started sobbing. It was the first time that it fully hit me how limited I was and how dependent I was on other people for simple things like reading which I had completely taken for granted," Cobb said. "In healthy individuals, especially young people, this occurrence is quite rare," Rao explained. While there are some underlying conditions that could contribute to a hemorrhage like this, it is unlikely that these activities would cause this sort of damage in most people. "The head being upside down abruptly or repeatedly can also increase pressure in veins in the retina, and some at risk individuals can be prone for macular hemorrhage," Rao said. After around three months, Cobb's vision did return, but now years later, she still lives with limitations, including flashes of light and floaters caused by retinal jelly detachment. "The only option is surgery, but surgery almost always causes cataracts which would only mean another surgery. So I'm okay to just live with it," she said. Despite it all, Cobb holds tightly to the perspective the experience gave her: "We so often focus on what's going wrong in our lives, that we miss all of the things that are going right... There are so many simple gifts that could be bringing us joy every day, if we just learned to appreciate them. That's what this experience taught me: never stop being grateful."
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
David Letterman hurls fiery rant at ‘gutless' CBS over Stephen Colbert's ‘Late Show' cancellation
David Letterman delivered a fiery rant against CBS and parent company Paramount for cancelling Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show,' calling the decision 'gutless' and 'pure cowardice' as he labeled his successor a martyr of the network. Letterman, who hosted CBS's late-night talk show for 22 years, passionately defended Colbert during his conversation with former 'Late Show' producers Barbara Gaines and Mary Barclay on Friday — just over a week since the show was axed. 'The fact that they killed the franchise and told Stephen to go,' Letterman said in a video posted to his YouTube channel. 'Now, for Stephen, I love this. He is a martyr. Good for him.' 6 David Letterman speaks out against CBS canceling the 'Late Show with Stephen Colbert' on July 25, 2025. Letterman/YouTube The 78-year-old comedian says Colbert had immortalized himself as the face of the network since he took over the iconic talk show in September 2015. '10 years ago, I quit and left,' Letterman said. 'Then Stephen Colbert comes along, and pretty quickly established himself as a precise, crisp, witty political satirist, and often his target has been the current administration. 'Based on that and just the overall entertainment quota of the show, drew a great audience and people became not addicted to but always looking forward to political satire from Stephen Colbert, he was very good at it. For 10 years, I think became the face of the network.' On July 17, CBS announced that it would cancel Colbert's show in 2026 due to financial reasons. The show was losing between $40 million and $50 million a year, The Post learned. 6 Letterman speaks with his former 'Late Night' staffers Barbara Gaines and Mary Barclay during a conversation posted to YouTube. Letterman/YouTube 6 Stephen Colbert sits at his desk during a shooting of 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' inside the Ed Sullivan Theater on June 25, 2025. Scott Kowalchyk/CBS Letterman didn't believe the financial hardship claims were the reason for the cancellation, instead blaming the company executives who feared Paramount's sale to Skydance wouldn't go through. 'If they were losing this kind of money, you're telling me losing this kind of money happened yesterday. Yeah right,' he said. 'I bet they were losing this kind of money six weeks ago, or they have never been losing money.' The comedian called out the network's news branch, saying CBS News doesn't make money for the company and is still around. 'Take a look at CBS News, it's still in business and I'm not certain that that's a profit center,' he said. 6 The Ed Sullivan Theater in Manhattan where 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is recorded on July 22, 2025. Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Post 6 Paramount and CBS News signs at the Paramount offices on Broadway in Manhattan, NY on June 13, 2025. Christopher Sadowski 'I think the idea that they're hiding behind money and they're giving him another 10 months. That's a huge chunk of money they're gonna lose,' Letterman said. Colbert's cancellation came as CBS-Paramount Holdings finalized the sale of the network to Skydance Media for $8.4 billion on July 24. 'The f–k is Skydance? Honest to Christ. Is it a discount airline?' Letterman joked. 'I think one day, if not today, the people at CBS who have manipulated and handled this are going to be embarrassed because this is gutless,' he added. 6 Stephen Colbert during his opening monologue for his 'Late Show' on July 21, 2025. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert The purported $8.4 billion sale comes in light of CBS settling a lawsuit with President Donald Trump after the commander in chief accused CBS News' '60 Minutes' of deceptively editing an interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris in the weeks leading up to the 2024 general election. Letterman called the settlement 'pure cowardice' as the lawsuit targeted the network's 'pinnacle of journalistic integrity.' Colbert, 61, has also called himself a 'martyr' as he blamed his show's demise on Trump, telling the commander in chief to 'go f–k yourself' in his opening monologue on July 21. Letterman wished the cancellation had happened on his watch as he now has to kiss 'Colbert's ring.' The comedian had already commented on the shock ending to the long-time show. 'You can't spell CBS without BS,' Letterman captioned a YouTube video of his old jokes against the Turner network.
