The success of Ms. Rachel is a rare and curious thing. During the past few decades, most of our early-childhood icons have been animated animals or brightly colored puppets—Barney, Peppa, Elmo, Bluey. Not since Mister Rogers has an actual adult human managed to break into that particular canon of cultural fixtures, becoming a household name and shaping the imaginations of millions while still speaking joyfully and directly to the youngest amongst us.
Enter Rachel Accurso, the 42-year-old Maine native better known as Ms. Rachel. Six years ago she was a stay-at-home mom with a baby on her hip, posting singsong videos to YouTube to help her son, Thomas, through a speech delay.
Her unchanging look is deceptively simple: pink T-shirt, denim overalls, always a headband. Her voice, a clear, singsong cadence that toddlers seem helpless to resist, has become, for millions of parents, the definitive soundtrack of early childhood. “I told my mom I wanted to help kids,” Accurso says, recalling her own childhood. “And I also wanted to be a singer.” She is both.
Today she presides over a global media empire—13 billion YouTube views, more than 17 million subscribers, nine books, a line of toys that sells out within hours, and a Netflix series with four episodes in its first season that pulled in more than 53 million views, making it the platform’s seventh most watched series in the first half of 2025 and the most watched kids program of the same period. Oh, and she just had her second child.
And then there’s the other side of Ms. Rachel: the advocate. She’s spoken openly about postpartum depression. She’s brushed off conservative backlash for posting a Pride Month message to her followers. And most recently, she’s become one of the loudest American voices for the children in Gaza. Fundraising, posting, and bringing Rahaf, a three-year-old double amputee, onto her show. Admirers from UNICEF leaders to Hollywood actors have praised her for saying what many politicians won’t. Critics, meanwhile, accuse her of politicizing childhood. She doesn’t flinch. “I have to just remind myself that kids’ lives are more important than my reputation,” she tells me.
That alchemic mixture—nursery school tenderness and moral clarity—explains why she’s not just a streaming juggernaut but a cultural flashpoint. And why Glamour is honoring her as a 2025 Woman of the Year. When she arrived at our studio, she didn’t sweep in like a celebrity. Instead she surprised a dozen preschoolers, immediately dropping to her knees to hug, sing, and giggle with them. It was less photo shoot, more divine encounter. For a moment you could see the magic that billions already know: Ms. Rachel belongs to the children.
Samantha Barry: Ms. Rachel, you’re a titan of early childhood entertainment with more than 16 million subscribers on YouTube. You’ve published nine books, you’ve introduced a line of toys, welcomed your second child, and most recently you’ve become one of the most visible voices for the children of Gaza. I think it’s fair to say: We need to talk.
Ms. Rachel: Oh, I’d love to talk.
Let’s start with you. You’ve become a part of millions of children’s childhoods, but what was your childhood like?
I had a great childhood. I have an older sister and I’m definitely the typical baby of the family, little sister energy. I had a single mom growing up who is such a strong, compassionate, amazing woman, and she raised us to really care about everyone and see everyone as equal and worthy. And she actually went back to college when we were kids, and she got a master’s when we were kids and was working so hard. Seeing her always knowing she could make things happen if she put her mind to it, and that was just a beautiful example for me.
Who was your Ms. Rachel growing up? What did you watch? What did you love to see?
I loved Mister Rogers. I still love him. He’s been a big guide and hero of mine. I love Sesame Street. PBS meant so much to me as a kid. I watched a lot of TV. I mean, having a single mom who’s working a lot, we turned on the TV a lot, and I learned a ton from PBS and I turned out okay.
A recent Washington Post piece did a comparison on Mister Rogers’s activism and yours. What about him appealed to you?
It’s kind of funny to say “his shoes to fill,” because he had that great thing where he changes his shoes. But I actually tried to get shoes just like his in pink, because I want to always think about how he was so dedicated to media being as good as it can be for kids. And that it’s something we need to take seriously and it’s a responsibility. I can’t accept the comparison because it’s just too much pressure, but I am so honored to be in the same sentence as him because I really love him. I think a lot about his kind of prayerful life.
How important is your faith to you?
Even as a little kid, I went to church with my mom. And then when she had to waitress on pizza at Pizza Hut on the weekends for extra money, I asked her to drop me off at church and I would sit with the grown-ups and I wouldn’t go to the youth group. I’d always prayed. I had such a positive idea of God that it is something that has been very helpful to me and probably the most important thing in my life. Life is a lot to handle. And then the different challenges I’ve faced in the past year, it’s wonderful to have that peace of God that surpasses understanding.
That young Rachel, what did she want to be when she grew up?
I told my mom I wanted to help kids. And I also wanted to be a singer and a dancer, which is really funny. I’m a terrible dancer, I can’t tell my rights from lefts, and I don’t have a good memory. So I do the step clap. Step clap. That’s my move. And I never want to do choreo for our show. I’m like, “Let’s have the dancers do the choreo.”
It seems like you’re living your dream. Talk about the path that got you there. You were studying music; you also had a job as an assistant preschool teacher for kids with disabilities.
I was 18, and I started working with kids with disabilities, and I was excited to go into work every day. They really transformed me. Actually, I was struggling at that time because I think I didn’t know what to value. At that time there was a lot of pressure on girls, and I felt like, Should I focus all on my external beauty and try and be pretty? And then when I worked with the kids, I realized that my gift and my value was in serving others.
So I asked my supervisor for a letter of recommendation and she said, “Rachel has a rare gift with kids that you don’t often see.” And I was like, Oh wow, I didn’t know that. But I knew that I delighted in the kids so much. Looking back, it was meant to be, in a way. But when I was about 35 and had [my son] Thomas, I wasn’t thinking, I’m suddenly going to do children’s media. I was going to be a stay-at-home mom, which was wonderful.
I stayed home for a while with Thomas, and I really enjoyed that. And then when he was about six months, I thought maybe I could do something with babies and toddlers, but it was not on my bingo card, as people say.
It almost seems so obvious when you put the dots together, when you talk about music and you talk about your love for childhood entertaining and the Mister Rogers of it all. Before we get to Thomas and motherhood, I really do want to tackle that. How did you meet your husband?
Oh, my love. I went to Unitarian Church, and we were both raised Unitarian. I actually picked that certain church to go to in New York because they had a preschool attached. And I thought, You know what? I’m looking for something deeper with my religion—let me go there and maybe I can have an opportunity with the kids. And then I went to church, and I went to coffee hour. And the young adult people came over and someone said, “Do you want to meet the best musician in the world?” And then it was like, “This is Aron.” He said he was hanging up his name tag to leave, and then he saw my smile, and we walked out together, and we went for a walk. We’ve been together since. It was instant. Instant love.
I love that. What was that journey into motherhood like for you?
We had a miscarriage first, and that was really painful. But then I did get pregnant with Thomas. I’ve always wanted to be a mother, so I was so happy.
One of the things that we really fight for at Glamour is paid leave. Did you have the time that you needed to recover post-birth to spend with Thomas?
I left work, and I was lucky enough that with Aron’s Broadway salary, we could do that. We realized sending Thomas to daycare would be too expensive and I wanted to stay home. But I feel like women should have choices, and I am passionate about paid family leave as well, and affordable childcare and affordable early childhood education. When we take great care of the little ones in our country and world, that’s the best investment you can make.
Before I get into the empire of Ms. Rachel, where do you stand on the debate of screen time, as somebody who is both a content creator and a mother of two?
So I think what’s really important in life—and for kids—is balance. You’re doing dishes, you’re doing laundry, maybe you’re exhausted. Or maybe they’re really cranky and it helps to put something on sometimes. During sick days, technology is fine; just lay around and watch shows. And on planes. But I think it is important to have balance.
For the really little ones, zero to three, that I have an expertise in, it’s really important that they have what Harvard calls serve-and-return interactions. So say they’re at the grocery store with you and they point, and you’re like, “Oh, you see the apples?” And then they’re like, “Yeah.” And you’re like, “Wow, should we get an apple? I’m going to pick out an apple.” So you’re narrating your day, having those back-and-forth interactions. You can’t replace those with a screen. But I think expecting parents to never use screens—how is that possible? I think guilt can be a very heavy thing to carry as a parent. I think we don’t need to feel as guilty as we do.
Talk to me about the development of the character of Ms. Rachel. How much of it is the character? What’s the origin of the outfit?
So much of it is who I am. For the outfit, it started as any color of shirt and a headband. But then I just evolved into pink because I love pink. And then overalls just make me feel fun and childlike. The headband was definitely “busy mom, no time to wash my hair.”
Could you have ever imagined when you started making those first Ms. Rachel videos that your vision would become an empire the way it has?
No. It feels very surreal.
Does this all come with a lot of pressure?
Since my husband is my cocreator, and we have an amazing team, sometimes I view Ms. Rachel as the whole team. That takes the pressure off it just being one person. And when I see the cartoon version of myself on things, I’m not like, There I am. I’m just like, Oh, Ms. Rachel, love for all kids. Let’s have her represent love and inclusivity and “everyone’s welcome.” And so I think that the “why” behind the company has been clear since I was really young and started with kids: How can I help? Then my prayer: How can I serve? And so it’s very easy to make decisions and have that guiding light, we’ll say, “Is this good for kids?”
Okay. Let’s talk about how important your creative control is when it comes to tackling issues that are really, really important to you. You’ve been extremely vocal in recent months about the children of Gaza. Why is that important to you?
My love and care for children doesn’t stop at my own children. It doesn’t stop at the children in our country. It embraces every child of the world. And I don’t think that our love should end at religion or skin color or where people are born. I think that that’s not what’s right, in my soul. And it’s very natural to me to see children. I see my own children. And when I see children suffering anywhere, I just think about, What if that was my child? I put myself in people’s shoes, and I just do what I would want another person to do for me. Children should have human rights, and children do have human rights. To me, that grown-ups are failing children and not following those guidelines, it’s so upsetting.
It’s not been easy, I imagine. Talk to us about how that’s been these last few months.
It’s been painful, but I always think about what people in Gaza are going through. And I also think about what kind of pain I would feel if I knew that I didn’t say anything and could have helped.
I’ve seen comments online that Ms. Rachel has shown up on this issue more consistently than any politician around the world. How does that make you feel?
I kind of never looked at it that way, but I have seen things like that. “Why does Ms. Rachel have to be the moral compass?” And it is a question I’m asking myself and others. There are so many incredible people around the world that want to help. And there are so many amazing people on the ground there, and there are so many brave people who spoke up before me when they had consequences like losing their jobs and people who had more to risk. And so I think there are so many people telling our leaders, “Please, we’re begging.” And I don’t know what that disconnect is.
Would you like to go to Washington and talk about it?
I’ve tried to message some people and I am talking with some people. I would do anything for kids in need there. I would do anything for kids in need anywhere. I’m thinking a lot about Sudan right now and trying to help and having meetings about Sudan with my work with Save the Children, UNICEF, World Food Programme. And I do work here with an organization called Room to Grow, which helps kids in New York and Boston. So I’m always thinking about kids in need. I have these briefings where I learn what it’s like to be a kid in the hardest places. I don’t think having a platform comes with negatives. One of the positives is being able to highlight issues and get a message to a bigger audience. I think it’s a big responsibility that should be used as much as possible.
How do you protect yourself when you become the target?
I have to just remind myself that kids’ lives are more important than my reputation, or something that I might read that’s painful. There’s no comparison to what people are going through. And I think when I met Israa, who’s Rahaf’s mom, a little girl from Gaza, and I sat with her, I thought, What if we were in each other’s places? What would I want her to do for me? I saw her look at her kids. I look at my kids, and I saw her pain seeing her boys in Gaza, who she’s away from. I just wish everyone could sit with people and hear their story. I think we make up our own stories about groups and about people that aren’t true. And then we justify things. It’s just so important to talk with people.
I’ve had a few meetings with people that I disagree with on certain things, and I think it’s really good to listen. I don’t think you have to agree with me on every issue. I think just listening is really good, and I wish we could come together around things we all know are right for kids. And I will say I want to encourage people to speak out because things have really changed from a year and a half ago when I started. I think that people are waking up to the reality. It’s just such an important time to speak out because lives are on the line.
How was your day filming with Rahaf? How did that come about?
The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund wrote to me on Instagram, and I had a meeting with them and they mentioned a little girl who loved the show. They had told me she lost her legs in an air strike. They showed me a video of her watching the show, and she’s so precious, and they said, “Would you want to meet her?” And of course, immediately I said, “I’d love to.” And then they flew her out and I wanted to just make the best day possible for her.
It was a blast, so wonderful. Then the next day we filmed some songs together, and it was just like the day before, we just had fun, anything she wanted to do. She loves hopping like a bunny to hop, little bunny. She had sent a video of her hopping on the couch in the way she can without her legs. And I think it’s also great to show on our show that you can hop in your own way. And then we do a tea party together and we just film us having a tea party. We didn’t have any lines. We just had fun together and blew bubbles and danced around like princesses.
What do you hope will be the result of your decision to speak up in particular on this matter?
I’ve seen several people comment something similar, which is seeing Rahaf made me realize that the kids in Gaza are like my kids. I didn’t know just how dehumanized Palestinians are before I started doing this work. I did have a Palestinian mom say on a Zoom really early, “Thank you for seeing our children as human,” and I just couldn’t believe she had to thank me for that. It’s just how everyone should see every child in this world. I don’t know how we can value one child’s life over another child’s life in this world. They’re all equal and we just need to treat them all like the precious, beautiful gift they are.
Every time I meet a child, I view that as a divine encounter. It’s precious, and they’re the most important person in the world in that moment.
How does it make you feel when some groups have painted you as antisemitic?
It’s incredibly painful. Saying that I don’t care deeply about one group of children because I’m focused on children in an emergency situation isn’t right. It’s not true. My friends know who I am and God knows who I am. But nothing is going to silence me from being an advocate for children because that’s a calling, and it’s the right thing to do. And labeling people because they care deeply about all children is wrong.
What do you want your legacy to be?
I don’t look at that as being important. I just want to serve God and others every day in every way I can, and speak up for children and help children who are in unimaginable situations every day to the best of my ability, every moment.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Stylist: Christine Nicholson @christinenicholson__
Hair: Jerome Cultrera @jeromehair
Makeup: Tomoyo Pattou @tomoyomakeup
Manicure: Sonya Meesh @sonyameesh
Producer: May Lin Le Goff @maylinlegoff
Special Thanks: Sorrentino media @sorrentinomedia