It's been 13 years, and Connie Britton still remembers like it was yesterday: She'd recently become a mother to her son, Yoby, and had started working 12-hour days on what was, in her words, a “very ambitious show.” That show, of course, was ABC's Nashville—and to play country superstar Rayna James, Britton was required to move to the country music capital of the world.
For the actor, it was all quite jarring navigating this new role (both on-and-off-screen) in a new city. But on one particular rare day off, she got a call from a friend of hers in the Nashville costume department who was also a single mother. The friend had forgotten to give her son his lunch money, and it was impossible for her to leave work. “When she called me, I said, 'I'll go by the school and drop off his lunch money because I'm off today,'" Britton remembers. “And I did. It was really funny, because I'm Rayna Jaymes walking into the local public school and dropping off $5 at the front office. And at that moment, I remember thinking, I wish I could create some kind of an organization or something where people could volunteer to help out a single mom one day a week.”
Fast forward to 2025, and that wish is becoming a reality. On May 5, Britton launches The Motherhood on Hallmark, an unscripted, lifestyle series from the producers of Queer Eye on which she serves as creator and host.
Each of the six, one-hour episodes of The Motherhood follows Britton as she connects with another single mom juggling the demands of work, parenting, and self-care. Over the course of a week, Britton and three expert coaches—DIY and home design specialist Angela Rose, positive parenting coach Destini Davis, and style expert Taryn Hicks—help transform someone's life.
It seems like the kind of concept that should have been a no-brainer, but Britton says that it wasn't an easy road. While she doesn't come right and out say it, it's obvious that some executives (not the ones at Hallmark) were fearful that the subject matter and/or concept wasn't compelling enough.
"I was in no way interested in making some kind of Pollyanna show,” Britton tells Glamour. “I want to make a real show about real people in the world that everyone can relate to. I'm hopeful we're moving away from what I perceive as kind of mean-spirited, exploitative programming, but that's neither here nor there. So, that's what I was up against when I first started trying to get this show out there. We had a long journey."
Eventually that journey let Britton to Hallmark, which was preparing to launch their new streaming service, Hallmark+. Given the reach of the Hallmark audience and their commitment to community, The Motherhood was the perfect fit.
“We all know single parents, and we have seen how much work they do and how powerful they are, so let's talk about it,” Britton says. “Let's change that conversation.” As such, that meant opening up about her own experiences as a single mom, which wasn't easy for the self-described “very private person.”
Says Britton, “It's really hard for single parents and single moms to ask for help. I want people to know it's okay to ask for help—it's okay to know that you can't do this by yourself.”
Whether you're a new mom, a soon-to-be mom, or even on the fence about becoming a mom, Britton hopes to open up the conversation about the realities that don't get talked about enough. From her thoughts on the term “single mother” to having brutally honest conversations with those closest to you, Britton is ready to change the dialogue. It's about time.
Glamour: What was the most surprising aspect about becoming a parent?
Connie Britton: I had both my parents [growing up], so becoming a single mom was a really new experience for me. It was quite eye-opening for sure, just how much work it is, how isolating it can be, and how in my experience you cannot do it without a support system and without a community. That was part of the problem when I went to Nashville. I moved to a brand new city where I didn't know a soul. It was alarming for me, honestly. It was quite difficult early on. Thankfully, the people of Nashville were so welcoming. It helped me recognize just how essential community is, especially as a single mom.
How did you know, and I guess maybe you never know, but how did you know you were ready to be a mom?
I think I always knew I wanted to be a mom. Early on, I really had a strong sense that I would like to adopt from Ethiopia. I was in my early 30s and was actually working on a documentary about Ethiopian orphans. The first time I went to Ethiopia, there was a great need around the orphan population, and I was like, I think I want to adopt from here. I felt a strong affinity to Ethiopia and to the people. So after waiting for two years, there was some question whether it was ever even going to happen, and so I felt really fortunate and grateful that it did.
I sort of thought that I would also have my own biological children or child, but that did not present itself. The partner to do that with didn't present itself, and it just wasn't in the cards for me. I lost my parents within three years of each other. My mom died first, and then my dad passed away. After my dad passed away, I was kind of like, Okay, what am I waiting for? It was that unique experience that I know people who've lost parents will understand—which is that sort of feeling like, Oh, I'm an orphan now. I thought to myself, I've just lost the crux of my family. That was what really spurred me to go start the process.
People always ask me if I want kids, and I would like to, but I also know I don't want them on my own.
It's important to listen to that voice, because being a parent is a huge responsibility. It completely changes your life. It's an amazing thing, but nobody can prepare you. I don't think you can really be prepared for what it entails, so being able to connect with your own inner wisdom…it's really important to listen to that.
It's why I have such respect for parents that are doing this on their own. Like you said, you don't even know what's involved until you're in it.
I was clueless. But for me, and I think for a lot of these moms on our show, the biggest surprise to me was the feeling of isolation and the feeling of, wow, there is no guidebook. This is another human being who can't do anything for themselves, and all this stuff is going on with them, they can't tell you what it is, and you have to figure it out. There's nobody to bounce that off of. It is traumatizing, and it is isolating.
Listen, I talked to married friends of mine, and they're like, "Oh, well, my husband doesn't have anything to say about it anyway. We always just disagree..." There's always that story, too, but there is something very unique about the sense of isolation of being a single parent and being in that position where you are having to navigate this completely alone. That's where having a support system is just essential, because it's a lifesaver and a game changer.
As I was watching the series, I was thinking a lot about the term, “single mom.” Did it feel like you were sometimes unfairly judged, like, Connie probably can't come to this, she's a single mom. What's your relationship to that term? Why can't it just be “mom?”
It's interesting, because I really grappled with that term a lot, particularly when I just became a mom because I was like, Does that mean that I'm just saying I'm a single mom forever? Is there a stigma to it? What does that mean? Will people feel sorry for me? Does it mean I've failed in some way? Again, that's all because of the cultural conversation. We've got a lot to change in terms of the idea of being a single mom. I went through a period where I was like, I don't want to be called a single mom—I'm just a mom. Also, because there was a part of me that felt like it somehow means that I'm never going to find a partner.
Exactly.
But my journey has been that now I'm… First of all, it feels so specific to what my life is and what my journey is and the work that I'm doing in the world. But also, what it is to be the kind of mom that I am to my son, and what our particular family structure is, which is basically the two of us. Now, I'm kind of embracing the term single mom because to me it really represents a specific choice and also a lot of strength and courage and power.
That's what I would like to show in this show and change in terms of the conversation…because what I found watching all the moms on our show is that they have taken this on with many fewer resources than what I have. What they are capable of doing is so profound, and yet a lot of it is coming at a detriment to them and to their personal lives and to their health and well-being. That's why we're trying to help give them support, so that all of the amazing super heroic stuff that they're doing is not depriving them of what they need as well. So, yeah, I really had an interesting relationship with the term, but it's changed a lot and now it's almost a point of pride with me.
Good.
A point of pride, but also, I'm a single mom, so my situation is I have to be home with my son. That's the deal. That's my commitment. I want to still try to work and do the things that I love and be with the people that I love, but I have a commitment that is very specific and unique to my circumstances.
What are some specifics you wish you knew going into this that would've made things a little easier in the beginning?
Surround yourself with a support system, maybe even before the baby is born. Get that in place, know who your people are. If you have a husband or a partner, find out what role they're going to serve in the big picture of raising this child, and what role they're not going to serve, so you can fill that space. Be brave and have an honest conversation with your spouse. And be honest, even with yourself, like, I know he's going to be really good with this, but he's going to be terrible with this, and then I'm going to get pissed off, and then I'm going to feel alone.
How often did you take Yoby with you to an event because you couldn't find a sitter? Or were invited to an event, but said, “Well, I'll have to bring my son, too?”
When he was a baby, I took him everywhere. Let's start with Nashville. I mean, he would come with me to set. When I first adopted Yoby, I was actually shooting American Horror Story, and he loves to look back at these pictures now because we would drive around the Paramount lot on golf carts or bicycles. I had a bicycle, and I would just carry him in my little carrier strapped to me, and he loved the idea that he was zooming around on golf carts at the Paramount lot. But it's funny, I went to a rally this weekend and asked Yoby if he wanted to go, and he goes, "Nope." I thought to myself, I probably dragged him to too many rallies. He'll become an activist later in his life, but right now he's like, “I'm good.”
I'm so proud of you that you're speaking so openly about raising a son and being a single parent. Was there ever a time you were hesitant to be this open?
I'm a very private person traditionally, and it's funny, I remember when Kyle Chandler and I were doing Friday Night Lights and we would talk about giving interviews. I'd be like, “Oh, I don't want to talk about that. I don't want to answer those kinds of questions.” He goes, “Well, I just make stuff up.” I'm like, “”What?"
No way!
But the one thing that came hand in hand with me when I started to pursue my dream of acting, I also had a dream of being able to give voice to the voiceless and find a way, if it was possible, to use my own voice in service of others who need help. So, this kind of just emerged, because I realized that there was a void in terms of…I just was shocked, like, why has nobody made this show before? Why is nobody really having this conversation? I saw an opportunity. I've always felt a human responsibility to do that, and that's only because I recognize how powerful my own community and my own support system has been to me. I wouldn't be in the position I'm in if I didn't have my own community. So again, it's just sort of passing on my own experience about it.
I think it's one of the reasons why so many viewers relate to Hoda Kotb, because they love seeing someone in their 50s who decided to become a parent for the first time. People see themselves in her, they see themselves in you, and that's what they relate to.
It's really cool to see people be courageous. You bring up Hoda, and it's like, when anybody gets a sense that they're watching genuine courage in action, that's an exciting feeling, that's an exciting thing to see. I hope that people are going to be inspired by the courage of our moms on the show. If you can actually impact somebody's life, there's nothing greater in the world. If you can actually help them get to where they need to go.
I really do feel like you're about to unleash something with this series that hasn't been done before. Are you prepared for what might come of it?
Well, I'm not, but I'm trying to get prepared for that. It's all new ground for me, and it may take a minute, but that's what I'm really trying to do. I hope the show's going to go on for seasons and seasons and seasons, because I think there's just never going to not be an interesting story to tell with it. As you say, there are always going to be people who can use this. I think the more shows we have, and the more seasons we have, the more people will, I'm hoping, see what heroes single parents are. And also, that they can offer a hand and be part of that community.
The Motherhood premieres on Monday, May 5 (8 p.m. ET/PT) with the first two episodes on Hallmark Channel, streaming next day on Hallmark+, with one new episode premiering every Monday at 8 p.m. ET/PT through June 2.
