Who are Emily Ratajkowski's parents? Everything to know about the model's family amid Sebastian Bear-McClard divorce

In July 2022, it was reported that Emily Ratajkowski and Sebastian Bear-McClard, have filed for divorce after four years of marriage.

Emily is the only child of John David Ratajkowski and Kathleen Balgley, and married Sebastian back in 2018, after dating him for a brief period. The couple mostly kept their relationship private, but occasionally posted glimpses from their life on social media.

The duo welcomed a son in March 2021.

Following news of the split between Emily and Sebastian, a source close to the couple had revealed to People magazine that the divorce was primarily "Em's decision." The source further added:

“She is doing okay. She is strong and focused on her son. She loves being a mom.”

News of the divorce kindled an interest in Emily Ratajkowski's personal life. Here, we explore her early years and the kind of dynamics she shared with her parents.

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Who are John and Kathleen? Exploring Emily Ratajkowski's relationship with her parents

Emily was born to John and Kathleen, who were both professors by occupation. (Image via @emrata/ Instagram)

Emily Ratajkowski is of German, Irish, English, and Polish-Jewish descent. She was born on June 7, 1991, to John David Ratajkowski and Kathleen Balgley.

Her father, John, is a Roman Catholic, and her mother, Kathleen, is Jewish. In a previous interview with Allure, Emily had mentioned that she identifies her ethnicity as being Polish-Israeli.

Emily's mother is an English professor and her father was a high school arts teacher. However, her father later quit his job to turn his attention to painting, while his wife became his curator. He is currently a successful artist and boasts numerous artworks displayed worlwide.

Kathleen and John got married when they found out that the former was pregnant with Emily.

Speaking about her parents in her autobiography My Body, Emily Ratajkowski revealed that the relationship was quite strained. She also spoke about being the "glue" in the family:

“I knew that my parents had been on again, off again for years before my mother became pregnant with me and they decided to get married. I understood that even before I was born my existence was the essential glue of their relationship.”

In her autobiography, she also discussed how her parents would often have loud arguments, during which she would hide in the bathroom. She further mentioned that her parents made her believe that her superpower is her beauty.

The model also spoke about earning validation from her parents because of her looks:

“When I was special, I felt my parents love for me the most."

In My Body, Ratajkowski further wrote at length about her mother's obsession with her own as well as her daughter's beauty. She detailed how her mother always displayed attractive photos of her around their house, and used them to flaunt in front of other guests.

In the book, Emily admitted to equating beauty with power even now, and deemed it to be a remnant of her childhood experiences with her parents. She wrote:

"I collect this data more than I want to admit, trying to measure my allure as objectively and brutally as possible."

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What we know about Emily Ratajkowski's divorce

Rumors of a split between Emily Ratajkowski and Sebastian Bear-McClard began when Emily was spotted a couple of times without her wedding ring.

A source close to the couple revealed to Page Six that Sebastian had been cheating on the model, which became the main reason for the feud. The source also deemed Emily's former husband to be a “serial cheater.”

After news of the divorce was confirmed, another source told Entertainment Tonight:

"They had been having issues as a couple for a bit. Emily is focused on herself and their son. Emily is adjusting to this change and plans to file for divorce soon."

Neither Ratajkowski nor her husband have publicly addressed the divorce as yet.