Tragic Details About Gloria Estefan's Daughter, Emily

Gloria Estefan's gorgeous grown-up daughter, Emily Estefan, endured plenty of struggles in her journey to come out. Speaking on "The Real Daytime" in December 2021, the "Reigns" songstress revealed that she never got the chance to come out as a lesbian on her own terms because someone outed her to her family. However, that didn't make Emily's candid chat with her famous mother about the subject any easier. While appearing alongside Gloria on an October 2020 episode of "Red Table Talk," the singer recalled how she had responded to her coming out by saying, "If you tell your grandma and she dies, her blood is on your hands." Emily confessed that Gloria's surprising reaction hurt her even more because she was finding it increasingly difficult to keep her sexuality a secret at the time. 

She added, "I just wasn't ready for that because I understand my grandma was old, but it made it feel like, 'OK, whatever it is, hide it, it's not OK.' So, that's where my hurt started. I'm never going to forget that." During another October 2020 interview, with Pride Source, the "Conga" songstress revealed that she and her daughter had to take some time apart to process the incident. While chatting with CNN's Chris Wallace, in November 2021, the Grammy winner confessed that she had urged her daughter not to come out to her grandmother because she had ulcerative colitis and even simple revelations could easily worsen her health. However, during Emily's interview with "The Real Daytime," she admitted that she regretted not coming out to her grandmother before her passing. 

While speaking to Entertainment Weekly, in October 2020, Emily Estefan acknowledged that although people had reassured her that her grandmother would have had an inkling about her sexuality because they had a tight-knit bond, she still remained unsure if that was the case. Additionally, Emily felt that the uncertainty about her grandmother's awareness of her sexuality had sadly given rise to a burden she would carry forever. Despite everything, the "Ask Me To" songstress reassured Gloria Estefan that she knew her heart was in the right place when she urged her daughter against coming out to her grandmother during their "Red Table Talk" chat. Elsewhere on the show, Emily disclosed that she had also struggled with her mental health in the past. While reflecting on how anxiety affected her, the singer shared, "There were moments that I couldn't even handle myself and I was running in the street and hurting myself, not noticing," (via Hollywood Life). 

The "It's Ok" songstress even smashed her phone out of frustration. Emily also experienced a "tightness in [her] chest" and felt increasingly fatigued. Additionally, in an October 2020 chat with Reuters, Emily confessed that her career struggles only exacerbated her mental health issues, recalling, "I was disconnected from my music, so I was really feeling that I just didn't want to be here any more." However, during her "Red Table Talk," she confirmed that she was in the process of bettering things. Tragically, Gloria Estefan made a heartbreaking confession about her own childhood on the show only a year later. 

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.