- 2 months ago
"I love meeting families, and oftentimes they're like, Can I hug you? And I'm a hugger. It's really sweet." Glamour Editor-in-Chief Samantha Barry talks one-on-one with Rachel Accurso, better known to millions of parents and children as Ms. Rachel.
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00People can be really cruel about like, oh, she's gaining weight or she has wrinkles or like this
00:06and that. But those things actually don't bother me. But saying that I don't care deeply about one
00:14group of children because I'm focused on children in an emergency situation isn't right. It's not true.
00:21Hello, Miss Rachel. Hi. You're a titan of early childhood entertainment with over 14 million
00:32subscribers on YouTube alone. In this year, just this year, 2025, you've published eight books,
00:39you've introduced a highly coveted line of toys and welcome to Second Child. And most recently,
00:45you've become one of the most visible voices for the children of Gaza. I think it's fair to say we
00:50need to talk. Oh, I'd love to talk. You have become a part of millions of children's childhood.
00:58What was your childhood like? Talk to me about your childhood. Oh, I had a great childhood. I have
01:03an older sister and I'm definitely like the typical baby of the family little sister energy. And I had
01:10a single mom growing up who is such a strong, compassionate, amazing woman. And she raised us
01:19to really care about everyone and see everyone as equal and worthy. She actually went back to
01:26college when we were kids. I think like seeing that I'm going to imagine this and I'm going to do it
01:34and no one's going to stop me. That was a beautiful example for me. Who was your Miss Rachel growing up?
01:39What did you watch? What did you consume? What did you love to see? I loved Mr. Rogers. I thought it
01:45was just so wonderful. I still love him. He's been a big guide and hero of mine. I love Sesame Street.
01:52I've always loved children's programming. Reading Rainbow, butterfly in the sky. PBS meant so much
01:59to me as a kid. I watched a lot of TV. I mean, having a single mom is working a lot. We turn on
02:04the TV a lot. And I learned a ton from PBS and I turned out okay.
02:09You talk about Mr. Rogers and a recent Washington Post piece did a great comparison on his activism
02:18and yours. What about Mr. Rogers appealed to you? I know you're a little uncomfortable with
02:23even a comparison to him because he is such a hero to yours.
02:27It's kind of funny to say his shoes to fill because he had that great thing where he changes
02:31his shoes. But I actually tried to get shoes just like his in pink. He was so dedicated to media
02:37being as good as it can be for kids and that it's something we need to take seriously and
02:42it's a responsibility. So I think about that a lot. And I think about his beautiful care
02:48for every child. I can't accept the comparison because it's just too much pressure and too
02:54nice. And I get like hangry and I feel like maybe he didn't get hangry. But my husband's
03:00like, have you had breakfast? I just feel so human. And like I have these ups and downs.
03:05But I am so honored to be in the same sentence as him because I really love him. I think a lot about
03:13his kind of prayerful life. And I really like the scene in the documentary where he's swimming.
03:18It brought me to tears and just praying for people and doing his morning swim and taking that time in
03:22the morning to think about others.
03:25You talk about prayer there and how important is your faith to you? And was that something that
03:30was really important in your childhood?
03:33So I've always been kind of a pious, spiritual person, even as a little kid. I went to church
03:39with my mom. And then when she had to waitress at Pizza Hut on the weekends for extra money,
03:45I asked her to drop me off at church. And I would sit with the grownups and I wouldn't go to the
03:50youth group. I just like listening and sitting with grownups. Life is a lot to handle. And then
03:54the different challenges I've faced in the past year, the world can seem really chaotic. And then
03:59you have the peace of God within that you can always remember and feel. And it doesn't matter
04:06what's happening externally.
04:07That young Rachel, what did she want to be when she grew up?
04:10So really interestingly, I told my mom I wanted to help kids. And I wanted to be a singer. And I
04:16wanted to be a dancer, which is really funny looking back on because I'm a terrible dancer.
04:20And I love how kids are like, I'm a great dancer. And like, I was so bad. Because I can't tell my
04:26rights from left. And I don't have a good memory. I do the step, clap, step, clap. That's my move.
04:32And I never want to do choreo for our show. I'm like, let's have the dancers do the choreo. And
04:37I'll just be like, but sometimes I have to do a little bit. And it's so hard for me.
04:41So it seems like you're living your dream. Let's talk about the paths that got you there.
04:45You were studying music. You also had a job as an assistant preschool teacher for kids with
04:50disabilities. And a colleague there told you you had a gift for the work. Talk to me about that.
04:55I think sometimes you don't know you have a gift for something. And you think isn't everybody just
05:00intuitively good with kids. So I was 18. And I started working with kids with disabilities.
05:07I was excited to go into work every day. And I definitely had that mindset that I'm going to
05:12help them. And I can't wait to help. And then as a teacher, it's so rewarding, they end up helping
05:16you too. And I think that they really transformed me actually, because I was struggling at that
05:21time. Because I think I didn't know what to value. I think that time there was a lot of
05:27pressure on girls. And I felt like, should I focus all on my external beauty and try and
05:37be pretty?
05:37When I worked with the kids, I realized that my gift, my value was in serving others. And
05:45then the next year, they put me as a one-on-one with a little girl with cerebral palsy. And
05:49actually looking back, she needed help with speech. And I found creative ways to encourage
05:54her to talk. I pretended to be Minnie Mouse. And then she loved talking if I pretended to be
06:00Minnie Mouse. And actually another supervisor wrote me a letter and said, like, Rachel finds really
06:06unique approaches to help kids with their milestones that are fun. Looking back, it was like, meant to
06:13be in a way. And it's funny, I've always loved children's media. And my friends are like, this
06:19makes so much sense, Rachel.
06:20How did you meet your husband? Tell us the story, the love story.
06:23I went to Unitarian Church, and we were both raised Unitarian. I actually picked that certain
06:30church to go to in New York because they had a preschool attached. And I thought, you
06:36know what, I'm looking for something deeper with my religion, spirituality. Let me go there
06:42and maybe I can have an opportunity with the kids. I went to church and I went to coffee
06:46hour. And the young adult people came over and I was talking to people and someone said,
06:52do you want to meet the best musician in the world? And I was like, oh my gosh, the best
06:56musician in the world is here? Definitely, because I'm a musician. And then it was like,
07:00this is Aaron. And he said he was hanging up his name tag to leave. And then he saw my
07:05smile. And we walked out together and we went for a walk. He said, I'll walk you out. And
07:10I was like, oh, okay, I like this guy. He knows what he wants to do. And then he walked
07:16me out and we've been together since.
07:18Mad about him from that first meeting?
07:19That was like 15 years ago, I think. Yeah, it was instant.
07:23Instant love, love that.
07:25Yeah. What was that journey into motherhood like for you? How was it?
07:29We had a miscarriage first and that was really painful. But I had Thomas and I've always wanted
07:35to be a mother. So I was so happy. And one of the things that we really fight for at Glamour is
07:41paid leave. And we don't have it in America. Did you have the time that you needed to recover
07:45post-birth to spend with Thomas? I left work and I was lucky enough that with Aaron's Broadway salary,
07:51we could do that. We realized sending Thomas to daycare would be too expensive and I wanted to
07:59stay home. But I feel like women should have choices and I'm passionate about paid family leave
08:05as well and affordable child care and affordable early childhood education. So when we take great
08:11care of the little ones in our country and world, that's like the best investment you can make. And
08:19it's backed by research and it's just the right thing to do. Yeah, I was lucky to have that wonderful
08:24time with Thomas and I just delighted in everything about him. And it was hard and fun. I'm lucky that
08:33I had babysat a lot and I was a nanny. So it wasn't a surprise how much work it is. I definitely have
08:39had to do a lot of like therapeutic work in my mind about like that there's no perfect parent and that
08:45we all make mistakes. Do you think you're too hard on yourself sometimes? And just even what you,
08:51the conversation we've just had in terms of like putting undue expectation, do you think you're too
08:56hard on yourself? Yeah, I do. I think I'm hard on myself, but then I think I have the tools to look
09:03at it and like look at it from another perspective and be compassionate for myself. And if not, I call my
09:09mom and she's compassionate to me. Thank you, Nana, Zana, mommy. My mom is so wonderful. If I call her and I
09:15say, I feel I made this mistake with Thomas and I feel bad and she's just so loving. I named Susie
09:21after my mom. My mom is incredible, the best mom in the world. I like one of my favorite people in
09:28the world and she wasn't perfect. So sometimes I think about that. She'll look back and be like,
09:32I'm sorry about this or that. And I'm like, it's okay. Like, so I want to have the same compassion
09:36for myself. It's really sweet that like my mom and my stepdad and my sister and Aaron, they all like
09:43celebrated everything I did before. Like I was really dedicated to my kids that I taught music
09:49to and I would send pictures and I worked with Sudanese and Somali child refugees in Maine. And
09:55I think my mom was equally proud of me then. Like, you know how moms are. Where do you stand on the
10:02debate of screen time as somebody that's both a content creator and a mother of two? What's really
10:07important in life and for kids is balance. I think it's unrealistic for a lot of us to not
10:13use it. You know, you're doing dishes, you're doing laundry, you're exhausted, to be honest.
10:19Really little ones that I have an expertise in, it's really important that they have these,
10:25what Harvard calls is serve and return interactions. Say they're at the grocery store with you and they
10:31point and you're like, oh, you see the apples. And then they're like, yeah. And you're like,
10:37wow, should we get an apple? I'm like, I'm going to pick out an apple. So you're like narrating your
10:42day, having those back and forth interactions. So you can't replace those interactions with a
10:47screen. It's just not going to work. But I think expecting parents to never use screens and just do
10:53all those interactions, like how is that possible? It might be possible for some parents, but it's not
10:57possible for all parents. And I think like guilt can be a very heavy thing to carry as a parent.
11:04And I think we don't need to feel as guilty as we do.
11:08Talk to me about the development of the character of Miss Rachel. How much of it is a character,
11:13right? Like the Minnie Mouse that you were doing with a child you worked with, how much of it is
11:18actually who you are?
11:19That's like science behind that to be like, wow, hi, with a baby, they're going to look at you more
11:25if you're animated. I've told this story where like I was at the children's museum with my son
11:29and I'm like, wow, Thomas. And then like a bunch of moms turned because they heard the voice.
11:36And so it's my normal voice when I'm excited. I always imagine a child watching and it just comes
11:41out.
11:42What's the origin of the outfit?
11:43The overalls I chose because they make me feel playful and fun and they have pockets,
11:49which I really enjoy. The pink shirt, I just, I really like the color pink. And then the headband
11:54was definitely busy mom, hair flyaways, just kind of not time to wash my hair. Yeah, a really busy
12:03mom with a one-year-old. I started wearing headbands all the time. I think postpartum hair
12:08stuff was going on and I just, I would throw on a headband. That became a signature part of the
12:13outfit that I never like planned. And it's kind of funny that it's because I was a busy mom
12:18that had greasy hair.
12:19Do you get recognized without the outfit?
12:21I've only had, I think two kids recognize me ever in my regular clothes. Kids never recognize
12:28me. I was on a plane and I saw a little boy watching Miss Rachel. And so I snuck up and
12:36I was like, give a little clap, clap, clap along with it. And he was like, why is this like tired
12:43mom singing with Miss Rachel? And the parents were so happy, but he was not having it.
12:49No. So kids do not recognize. What about parents?
12:51Parents do. It's really sweet. They come up and, and I love meeting families. And oftentimes
12:58they're like, can I hug you? And I'm a hugger. It's really sweet. They'll say like, thanks
13:01for the show. And, and it's, it's, it's just so rewarding. And I love hearing their stories
13:08and just connecting with people.
13:10There must be a pressure that comes along with that, right? As you build out what is ultimately
13:14a pretty big media empire, right? That is based off.
13:18I never really thought of that. I mean,
13:20You are the center of it. You're the core of it. You were the person at its helm. How does that feel
13:27where you've done so many books and there's the Netflix deal and there's billions of views.
13:33Does that come with a lot of pressure?
13:34Since my husband is my co-creator and everything, and then we have an amazing team. Sometimes I view
13:42Miss Rachel as like the whole team. And so that takes the pressure off it just being one person.
13:48And when I see like the cartoon version of myself on things, I'm not like, there I am. I'm just like,
13:53Oh, Miss Rachel, like love for all kids. Like let's have her represent just love and inclusivity and,
14:01and everyone's welcome. It's very easy to make decisions and have that guiding light. I am glad that we
14:07always retained a creative control and own our company.
14:11And I also think it's really important is what I'm going to touch on next. If you own the company and you have
14:16creative control, if you're making decisions around topics that some people find controversial,
14:23you have the ultimate say. Let's talk about how important your creative control is when it comes to tackling
14:28issues that are really, really important to you. You have been extremely vocal in recent months about
14:35the children of Gaza. Why is that important to you?
14:38My love and care for children doesn't stop at my own children. It doesn't stop at the children in our
14:46country. It embraces every child of the world. And I don't think that our love should end at
14:55religion or skin color or where people are born. I think that that's not what's right in my soul.
15:05And when I see children suffering anywhere, I just think about what if that was my child? I put myself
15:13in people's shoes and I just do what I would want another person to do for me. It's just right to do it
15:20because it's the right thing. It also benefits society to nurture and care for children. Children
15:28do have human rights. And there is the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. And that was a bunch
15:33of people coming together and saying, hey, when children have these things, they thrive. So to me,
15:38that grownups are failing children and not following those guidelines, it's just, it's so upsetting.
15:44It's not been easy, right? I imagine. Talk to us about how that's been these last few months.
15:51Yeah, I mean, it's been painful, but I always think about what people in Gaza are going through.
15:59I think I also think about what kind of pain I would feel if I knew that I didn't say anything
16:04and could have helped. I do remember a very clear moment where I realized that in kids' media right
16:11now, there's Bluey and Mickey Mouse. And so I realized there wasn't another teacher in the
16:20whole country that was doing what I was doing on the same level. And my heroes are teachers in the
16:25classrooms, because that was really hard when I was a classroom teacher. And I love you and you
16:29should be paid more. So I realized that I kind of had the responsibility to speak up for kids.
16:34I saw one Reddit comment which said, Miss Rachel has shown up on this issue more consistently than
16:41any politician around the world. Does that come with a lot of pressure? I mean, it may be true,
16:46right? Like in terms of a public figure that has been very consistent on the messaging around,
16:52we need to look at what's happening to Gaza children and put our attention there. You are up there with
16:58the most vocal, consistent voice out there.
17:02I never have kind of looked at it that way. But I have seen things like that. There's so many
17:10incredible people around the world that want to help. And there's so many amazing people on the
17:18ground there. I think there's so many people telling our leaders, please, we're begging. I don't know
17:26what that disconnect is.
17:27Would you like to go to Washington and talk about it?
17:29I have tried to message some people and I am talking with some people. I would do anything
17:36for kids in need anywhere. I'm thinking a lot about Sudan right now and trying to help
17:40and having meetings about Sudan. Like having a platform comes with negatives. And one of the
17:46positives is being able to highlight issues and to get a message to a bigger audience. And I think
17:53it's a big responsibility that should be used as much as possible. I want to encourage people to
18:00speak out because things have really changed from a year and a half ago when I started. I think that
18:06people are waking up to the reality. Lives are on the line. And there's food miles from babies and
18:13little kids and innocent men and women. And they're starving.
18:17We're filming this in late August. And as you said, there's been a lot of conversation in recent
18:24weeks. How do parents talk to their kids about what's happening in the world? What advice do you
18:29have?
18:29I think it's always nice to also focus on something beautiful. Mr. Rogers' mom said, which is to look
18:35for the helpers and talk about the helpers. Because I think in this situation, I feel very hopeless
18:41sometimes. And then I do think about the best of humanity that I've seen so much through
18:47working with the PCRF, Palestine Children's Relief Fund. Just their dedication and especially the
18:54people on the ground there that risk everything to rescue kids. It's good to remember those people
19:01when you get really hopeless. How do you protect yourself in that when you speaking out means you
19:06become, for some sections of, you know, right-wing groups or propaganda machines, you become like
19:14the target. How do you protect yourself from that?
19:17I think I have to just remind myself that kids' lives are more important than my reputation or
19:25something that I might read that's painful. It's just, there's no comparison. There's no comparison
19:30to what people are going through. And I think when I met Isra, who's Rahaf's mom, a little girl from
19:37Gaza, and I sat with her, I just, I thought, what if we were in each other's places? Like,
19:43what would I want her to do for me? And I saw her look at her kids like I look at my kids. And I saw
19:49her pain seeing her boys in Gaza, who she's away from.
19:53How was your day filming with Rahaf? Like, what was that experience like? How did that come about?
19:59So the Palestine Children's Relief Fund wrote to me on Instagram, and they mentioned a little girl
20:05who loved the show. And they had told me she lost her legs in an airstrike. They showed me a video of
20:12her watching the show. And she's so precious. And they said, would you want to meet her? And of
20:20course, immediately I said, I'd love to. And then they flew her out. And I wanted to just make the
20:28best day possible for her. Just let me go to a fun play place and like just follow her lead. And it was
20:34a blast. It was so wonderful. The next day, we filmed some songs together. It was just like the day
20:42before we just had fun, anything she wanted to do. And she loves hopping like a bunny to hop
20:47little bunnies. We do a tea party together. And we just film us having a tea party. We didn't have
20:53any like lines. We just had fun together and blew bubbles and danced around like princesses. I've
20:59seen several people comment something similar, which is seeing Rahaf made me realize that the kids in
21:08Gaza are like my kids. I didn't know just how dehumanized Palestinians are before I started
21:16doing this work. It became apparent to me pretty fast how people dehumanize all Palestinians. And
21:25I did have a Palestinian mom say on a Zoom, thank you for seeing our children as human and tears. And
21:34I just couldn't believe she had to thank me for that because it's just how everyone should see
21:40every child, every, every, every child in this world. They're all equal. And we just need to treat
21:47them all like the precious, beautiful gift they are. In the Jewish text, there's a line about all
21:55children being a universe, every life's a universe. And I really feel that way and feel like there's
22:01another quote I like that every meeting with a child is a divine encounter. Every time I meet
22:07a child, I view that as a divine encounter. And it really is. It's precious. And they're the most
22:13important person in the world in that moment. And always. How does it make you feel when some
22:20groups have painted you as anti-Semitic because of your speaking out for the plight of gas in children?
22:27It's incredibly painful. People can be really cruel about like, oh, she's gaining weight or she has
22:33wrinkles or like this and that. But those things actually don't bother me. But saying that I don't
22:40care deeply about one group of children because I'm focused on children in an emergency situation
22:47isn't right. It's not true. I know who I am. My friends know who I am. And God knows who I am. And so I felt
22:59like it's really painful, but nothing is going to silence me from being an advocate for children
23:08because that's a calling and it's the right thing to do. And labeling people because they care deeply
23:13about all children is wrong. As we wrap up and we get to the end of what has been a very interesting
23:19conversation, and I appreciate it, what do you want your legacy to be? You know, I don't look at that
23:25as being important. I just want to serve God and others every day in every way I can and speak up for
23:37children and help children who are in unimaginable situations, um, every day to the best of my
23:46ability, every moment. What was it like when you got the phone call asking for you to be woman of
23:51the year? I was in shock. I think I screamed. I was like, what? Well, we're very excited. I'm so honored.
24:00We're so honored. Thank you so much for taking the time. It has been lovely to talk to you.
24:04You're so lovely, Sam. Thank you so much. So lovely, Sam. Thank you so much. Thank you.
Comments
1