Why You Never Hear About Giuliana Rancic's Son Duke
Giuliana Rancic's son, Edward Duke Rancic, came into the world on Aug. 30, 2012. "Bill and I are blessed beyond words to welcome Edward into our lives," Giuliana told E! News after the birth of her son via surrogate. She continued, adding, "We are so in love with the little guy already!"
As former reality television stars, Giuliana and her husband, Bill Rancic, are obviously not strangers to the limelight. Rather than shy away from hard topics, the couple have remained open and honest about their struggle with infertility. "...If we can help others by sharing our story, then it's worth it," Bill revealed on the Today show (via E! News) prior to the birth of their child.
However, that didn't mean the public would have full access to their little one. In fact, the new parents took great efforts to readjust their lives — and their boundaries — once their baby became a toddler. Here's why you never really hear much about Bill and Giuliana Rancic's son, Duke.
Bill and Giuliana Rancic "want to just protect" son Duke
On the reality show Giuliana & Bill, fans were privy to very private moments in not only the couple Bill and Giuliana Rancic's lives, but son Duke's too. After their son's birth, the new parents shared a home video of his first feeding and Giuliana's feelings on becoming a mom. In later episodes, the couple shared other intimate moments, including Duke's baptism.
Although Giuliana & Bill would continue filming for two more seasons, the couple decided to put an end to the series in 2014. In an interview with HuffPost two years later, Giuliana finally divulged why. "[The show] was a very rewarding experience, but, at the same time, we needed to pull back a little bit just because our son is 4 and he was getting to an age where ... I don't know if I would have wanted to show cameras at his preschool or him going through certain milestones," the mom admitted. "Some things have to be private," she continued. While she said she and Bill are "very open," it's different when it comes to their son. She added, "And so, until he has a say, we want to just protect him."
Giuliana Rancic made "a deal with God" for her son, Duke
After Bill and Giuliana Rancic made the call to end their reality television series to protect their son, Duke, Giuliana also decided to leave her longtime position as co-host on E! News, as reported by CNN. At the time, Giuliana said she would be embarking on the "next chapter" in her life, which included focusing on her wine and clothing labels and executive producing Oxygen's Rich in Faith.
Giuliana later told The View the full story behind her decision to leave E! News. "I made a deal with God that if you bless us one day with a child — I get emotional thinking about it — if you bless us one day with a child, I'm going to be there for him," she explained. "So I pulled back from the career I love, and it was the best decision I ever made — to just be home and be a mom and not completely give up my career, but just switch things around a little bit." Giuliana's "deal with God" further shines a light on why she decided to not exclude Duke from Giuliana & Bill episodes, but to end the series completely.
Giuliana Rancic left Los Angeles for her son, Duke
As many famous parents can attest, the paparazzi can be brutal in Hollywood. Some celebs have even fought for laws to protect their children from being photographed in California. "Literally everyday there are as many as 15 cars of photographers waiting outside our home," actress Jennifer Garner revealed at a state assembly, according to The Guardian.
Although Bill and Giuliana Rancic have not stated this as a reason for leaving Los Angeles, it certainly explains why the public doesn't hear nearly as much about their son, Duke, as they do other celebrity children. In an interview with Us Weekly, Giuliana explained why they decided to leave when they did. "My son was starting school, and we always had that understanding that was when it's time for Duke to start school we're moving to Chicago," she revealed. "And so that's what we did. We really settled in there and it was amazing."
Giuliana Rancic's son, Duke, has a private life outside of Hollywood
Thanks to his parents, Giuliana Rancic's son, Duke, was afforded the opportunity to live a relatively normal life in Chicago. Although you may miss seeing Duke on Giuliana & Bill, Giuliana hasn't left us completely in the dark. In an interview with Us Weekly, the mom shared some photos and details about her son's sixth birthday party. Interestingly, Duke requested an Emirates airplane-themed cake — and his parents delivered. "He's obsessed with traveling and airplanes," Giuliana explained to the publication. The party also included inflatable airplane favors for the guests, a pilot-themed shirt for Duke, and a dunk tank. Yes, we're jealous.
The family's new lifestyle also left ample time for the arts. In August 2018, Giuliana told the publication that she and Duke were taking guitar lessons together. "We sing 'Hotel California' a lot. That's our go-to. A lot of John Denver songs. Johnny Cash." Although these may not be your average kindergartener's favorite singers, Giuliana added, "Duke has very good taste in music." We'd say!
Giuliana Rancic needed to make "the right decision for everyone"
Although Bill and Giuliana Rancic relocated to Chicago full-time, Giuliana started to consider returning to E! News as a cohost alongside Jason Kennedy. "We really loved the balance we had in this life that we had created, which was this balance of work life," the former Fashion Police host told Us Weekly in August 2018. "And so we wanted to make sure that it was the right decision for everyone. This isn't just about me, it's also about my family ... so we just thought about it long and hard." Ultimately, the former reality television star went back to her position at the network.
That's not to say the Rancics would totally leave Chicago behind. The family appears to split their time between Illinois and California. Despite being back in the public eye, though, the couple did not resume their reality show, and Duke's parents still managed to keep his life away from the spotlight.
Giuliana Rancic's son enjoys a behind-the-scenes education
Giuliana Rancic's son, Duke, stayed enrolled in his school in Illinois, despite his mom's decision to return to E! News. According to the April 2019 press release provided by Learning Resources (via PR Newswire), Duke attends a STEM school in Chicago.
The Rancics partnered with Learning Resources "to help raise awareness" about STEM education. "Whether Duke is taking apart a gadget to see how it works or playing with STEM toys like Beaker Creatures, it's very clear that this type of engagement with science and engineering is having a dramatic impact on the way he is learning to think," Giuliana revealed in the press release.
If you're bummed you don't get to hear too much from Giuliana Rancic's son, Duke, himself, you now know it's only because he's incredibly busy learning everything there is to know about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Not to mention, he's also mastering three languages. "He speaks Italian, Spanish and English," Giuliana confirmed to People. Bill Rancic added that his son has even started to pick up some Albanian.
Giuliana Rancic's son's live television performance
At 6 years old, Giuliana Rancic's son, Duke, only had a vague idea about what his mom did for work. "Someone asked him, 'What does your mom do?'" Giuliana revealed to Us Weekly (via Closer Weekly) in early September 2018. "He said, 'Mommy is a singer!' He knows I do something on TV. He's not quite sure what!" Later that month, Duke investigated for himself and found out just what his mom does. As the cameras rolled, Duke crashed the set of an E! News live broadcast. "Honey, mommy's working," Giuliana told her son after laughing about his appearance on the show.
Despite her best efforts to keep her young son out of the public eye, it seems Duke is very much interested in becoming a star. The then-6-year-old even took the opportunity to show off his dance moves. "Literally, this was not planned," she admitted to viewers.
A few months after making his live television debut, he expressed interest in Giuliana's Golden Globes microphone. "Maybe he'll be the next Jason Kennedy," Giuliana joked. Duke may just have a future in show biz.
Giuliana Rancic's son, Duke, has his own Abercrombie line
Sure, Giuliana Rancic's son, Duke, may not be on a reality television show these days, but that doesn't mean he's not working. That's right: working. In March 2019, Duke and his mom partnered with Abercrombie Kids to create a gender-neutral clothing collection. "He got to collaborate," Giuliana confirmed to People, explaining, "I would ask him, 'What do you think of this? Would you wear this?" Whether he was choosing prints or colors, Duke was able to be very hands-on in the collaboration. He even got to spend some time at the Abercrombie headquarters in Ohio and learned to screen print. That's what you were doing at the age of six too, right?
"Duke loved the whole process," Giuliana further revealed in her interview with the publication. "The clothes are all about being stylish, but they have to be functional and fun too. Kids want to be comfortable!" Despite living a relatively private life, Giuliana gave the okay for Duke to model for the collection's promos. The entertainment news host even modeled alongside him. Yes, it was adorable as it sounds.
You can find Giuliana Rancic's son, Duke, at the family's restaurants
When Giuliana Rancic's son, Duke, isn't crafting clothing lines, modeling, visiting his mom at work, or studying hard in school, you can find him at any one of his parents' restaurants. "He loves delivering dessert at our restaurants," Bill Rancic told People. "At RPM Steak, we have a cotton-candy maker and he'll go make cotton candy and then just bring it out to people randomly and I'm like 'Duke, they're still eating their steak!'"
Duke also spends a lot of time traveling with his parents. And, if you happen to spot him out and about while he's on the move, he might just stop to have a little chat with you. According to his mom, Duke is not shy when it comes to talking with adults, and he has a curious personality. "He's a great traveler," Bill explained to People, "he asks tons of questions — he's the most inquisitive kid I've ever met."