The RHOBH alum shared a rare look at her parenting life as she said farewell to her son, Jesse Van Patten.
Eileen Davidson is in her empty nester era.
On Tuesday, January 21, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum hopped on Instagram to share a rare but exciting update on her son, Jesse Van Patten. The Daytime Emmy Award winner confirmed Jesse — whom she shares with her husband, Vincent Van Patten — had left home and started his first semester at California State University-Northridge.
Eileen shares a peek at her son Jesse's college move-in day
“Big day moving this one into his dorm!” Eileen captioned the post, followed by the “empty nest” hashtag.
The photo showed Eileen holding a moving box as she, Vincent, and Jesse stood side by side on the CSUN campus. About two hours later, the former ’Wife shared her and Jesse’s sweet text exchange after move-in day was complete.
“Love you mom And dad,” Jesse wrote.
“Have fun!!! What an adventure!!!!” Eileen replied. “Drink some chocolate milk and go to sleep.”
She captioned the post, “Parenting.”
Where did Eileen & Vincent's son Jesse begin his college journey?
Eileen didn’t provide any more details about Jesse’s new college journey, including his area of study. The Beverly Hills son graduated from high school in 2021 and enrolled at Santa Monica College, where he was part of the track and field team. In January 2024, Eileen took to Instagram to reveal she and Vincent were touring other colleges and universities with Jesse; but, again, it’s unclear if he was transferring to complete his undergrad degree or was looking at potential graduate schools.
“Checking out colleges with the kid!” she captioned one photo, which showed her, Vincent, and Jesse standing at the CSUN track field.
Eileen opens up about being a stepmom to Vincent's sons
Jesse is Eileen and Vincent’s only child together. The two tied the knot in 2003 when the former Housewife was still pregnant. Vincent entered the marriage with two sons — Duke and Vinny Jr. — from his previous relationship. Eileen spoke about her blended family life in a 2015 blog post for BravoTV.com, explaining how being a stepmom can be difficult but “rewarding.”
“I love my boys! Husband, son, stepsons, and their friends!” she wrote. “I meant it when I said it is a very different experience being a stepmom. More challenging (in a different way) from raising your biological children. But it is so incredibly rewarding. Both Duke and Vinny Jr. have brought so much to my life. The Mother’s Day cards I’ve received from them over the years and the things they’ve written in them always make me cry.”
She continued: “I am so proud of them. I’m in awe of them. Two intelligent, sensitive, incredibly handsome, talented, caring young men. They have taught me so much about parenting and love. And so much more. I never would have known how amazing being a stepmom is if it weren’t for them. The boys’ mom, Betsy Russell, has been absolutely incredible… This experience has made my life better in so many ways. I can only hope I’ve given them just a little bit of what they’ve given me.”
