The new face of Gerber Baby Food has been revealed. During Friday’s episode of TODAY, it was announced that will be the next Gerber baby will be Magnolia Earl. The infant, who will celebrate her first birthday on Saturday, will also make history as the first Gerber Baby who was adopted.
“This is incredible,” her adopted mother, Courtney Earl, told the talk show. “It means that when people see our families, or if you see a family that doesn’t necessarily match, that you don’t have to question the belonging of anybody in that family.” The baby’s father, Russell Earl, also added that “Mommy always says a family is built on love. He added, “We may all look different, but we’re one family.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
View this post on Instagram
The Earls also revealed that they’re still in touch with the couple that gave birth to Magnolia. “We celebrate adoption in our family every single day,” Courtney said. “The real hero in this story are Magnolia’s birth parents. They chose her life, and they sent her on this incredible journey.” Of course, she also told them about her new gig as the Gerber baby. “If you could hear the joy in their voice of how proud they are of this little girl,” she added, getting emotional. “Together with them and our community and our family, we all this love this baby girl so much.”
The baby food company also released a statement on the news to TODAY, which also marked the 10-year anniversary of the company’s Photo Search to find a new face for the company. “At Gerber, we have always recognized that every baby is a Gerber baby,” the statement read. “In the 10 years we have hosted Photo Search, we have been proud to feature babies of diverse backgrounds. This year is no exception by featuring Magnolia, our first adopted Gerber Spokesbaby.”
Back in 2018, a then-18-month-old named Lucas Warren also made company history by becoming the first child with Down syndrome to earn the title. He also got the chance to meet Ann Turner Cook, the original Gerber baby. Cook herself turned 93 back in November.
“I can’t think of anything nicer than to be a symbol for babies,” Cook said of her coveted title. “And that’s what I think I became. Everybody says, my baby or my grandchild looks like the Gerber baby, and it doesn’t matter the ethnicity. And I say, ‘Yes, I’m sure they do!’”
