Halle Berry's daughter Nahla Aubry doesn't seek out the spotlight,
so it's likely she's changed a lot since the last time you
might have seen her. Here's how the 14-year-old has grown over the years.
Reportedly, Nahla, who was born in 2008, is a major "girly girl" — and she's been that
way since she was a tiny tot. In 2011, while promoting her line of signature fragrances,
Berry revealed that then-3-year-old Nahla was the brand's biggest fan. The actress told People,
"She's a very girly girl. I have four fragrances now. She tries them all out
and likes them all. She'll definitely be a fragrance wearer ... I can tell."
The following year, Berry gushed about her daughter's interests to InStyle magazine, saying,
"Thank God she's very girly! She loves makeup and clothes and skincare stuff."
Although Berry is clearly supportive of Nahla's style,
the actor still taught her kids to challenge gender stereotypes,
such as the idea that some colors are strictly for girls. Speaking with a virtual panel in 2021,
Berry said that it's up to parents to teach their children the value of acceptance.
"If we want to have a future that's different, you're right, that's where it starts."
When Nahla was born, it seemed like Halle Berry and her boyfriend, Gabriel Aubry,
would go the distance. But the relationship soured and the pair called it quits when Nahla
was 2 years old. Berry's publicist announced that she and Aubry were committed to remaining
friends and co-parents, but the situation quickly devolved into a bitter custody battle.
According to Radar Online, startling allegations were hurled from both
sides. Berry accused Aubry of verbal abuse, while a source claimed of Berry,
"Halle has a particularly nasty temper, and she can be really controlling and ­vindictive."
In 2012, E! News reported that Aubry and Berry's new partner, Olivier Martinez,
got into a physical altercation, which prompted both sides to seek protective orders against each
other. Later that year, the former couple reached an agreement over custody of 4-year-old Nahla.
The custody war once made headlines again in 2021,
when the Toronto Sun reported that Berry's child support payments to Aubry had been reduced from
$16,000 to $8,000 per month. The news came shortly after Berry blasted her ex online,
calling the sky-high payments "wrong" and "extortion". Despite the nasty feud, Nahla's
parents have joint custody, and she appears to have a close relationship with both of them.
Thanks to her mom's discretion, Nahla gets to enjoy childhood in relative privacy. In 2016,
Halle Berry posted an adorable Instagram picture of Nahla and her brother Maceo with their faces
purposely cropped so only their smiles could be seen. One commenter criticized Berry for
obscuring her children's faces — to which the superstar quickly fired back, writing,
"I've noticed you have said this several times now so let me be clear — I'm not at
all ashamed of [my] children. I try to find creative ways to incorporate them
into my feed because they are the biggest part of my life, but I also work very hard
to keep their identities as private as I can considering they are only children."
Sadly, it's not just Instagram trolls and paparazzi that have targeted the family.
As The Huffington Post reports, Berry has also dealt with stalkers. The actor was
so concerned for her daughter's safety that she considered leaving the country entirely. In 2012,
Berry asked the court for permission to relocate with Nahla to France.
The request was ultimately denied at the behest of Nahla's father.
If Nahla eventually decides to lead a public life, Halle Berry wants to make sure that the
youngster is able to do so on her own terms. In 2019, the actor told "Today,"
"I've fought really hard to protect their privacy,
and I just want them to have their life and have it be theirs."
Berry is committed to nurturing her daughter's independence in other ways, too. When Nahla was
4 years old, Berry revealed that the little girl was already choosing her own outfits.
When it comes to supporting Nahla's independence,
Berry is leading by example. After making her directorial debut with the film "Bruised,"
the star told CBS 8 that she took on the role for Nahla and Maceo. Berry explained,
"Having my children now is the reason I'm even directing because I have to keep going.
I have to keep discovering more facets of who I am. I have to keep modeling for them someone
who's alive and very involved in their career and as a woman, as a Black woman."
When the time comes for Nahla to spread her wings,
her mother has no intention of holding her back. Berry told InStyle,
"I don't want to be the mom who's crying because her kids left. I want to be the mom who says,
'Yes, girl, go fly. Go do you, do your life.'"
Berry told People about being bullied at the all-white school
that she attended as a mixed-race child. Now a parent of two mixed-race children,
it's clear that Berry wants Nahla to feel gorgeous and confident in her own skin.
In 2014, Berry accused Nahla's father, Gabriel Aubry, of highlighting and
chemically straightening the child's hair. Vogue reported that Berry was enraged by the move,
which she saw as a deliberate attempt to minimize Nahla's biracial identity. The
Daily Mail noted that a court ruled that neither parent was permitted to change Nahla's hair.
Berry is doing everything she can to nurture Nahla's biracial pride,
and she's hopeful that her daughter will not have to face the discrimination
that she endured as a child. In 2017, the superstar told People,
"I think my daughter, who is mixed race, might have issues as she grows with her race. But I
feel like her generation, they're not making it such an issue like my generation was."
In 2018, Berry shared an Instagram photo of Nahla's gorgeous curls cascading down her back.
Thanks to her mother's charitable work with The World Food Programme,
Nahla Aubry has gotten some perspective about the realities of poverty. In 2015,
the then-7-year-old joined her mother in Nicaragua to provide meals for hungry children. Nahla's
experience in the Central American country inspired her to take action and give back even
more. When she returned home, the youngster packed up some of her toys and mailed them to children
in Nicaragua. Nahla's heartfelt gift included dolls and a bicycle, according to ABC News.
The kind-hearted kid didn't stop there. Nahla continued to raise funds for less fortunate
children by setting up a lemonade stand in her neighborhood. In a speech at UCLA, Halle Berry
reflected on her daughter's charitable endeavors. People quoted her as saying,
"I'm so proud of her. It's important to teach your children about caring for children."
In summer 2020, Nahla's bad hair day turned into a bad hair era when her mom was forced
to shave part of her head. Apparently, Nahla had enjoyed a few too many swims in the family pool,
which caused tangles that even the strongest hairbrush couldn't defeat. In an appearance
on "The Tonight Show," Berry dished about the debacle. admitting that letting the
then-12-year-old take charge of her own hair care routine probably wasn't the
best move. As they were doing homework, Nahla asked Berry to touch her hair.
"All her hair, which is, like, past her shoulders, has shrunken up into a tight ball."
Berry said it felt like "matted fur." Berry
realized there was only one thing left to do. She said,
"I had to shave it off. She was not cool with that, but it was our only option."
Nahla has luckily bounced back from the hair fiasco.
The Daily Mail reported that in early 2022, Nahla walked arm-in-arm with her mom on the campus of
Cal State University to explore the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. Nahla's outfit
struck a perfect balance of cozy and chic and leaned into a schoolgirl style. The young star
donned a pink and black plaid skirt and a pair of black, knee-high socks. She paired the look
with glossy black Mary Janes and a dark, bulky jacket. Her long hair featured pink highlights
It was also apparent how much Berry and Gabriel Aubry's daughter had
grown – she's already taller than her mom, who stands at 5'5". If she keeps growing,
the teen could end up tall like her father, who clocks in at 6'2".
Eight months later, perhaps inspired by her daughter's fun hair, Allure
noted Berry traded in her long tresses for an asymmetrical, purple pixie cut.
Halle Berry's beauty has been the subject of an endless media
frenzy — but the megastar is candid about the fact that being beautiful
in Hollywood isn't all glitz and glamor. In a press conference in 2004, Berry admitted,
"Being thought of as a beautiful woman has spared me nothing in life. No heartache,
no trouble. Beauty is essentially meaningless and it is always transitory."
A decade later, in a conversation with Huffington Post, Berry opened up about how she hopes Nahla
will approach beauty and identity as she grows up. She told the publication,
"I want her to embrace all of who she is. I hope she will grow and decide for herself
how she wants to define herself in the world. [...] I want her to feel good about who she is,
where she comes from, embrace her little curly hair and everything about her."
Nahla celebrated her 14th birthday in March 2022. Berry marked the occasion
with a heartfelt Instagram post that showed the
mother and daughter strolling along the beach. In the caption, Berry gushed,
"14 years ago, I was blessed to give birth to an 'Earth Angel' and I named her Nahla
Ariela! Humbled by your presence and overjoyed at the same time! Happy Birthday, Nahla boo!"
Fans and celebs alike poured into the comments to wish the teen a happy birthday. With so much love
and support in her life, there's no doubt that Nahla is destined for success. No matter what
the future holds for Nahla, though, her mom will be there to love and guide her. In 2021,
Berry told Women's Health that she often reminds her daughter,
"Use your voice. You have a right to be heard. You
are loved and accepted just as you are. Only you define who you are."