Julia Roberts has spent more than three decades as one of Hollywood’s best-known faces, but to two small children in Emmy Rossum’s home she is simply “Aunt Juju”. Rossum shared the sweet detail during an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show on 22 October, giving a rare glimpse of the Oscar winner’s quieter, homely side.
Lego on the floor and blankets with a signature
According to Rossum, Roberts has visited the family’s home and happily settled down on the floor to build Lego with her daughter, aged five, and her son, aged three. Rossum described the actress as kind and remarkably down to earth, adding that she does not even travel with an assistant.
The detail that has charmed fans most, though, is a creative one. Roberts, Rossum explained, is very crafty and has knitted blankets for both children. Each one carries a small stitched message reading “From the knitting needles of Auntie Juju”, a personal touch that turns a cosy gift into a family keepsake.
A friendship built on set
The bond began with Rossum’s husband, the director Sam Esmail, best known as the creator of Mr. Robot. He and Roberts have worked together several times, on the series Homecoming and Gaslit and on the 2023 Netflix thriller Leave the World Behind. Esmail has previously said that it felt surreal at first to become friends with an actress he had watched on screen since he was young, but that he now sees her above all as a generous mother and friend. Roberts herself is mother to three children, Hazel, Phinnaeus and Henry.
Rossum and Esmail met in 2014 while making the romantic comedy Comet, married in 2017, and have chosen to keep their children largely out of the public eye, which makes this small story all the more endearing.
The lasting charm of a personal gift
There is a reason handmade, personalised presents feel so special: they carry time, thought and a story. As the gifting season approaches, a piece of jewellery can play a similar role, something chosen with one person in mind and kept for years. Browse our pendant necklaces and bracelets for meaningful everyday pieces, or our coordinated jewellery sets for a gift that feels complete.
Sources: Vanity Fair Italia, “Julia Roberts diventa «zia Juju»” (23 October 2026); Entertainment Weekly, “Julia Roberts knits blankets with this adorable message for Emmy Rossum’s kids”; The Jennifer Hudson Show (22 October 2026). Featured image: AI-generated illustrative scene, not a photograph of the actual blankets.
