Helen Hunt has had plenty of reasons to celebrate during the course of her career. For instance, along with appearing on the popular series “Mad About You” from 1992 to 1999, she’s also starred in movies like “Twister” (1996), “As Good as It Gets” (1997) and “What Women Want” (2000). That’s not to mention the fact that she’s earned an Oscar, four Primetime Emmy Awards and just as many Golden Globes.
Now, Helen is celebrating a major milestone with her daughter, Makena Lei Carnahan, who has just achieved her own impressive career-related accomplishment.
Helen and Makena Both Beamed as They Smiled at the Camera
“Look at this Wildcat and her wonderful friends!” Helen wrote in the caption of an Instagram post that she shared on Tuesday, June 16. “Happy Graduation my Love. You. Are. Amazing. 💜”
Along with Helen’s message, “the actress, 63, shared a few photos on Instagram as she celebrated her 22-year-old daughter Makena’s graduation from Northwestern University,” according to People. Helen “could be seen smiling as her daughter wrapped an arm around her.”
“Makena held a bouquet of yellow roses and wore a purple robe in one photo,” People also noted. “In another, she posed with several of her friends on a Jumbotron.”
Beyond that, People pointed out that “[a]lthough Hunt doesn’t often share photos of her daughter on social media, in June 2022, she again celebrated Makena when she graduated from high school.” Indeed, the star “honored the occasion with a sweet post on social media. In the photo shared on Instagram, the proud mom beamed as she posed next to Makena, who donned a hunter-green graduation gown.”
Makena Is a Performer Like Her Mom, But Not an Actress
GettyDespite the fact that Helen doesn’t often post about Makena on social media, we do know a few things about the star’s beloved daughter.
For instance, Helen “became a mother when she was 40 years old, welcoming her first child with her ex-partner, producer Matthew Carnahan,” People explained. She “gave birth to a daughter named Makena Lei Gordon Carnahan in May 2004 in Los Angeles.”
“I fell in love, I had a daughter. It was hard to find a part that was as interesting as watching her grow up,” Helen told Scotland on Sunday in September 2008 (via People). “Why go off and pretend to be someone’s mother, or pretend to be someone’s wife, when I finally had the chance to have that experience in my real life?”
As for Makena, despite the fact that she has a few acting credits to her name from when she was younger, it doesn’t look like she’ll necessarily be following in her mother’s footsteps. Instead, she was studying Communications in college while also pursuing her passion for music. In January 2024, she talked to The Daily Northwestern following the release of her debut project “Call It a Home.”
“A lot of Big Thief is running through my ears all the time,” she said while mentioning the inspiration behind her work. She added, “I’ll be honest, a lot of Phoebe Bridgers. Why lie, you know?”
If you’re interested in more music from Makena, then you can follow her band, Widemouth, on Instagram. Based in Chicago (near where Makena has been attending school at Northwestern in Evanston), “[t]hey play indie music of the folk/rock variety,” according to their website.
Check out Makena performing with Widemouth here:
