Lindsay Hubbard has always had a big personality, but becoming a mom to 18-month-old Gemma has added a whole new dimension to the woman we’ve watched on our screens for years.
When Scary Mommy caught up with the Summer House OG via Zoom, she was equal parts glamorous and refreshingly down-to-earth. Basically, Hubbard was giving exactly the kind of energy you’d expect from someone who describes motherhood as her “superpower.”
We talked about raising Gemma, navigating a house full of newbies this past season, and her simplified skincare routine that’s helped her (and Gemma!) glow amongst the chaos of busy new mom life, which includes hosting Aveeno’s first community walk partnership with the Brooklyn Stroll Club.
And yes, we also chatted about *that* Summer House scandal.
Scary Mommy: It’s so fun to talk to you today! What a treat.
Lindsay Hubbard: You guys honestly have the perfect name, by the way — Scary Mommy.
SM: Do you ever feel like that?
LH: I feel like I’m always a “Scary Mommy.” Usually, I don’t look like this. *gestures to her full glam*
SM: I feel like sometimes it’s a good mix of full glam and then also just the haggard school pickup mom. It’s a good balance.
LH: I’m absolutely the haggard school pickup mom, like normally.
SM: You’ve talked about how Gemma healed you in ways that you’re still learning about. And you’ve been so open and honest about your own past. How has becoming a mother shifted your sense of self?
LH: Whoa…deep!
SM: We’re getting deep real quick.
LH: OK, we’re going to get intimate. Honestly, it gave me more confidence in myself because I feel like moms are the absolute best. It almost gave me a superpower of like, “You can’t mess with me because I have done things that you can’t even fathom doing.” Whether I’m talking to a man or someone who might not be a mom yet.
SM: I totally feel that.
LH: Being a mom has made me softer, and I have a lot more patience. We get soft for babies, not for men. That’s my favorite thing to say.
SM: That’s so funny that you mentioned patience because one of my questions for you, actually, was, since becoming a mom, how did your demeanor in the house change, dealing with everybody in there?
LH: When you become a mom, you automatically become more protective. You’re protecting your baby at all costs. And I feel like my mentality is more protective and just trying to make sure that everyone around me is feeling safe and secure.
There were a lot of new people this season on Summer House. And so I wanted to make sure Bailey [Taylor] felt safe and secure and comforted, same with Dara [Levitan], same with Levi [Sebree], KJ [Dillard], Mia [Calabrese]. I think it gives me more of an edge in a softer way.
SM: You’ve been on the show since the beginning. I feel like you already had a maternal vibe even before you literally had a maternal vibe. It’s been amplified.
LH: It’s interesting because the perception of who I am is hard, rough around the edges, and “activated”. But I have such a big heart, and I have a lot of love to give. And when you get into that inner circle of mine, I go full Leo. I will love you hard, and I will fight with you hard. And I will protect you hard.
I’m so loyal. Once you’re in, you’re in. But if you cross me, you’re going to get a lion on the other end of that.
SM: My husband and my daughter are both Leos.
LH: Oh, I love a Leo. What’s your sign?
SM: I’m Aquarius.
LH: Oh, interesting! That’s so opposite! This happened to me and Carl. Carl’s in Aquarius, too! But it didn’t work for me and him. Now he’s just Uncle Carl.
SM: Which has been so sweet to watch! Besides the obvious of this past season, what was the other thing that surprised you most?
LH: *leans in* Besides the obvious. Besides the obvious? I can’t get past the obvious.
SM: Neither can my mom group chat.
LH: We’re still trying to work on the obvious. We’re still dissecting the obvious.
SM: Neither can my mom group chat. It’s literally all we talk about, truly.
LH: No one can think about anything else besides the obvious.
SM: Shifting gears, what’s something about motherhood that you didn’t expect to care about so much?
LH: You don’t know until you’re a mom that you literally, and especially working moms, have zero time on your hands. So, my skincare routine gets limited more and more and more as the months go on. And it’s now a very simplified skincare routine. But this is why I love Aveeno. I have always used Aveeno. So, I love that Aveeno created a skincare line for babies and kids to cater to our little sensitive children’s skin.
I think just as much as we, as adults, take care of our faces, we need to take care of our children’s faces, too. They’re sensitive. And Gemma and I both have sensitive skin. So I love that Aveeno created a line for them.
SM: My daughter and I have really sensitive skin, too. We use Aveeno, too. There’s a lavender scent that she loves that I put on her before bed. And it’s almost like giving her an essential oil. It really helps her just chill out and relax.
LH: It really has become part of our routine. And we’re pretty obsessed over here.
SM: She’s at such a good age, too. My daughter’s seven now. But 18 months, and around that age has such a dear place in my heart.
LH: It’s the best. They’re so cute. I mean, half the time I’m like, “Oh my god, I’m in such trouble.” And then the other part, I’m just like, “Oh my god. Just never grow up. Slow down.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
