Heather Rae El Moussa took time to set the record straight after seemingly omitting her stepdaughter, Taylor, from a Valentine’s Day tribute on social media.
On Thursday, the “Selling Sunset” star posted a candid photo of her and Taylor hugging amid what looked like birthday balloons to her Instagram Story.
“We close our ears to the pettiness,” she wrote in the caption. “We strive for positivity only, My girl knows she’s my #1 gal.”
The snapshot came one day after El Moussa was inundated with criticism over an Instagram post that included photos of her husband, Tarek El Moussa, 8-year-old stepson Brayden and 1-year-old son Tristan.
“Happy Valentine’s day to my boys T, T & B,” the caption said. “I have never felt so much love in my life. All 3 keep me on my toes but I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Taylor, 13, was noticeably absent from the post, a point that did not sit well with El Moussa’s followers.
“We all know a stepparent like this,” one person wrote in the comments. “You hate to see it, you hate to see their spouse enabling it.”
Added another: “Is the stepdaughter chopped liver on vday?”
Others, however, came to El Moussa’s defense, suggesting that a teenager might feel differently than her younger siblings about having her photo posted on social media.
“Maybe she doesn’t want her photo included for yall to judge like you’re doing now,” a person wrote.
Despite Taylor’s absence from the Valentine’s Day post, she has made appearances on her stepmom’s social media before. Earlier this month, El Moussa shared photos of the entire family visiting Disneyland for Tristan’s birthday.
In 2021, the reality star told People she felt honored to be a “bonus mom” to her husband’s two eldest children, whom he shares with his ex, Christina Hall.
“The kids are a huge part of our lives,” she said. “I’m raising the kids with Tarek and I love being a ‘bonus mom.’ I love kids. I never knew I was going to have kids in my life.”