Naomi Watts says she has become “a bit of a momager” as her 17-year-old daughter Kai Schreiber keeps building a modeling career on major runways. The actor made the comment in October on Today with Jenna & Friends, describing her support as part of a public coming-out of sorts for a teen who is already walking for Valentino, Mugler and Jean Paul Gaultier.
Watts said Kai is “extra young” but “has got her head on,” adding that it “was a nice way for her to feel pride about what she’s doing.” For readers searching the family now, the reason is simple: Watts is speaking publicly just as Kai’s profile is rising, and she is doing it in a way that frames the modeling not as a stunt, but as something her daughter is choosing for herself.
Kai’s runway work has turned heads because it is happening fast. She made her runway debut in March 2025 at Paris Fashion Week, modeling Valentino, and has since appeared on other fashion houses’ runways as well. In a conversation with Interview Magazine last year, Kai said struggling with gender identity from a young age likely shaped that path, and said she had always wanted to grow up to be a “beautiful, glamorous, influential woman, like Marilyn.”
The support around her has been visible from both parents. In February, Liev Schreiber posted “Stunner” and “Brava Kai” on Instagram about his daughter’s latest project, and he later attended her Paris Fashion Week debut. He has also brushed off criticism, saying he does not have many thoughts for “the haters,” while making clear that Kai’s choices are hers and that he is proud of her work on the show.
That mix of encouragement and scrutiny is what makes Watts’ comment land now. Kai identifies as transgender, and her visibility in fashion places her inside a wider conversation about who gets to be seen on the runway and how families back young trans people in public. Watts did not suggest the modeling is settled or finished; she sounded like a parent trying to keep pace with a daughter whose career is moving faster than the family’s public playbook. What comes next is the open question: how far Kai’s runway work goes, and whether the next assignment is another high-fashion show or the start of something bigger.
