Meet Malti Marie: The Child of Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra
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Malti Marie is a 1-year-old American social media personality. She is best known as the non-biological first-born daughter of the Indian actress, model, and producer Priyanka Chopra Jonas, born on 18 July 1982 in Jamshedpur, Bihar (now Jharkhand), India, and singer-songwriter and actor Nick Jonas, born 16 September 1992 in Dallas, Texas, USA.
Early life
Malti Marie Chopra Jonas was born on 15 January 2022, in San Diego, California USA. According to TODAY, her name was a tribute to her grandmothers, doctor Madhu Chopra, whose middle name is Malti, and Denise Jonas, sign language teacher and singer, whose middle name is Marie. Hindustan Times journalists noted that Malti represents ‘moonlight or a small fragrant flower’ in Sanskrit, and can be derived from ‘stella maris’ in Latin, which means star of the sea. Marie is commonly traced to the French version of the name Mary. Malti was born prematurely, roughly a trimester before the due date, via a surrogate at a hospital shortly after 8 p.m., according to People magazine.
Priyanka was in the operating room when Malti was born, and she described her as being smaller than her hand. Consequently, she worried that doctors would be unable to incubate her, a medical procedure in which an endotracheal tube is inserted into the patient’s throat to keep the airway open, allowing them to breathe independently.
Recovery
Malti spent the next 100 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Cedars-Sinai Los Angeles and Rady Children’s La Jolla hospitals in California, where doctors ensured that she reached the normal height and weight. Nick announced Malti’s arrival at the couple’s home on Mother’s Day, 8 May, saying that their baby is ‘a badass and that a new chapter of their life began.’
Priyanka admitted in an interview with Elle magazine that the three months were incredibly stressful, noting that she ‘was so close to losing Malti so many times; hence, she can get away with anything, and has her mother wrapped around her little finger.’ Her biggest fear was not having a monitor that showed her daughter’s heartbeat, so she spent weeks listening to it with an ear on her chest at home. Moreover, she put seven cameras that filmed the nursery from all angles, and streamed the video to her iPad Mini tablet. Priyanka also said during her appearance in “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” that Malti was magical and immune to jet lag, a condition caused by a rapid change between time zones, usually resulting from long airplane flights; Malti has visited New Jersey State, New York City, India, and Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico before she turned two.
Both parents admitted that traveling changed despite Malti’s excellent behavior; they had to view old locations from a new perspective, as their daughter’s safety and comfort became their priority. Thankfully, Priyanka said that Malti can sleep in any circumstance, and is the most joyous baby who makes her smile with a mere look.
Parents and ancestry
Malti’s parents first appeared together publicly at the MET Gala 2017, but started dating around May 2018; Nick and Priyanka announced that they became engaged two months later, and tied the knot on 1 December 2018 at the Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur, in front of about 200 people. Priyanka wrote in her post-wedding Instagram post that their relationship ‘was a merging of families who love and respect each other’s faiths and cultures, so the wedding was a testament to that, and that the celebrations were what they both dreamed about.’
The celebration included an ode to the city, meaning that white, yellow and blue were everywhere. It also involved the Sangeet, the pre-wedding ritual filled with music and other performances, including a Bollywood-style depiction of their love story through skits, songs and scenes, for which both families rehearsed for days. Shortly afterwards, the couple had a Christian ceremony officiated by Paul Kevin Jonas, the Jonas family patriarch, who is a singer, songwriter, musician, and business owner.
On her paternal side, Malti is of Irish, English, Scottish and German descent, according to EthniCelebs. She has traces of Italian and French-Canadian ancestry and might have Cherokee Native American roots. On her maternal side, Malti is of Indian ethnicity, with ancestry in Punjabi, Bihari and Malayali regions.
She was an early gift
Priyanka told People magazine about a month into dating Nick that she wanted a family within 10 years. However, she hoped that would happen earlier because she loved children. Priyanka said that planning went against her ‘live in the today’ personality, and believes that ‘the man proposes, God disposes,’ suggesting that she would let the one above decide when the time is right. Nick revealed to People magazine that he shared his wife’s faith during his time on The Rewind with Guy Raz podcast on Spotify, saying that he’s seen a lot at an early age and hopes to share it with his child someday. Nick also joked that the two were ‘busy career-wise, but not too busy to practice.’
In a Vanity Fair interview in January 2022, shortly before Malti’s birth, Priyanka mentioned that children were a big part of their desire for the future, and after the couple purchased a 20,000sqft or 1,858m2 mansion in Los Angeles, reportedly worth $20 million. Her statement indicates that they want their daughter to have a sibling or siblings, and are preparing the space for their carefree childhood.
Malti Marie Chopra Jonas 🥰🥰🥰 pic.twitter.com/jFYwVJGvvH
— Leti ✨ (@4evawithjobros) January 31, 2023
First public appearances
Priyanka graced the cover of the British version of Vogue magazine issued in February 2023. Malti appeared in one of the pictures, sporting red in front of a red backdrop, which was her official public reveal. However, according to HELLO! India magazine, photographers first captured Malti’s entire face on 30 January 2023, as she sat on her mom’s lap when Jonas Brothers received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Nick mentioned them in his speech, saying that ‘he cannot wait to come here with her in 15 years time, and embarrass her in front of her friends.’ Contrary to what some expected, considering her parents’ wedding, Malti’s first birthday was a private event. However, Priyanka said that ‘they hosted a big party and celebrated in style because their daughter deserved it after what she’s been through.’
Siblings
Fans of the Jonas family know that Nick was an uncle before becoming a father, so Malti has siblings to play with. He frequently talked about his nieces, Alena Rose Jonas, born on 2 February 2014, and Valentina Angelina Jonas, born on 27 October 2016, to Kevin Jonas, Nick’s oldest brother and guitarist for the family band Jonas Brothers, and his wife Danielle Jonas (née Deleasa), who married in December 2009.
Joe Jonas, three years Nick’s senior, has two daughters with Sophie Turner, the actress best known for playing Sansa Stark in “The Game of Thrones” television series. The couple began dating in 2016, and married three years later, welcoming daughters Willa Jonas on 22 July 2020 and Delphine on 14 July 2022 before he filed for divorce in September 2023. The youngest brother, Frankie Jonas, was born on 28 September 2000 and started his music career in early 2023. He began dating fitness company receptionist and social media personality, Anna Olson, in January 2022; he enjoys being an uncle, but has no children.
Priyanka’s younger brother, Siddharth Chopra, a professional chef and former restaurant owner and manager, also has no children. However, her cousins, Bollywood actresses Mannara, Meera, and Parineeti Chopra, adore Malti.
Instagram account
Malti’s images can almost exclusively be found on her parents’ Instagram accounts. Priyanka tends to take pictures of Malti in which her face is away from the camera or uses a heart emoji to cover the front of her face when it’s visible. Nick posted fewer photos but showed Malti’s face a few times – Malti’s parents call her M or MM publicly.
However, TimesNowNews noticed the creation of the Instagram account under the handle maltimarie in mid-2023. Although children under 13 cannot use Instagram, parents can make and manage their accounts. Nick and Priyanka follow the account, and its profile picture is undoubtedly of Malti surrounded by animals. Furthermore, the account is active; it had three posts and 14 followers in mid-October, but it grew to 10 posts and 21 followers by early December.
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Interests
Priyanka inadvertently revealed that Malti inherited her “Desi Girl” nickname by dressing her in onesies with the nickname printed in August 2022. She earned the nickname in the 2008 movie “Dostana,” in which the song of that name played during one of her scenes. Furthermore, Nick and Priyanka consider their three dogs, Diana, Panda, and Gino, sort of older siblings; they are always by Malti’s side, protecting her.
Priyanka shared pictures from the infinity pool in their new home, suggesting that Malti enjoys being in the water and might learn to swim early. Nick’s Instagram post from 1 August 2023 somewhat confirmed that the family vacationed on an unspecified ocean onboard a yacht, and Malti smiled when Nick dipped her toes into the hot tub.
According to the photo series from the family skiing trip to Aspen, Colorado, Malti enjoyed the snow and cold as much as the water and tropical climate. On 14 October, Nick uploaded a behind-the-scenes- photo of Malti in the audience of one of his shows in Orlando, Florida, USA, although seemingly from the soundcheck. Malti sported noise-canceling headphones, but Nick implied that she enjoys listening to him sing and play the guitar.
An additional confirmation came in the form of an Instagram picture that Priyanka shared to celebrate his 31st birthday on 16 September. It shows Nick inside the tour bus during the Jonas Brothers’ worldwide tour, feeding Malti from a baby bottle. Nick also bought a matching pair of Air Force1 sneakers for himself and Malti, which he later branded with nicknames Daddy and MM on the back.
On that note, he told Variety magazine that the song “Little Bird” from Jonas Brothers’ sixth studio album, entitled “The Album,” released on 12 May 2023, was dedicated to the Jonas brothers’ daughters. According to Nick’s People magazine interview, his second favorite is “Waffle House,” a song about parenthood inspired by his father, who did a fantastic job making his children feel loved on Father’s Day. Priyanka also told IndiaTimes.com that Malti enjoys Indian food, particularly biryani, a chicken and rice dish; paneer mutter, a meal based on North Indian yellow curry; and food with chatpata, a spicy seasoning.
Physical characteristics
Malti Marie has light brown hair and dark brown eyes, is 2ft 2.5 ins (0.67m) tall, and weighs about 26lbs (12kgs). She started wearing earrings before her first birthday.
