"I was making more money than my parents" — Cindy Crawford recalls dealing with being successful in her early career

American model Cindy Crawford recently opened up about her early career and managing her finances as she was making more money than her parents by the time she was an adult.

On Saturday, May 11, 2024, the now 58-year-old made an appearance on a new five-part podcast series, Kelly Corrigan Wonders: About Your Mother. She spoke about her career and relationship with her family. She told the hosts Christy Turlington Burns and Kelly Corrigan:

"I started modeling in Chicago, and in Chicago, it’s a small pond, so I was the big fish pretty quickly there. And I was making more money than my parents made, more money than they could ever have dreamed of."

The podcast has also invited other guests, including Jennifer Garner, Amy Schumer, Spike Lee, and Bono.

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Cindy Crawford reveals she was making more money than her parents by age 18

Cindy Crawford was born on February 20, 1966, in DeKalb, Illinois, United States to parents John Crawford and Jennifer Sue Crawford-Moluf. She began her modeling career at the age of 17 after winning the Elite Look of the Year award. The 58-year-old went on to become one of the most popular supermodels in the 1980s and 90s.

Cindy Crawford reminisced about her early modeling career on the Kelly Corrigan Wonders: About Your Mother. She revealed that she began earning more money than her parents "quickly, within a year," of starting out. She then moved to New York City and achieved more success.

The hosts Christy Turlington Burns and Kelly Corrigan then asked if making more money than her parents created any misunderstandings or arguments within her family. Cindy Crawford responded that she felt like the family's son, recalling:

"I was the son in a weird way. Like, when I got married and didn't change my name, [my dad] was like, 'Yeah, the Crawford name will go on!' I was able to help where I could, I don't feel like I became the dad. My sisters do not have expectations."

Her only brother, Jeffrey, passed away from childhood leukemia when he was only three years old and Cindy was 10. She currently has two sisters, Chris and Danielle. In January 2024, the model had a girl's trip to Miami with her mother Jennifer, and sisters.

Cindy Crawford also explained in the podcast that she does not buy lavish gifts for her two siblings. She said it was because “in a weird way it can emasculate their husbands.” The model added:

"If I’m giving my sister a nicer ring than her husband gives them or something like that, it just becomes this weird thing. I was more about giving experiences and then helping them if they need a down payment on a house or something like that. My sisters have been awesome because they always paid it back."

However, she added that "navigating being in that financial position" where a person "could do a lot is tricky."

Christy Turlington Burns and Kelly Corrigan have invited guests in a four-part series as they share details about their relationships with their mothers. The two women are aiming to raise $100,000 for Turlington Burns' organization Every Mother Counts.

The company is a nonprofit that advocates for safe maternal and postpartum health care.

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Cindy Crawford got married to Rande Gerber on May 29, 1998, on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. The couple share two children, daughter Kaia Jordan Gerber, and a son Presley Walker Gerber, who are both models.