Jennifer’s mother, Jo Wilder, died at the age of 94 after finding out that she was diagnosed with lung cancer
Credit: Taylor Hill/FilmMagic; Fairchild Archive/WWD/Penske Media via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Jennifer Grey revealed on the Waking Up with Ryan podcast the final emotional words her parents shared before her mother Jo Wilder’s death at age 94
- Wilder and Joel Grey were married for 24 years from 1958 before their divorce in 1982 and share two children — Jennifer and James Katz
- Jennifer said her mother Jo Wilder chose a peaceful transition with a death doula after her lung cancer diagnosis instead of treatment
Jennifer Grey is opening up about her mother Jo Wilder’s reconciliation with her father Joel Grey before her death.
The Dirty Dancing star, 66, revealed on the Friday, Aug. 7, episode of the Waking Up with Ryan podcast with host Ryan Weiss that her parents — who divorced in 1982 — shared a special moment before Wilder’s death at age 94 in July 2026.
“The day you said ‘I do’ was the first time I felt whole in my entire life,” the Oscar-winning actor confessed to his ex-wife during a bedside visit 47 years after their separation, according to Jennifer in an exclusive look at the podcast provided to PEOPLE. “We had our bumps, but what I’ve realized is that none of that even matters anymore. What matters is the love we share.”
Credit: The Lighthouse
The Red Dawn star also shared how her mother, a former Broadway actress, responded, noting that she took a quiet pause and looked at her family before saying, “All is forgiven. It feels free.”
Credit: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Jennifer revealed on Instagram that her mom had died “on her own terms” on July 4, after learning a week prior that she had lung cancer. She wrote in the post, “True to who she was, she chose grace over fear, understanding that leaving this world with dignity is an honor, not a tragedy.”
The actress expanded on this decision in her discussion with Weiss on the podcast, saying that instead of undergoing treatment, her mother worked with a death doula to design a peaceful, intentional transition.
“You have [a] choice in the matter with this diagnosis,” Grey shared during the episode. “Everyone deserves a good exit—if we can stop being so terrified, clean up whatever there is to clean up, and just tell people what we want.”
Just like her father, Jennifer said she shared her own parting words — in the form of a living eulogy via email — to her mother before her death.
“I did an exercise where I wrote an email to my mom saying all the things that are great about me that I got from her—from our matching breasts and nail beds to ballet class and yummy lotions,” Grey recalled. “She called me crying because she was so moved.”
“Why are we not celebrating people while they’re here? What a sad thing to have someone say this after you’re not in the room,” she added.
Credit: Bruce Glikas/WireImage
Jennifer highlighted her “gorgeous and talented” mom in her Instagram tribute, describing her as a “promising young actress on the New York stage,” who decided to become a mom instead of “answering that calling.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“If she’d chosen ambition over my brother and me, we never would have had the mother we had. Her passion found other outlets: She was a lifelong activist, fiercely attuned to right and wrong. And for years, many people discovered her extraordinary eye through Wilder Place, her store on Melrose,” Jennifer wrote.
She concluded, “She was brave and deep. I love you, Mom. Thank you for showing me how to do it all, even this, with grace.”
Waking Up with Ryan, hosted by iHeartMedia, debuted in July and has already featured guest stars such as Jenna Dewan and Emmanuelle Chriqui. Forthcoming guests in the first season include the likes of Sophia Bush, Gerard Butler, LeAnn Rimes, Scooter Braun and Jamie-Lynn Sigler.
Read the full article here