Mace Calls Herself an 'Empty Nester' on Camera: She Has Joint Custody of Her Daughter
On Capitol Hill on September 1, 2026, Rep. Nancy Mace told TMZ she is an 'empty nester and single' and got a puppy 'so I could have a baby to take care of.' Mace has joint custody of her daughter from her 2019 divorce from Curtis Jackson. 'Empty nester' is a term for parents whose children have grown and left the home, not parents with joint custody of a minor. Her own words on camera confirm her daughter is not living with her.
"I'm an empty nester and single, so I got a puppy so I could have a baby to take care of."
Nancy Mace, Rep. (R-SC), to TMZ on Capitol Hill, September 1, 2026
Reporting credit: This exchange was reported and filmed by TMZ, "Rep. Nancy Mace Shows Off Tattoos, Says More Ink Is Coming", by TMZ Staff, September 1, 2026, 2:50 PM PDT. All video and quotes below are from that TMZ interview on Capitol Hill.
"Empty nester" is what you call yourself when your children have grown and left home. Nancy Mace used the phrase on camera to TMZ on September 1, 2026, on Capitol Hill, puppy in hand, to explain why she got a dog. The problem: Mace has joint custody of her daughter from her 2019 divorce from Curtis Jackson. Joint custody of a minor child and "empty nester" are not the same thing. By choosing that language herself, on camera, Mace confirmed her daughter is not living with her.
She got a puppy, she said, to have "a baby to take care of."
Reporting credit: This exchange was reported and filmed by TMZ, "Rep. Nancy Mace Shows Off Tattoos, Says More Ink Is Coming", by TMZ Staff, September 1, 2026, 2:50 PM PDT.
Rep. Mace (R-SC) stopped to talk with a TMZ reporter outside the Capitol, holding a chocolate Labrador puppy she introduced as Millie:
"This is Millie, and I got her during recess. I'm an empty nester and single, so I got a puppy so I could have a baby to take care of." (Nancy Mace, to TMZ)
On the puppy's personality:
"She gets kind of scared, and so that's why I'm holding her, because she's scared a little bit. So we're trying to socialize her, getting her, you know, she's going to go vote with me today." (Nancy Mace, to TMZ)
The TMZ reporter asked about having "extra time on her hands." Mace confirmed she is leaving Congress in January:
"I am definitely going to have extra time starting in January, and definitely wanted to get a puppy to fill some of that time. Back to the private sector I go." (Nancy Mace, to TMZ)
The record: Mace divorced Curtis Jackson in 2019. Jackson was awarded joint custody of their children. Joint custody of a minor, by definition, means the child has not left the home. "Empty nester" is Mace's own word choice. Readers can draw their own conclusions about what it means.
Watch the segment
The original TMZ interview is below. It is footage from Capitol Hill on September 1, 2026.
Video: TMZ, "Rep. Nancy Mace Shows Off Tattoos, Says More Ink Is Coming", Capitol Hill, September 1, 2026. Published by TMZ Staff.
Sources & related coverage:
- TMZ (primary): "Rep. Nancy Mace Shows Off Tattoos, Says More Ink Is Coming", TMZ Staff, September 1, 2026 2:50 PM PDT
- Yahoo Entertainment (re-host): Nancy Mace TMZ video
- TMZ Facebook video: facebook.com/TMZ/videos/1531741505419843/
- TikTok/@tmz: tiktok.com/@tmz/video/7674756442066390285
- See also: Nancy Mace · 2026 personal timeline
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