Kirsten Dunst Shares Honest Moments of Parenting Without Jesse

Kirsten Dunst has candidly discussed the challenges of parenting her two sons, Ennis Howard, 7, and James Robert, 4, without her husband, Jesse Plemons. Speaking on the October 6 episode of the SmartLess podcast, Dunst, 43, admitted, “I can’t parent alone tonight, I just can’t,” recounting a moment when she took her children to a friend’s house for support.

During the podcast, Dunst shared a photo drawn by one of her sons, depicting her inside a room with the door closed while he stood outside, upset—a gesture she confirmed he had slid under the door. She added, “I let them sleep in bed with me when just Jesse’s not here,” noting that they also watched Will Arnett’s Lego Masters.

Dunst explained how she and Plemons, 37, split parenting duties while working. “We had the summer together. It’s like, whoever’s up next,” she said. “We’re still trying to figure it out. It’s really hard. They’re 4 and 7, and they’re two boys. It’s a lot.”

The couple, engaged in 2017 and married in 2022, welcomed Ennis in May 2018 and James in May 2021. Dunst also revealed that her children are familiar with her and Plemons’ earlier films. “I mean, they’ve seen Jumanji and Spider-Man,” she said. “Every time I’m like, ‘Do you want to watch *Like Mike?’ they’re like, ‘No.’ So … Small Soldiers, my kids like, too. One of my kids likes [it].”

Earlier this year, Dunst spoke about a frightening health scare involving James while she was filming in Budapest. “[It was like] Final Destination, imagining all the things that could go wrong,” she recalled. Plemons had to return to Los Angeles with James, while Ennis remained at school abroad. Reflecting on the experience, Dunst said, “It brought us together as a family in such a deeper way.”

Dunst is supportive of her children’s choices, including acting. “If they want to be actors, I’ll support my children whatever they want to do,” she stated at the New York Film Festival earlier this year.