Amanda Kloots Shares How Her Son Is Coping Nearly Four Years After His Dad’s Death

Ms. Kloots’ husband, actor Nick Cordero, passed away in July 2020.

Amanda Kloots and Elvis Cordero attend Thanksgiving at Project Angel Food in Los Angeles, Calif., on Nov. 23, 2023. Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for Project Angel Food

Amanda Kloots, a well-known television personality and co-host of the CBS daytime program “The Talk,” recently shared insights into how her 4-year-old son, Elvis, is adjusting to the loss of his father.

The actress and fitness instructor’s late husband, Broadway star Nick Cordero, passed away in July 2020 at the age of 41 due to complications arising from a long battle with COVID-19.

Speaking with film producer Hilary Shor for The Retaility’s interview series “In Conversation,” the 42-year-old said her son, who turns five on June 10, is still working to process his father’s tragic death.

“It has come up a couple of times. And, of course, it’s always at random, weird times. For instance, it’s always driving to preschool. For some reason, Elvis will say something about Dada and, ‘Where is he?’ or something, and I’m in the car driving. Knowing then that I have to also just drop him off and go to work and be on live television [right after]. It’s this battle of emotions. It’s hard,” she explained.

“This is the best way to sum up how he is understanding things right now ... On Nick’s birthday, I like to plan a celebration on that day. So, we get a cake. And we sing Happy Birthday to Dada. This year, we went to Del Frisco’s [Steakhouse],” Ms. Kloots shared.

“And I’m getting Elvis all dressed up in a little, cute suit and talking about how it’s Dada’s birthday. And he goes, ‘Will he be there?’” she continued. “So that’s where we’re at. He knows he has a dad. He knows that his dad isn’t alive. And he’s very frank about ’my Dada is dead.' He will say [that]. Because I’ve been very clear about that.”

Navigating Grief

Mr. Cordero made his Broadway debut in 2009, appearing in the hit musical “Rock of Ages,” before going on to star in “Bullets Over Broadway” (2014), “Waitress” (2016), and “A Bronx Tale The Musical” (2016), per Playbill. Mr. Cordero also appeared in a slew of films and television shows, including the 2019 crime thriller “Mob Town,” featuring David Arquette and Jamie-Lynn Sigler.

The actor and Ms. Kloots wed in 2017, welcoming Elvis two years later. During her interview with The Retaility, the talk show host reflected on the ways in which her son has helped her maneuver through her heartache and sorrow after Mr. Cordero’s untimely passing.

“It was such a blessing. Honestly, I look back, and it was a blessing to roll over every morning and have Elvis right there smiling at me. It saved me. I mean, every single day, there was no other option,” she said. “Sometimes, I’m like, ‘Oh my God, what would my journey be like if I didn’t have Elvis?’ And then I’m like, ‘I don’t want to think about that,’ because it would have been so hard.”

On Mother’s Day, Ms. Kloots took to Instagram to share a picture of herself holding Elvis as a baby. In the caption, she noted that the photo was taken four years ago, just one week before the death of Mr. Cordero, who spent 95 days in the intensive care unit battling the coronavirus.

“This picture is not just me, it’s every mother. I’ve seen my mother’s face look like this, my sister’s, my dear friend’s. A mother’s strength is unbreakable, even at a breaking point. Even during losses we could never have imagined, a mother’s love is never-ending. A mother’s hug holds a world full of power even when she is powerless,” she penned. “Happy Mothers Day to all the mothers that have smiled on the hardest days, held their babies when they needed to be held themselves and loved someone else when all love was lost. Don’t forget how far you’ve come. You’re amazing.”

With her son by her side, Ms. Kloots told The Retaility that she has also learned to lean on her faith while navigating through the various stages of grief.

“I do believe in heaven,” she said. “I do believe that Nick is there. I believe that Nick is everywhere. I believe that Nick watches over us every single day and is with Elvis at school and with us now. My beliefs in the spirit world have gone so much deeper than I ever thought it would be.”

Ms. Kloots was able to channel her feelings of loss and share her reflections on life and love in her book, “Live Your Life: My Story of Loving and Losing Nick Cordero,” released in June 2021. The best-selling memoir, which Ms. Kloots wrote with the help of her sister, Anna, is named after Mr. Cordero’s final cabaret performance.

The book’s synopsis reads: “A poignant reflection on love, hope, motherhood, and the transformational power of music, ‘Live Your Life’ is a love letter to Nick and a reminder that, sometimes, celebrating life today is the only path through tomorrow’s darkness.”