Holly Robinson Peete is busier than ever. Coming off a successful season one of dating show Queen’s Court, which she hosts with husband former NFL star Rodney Peete, Robinson Peete is gearing up to shoot season two in the fall and pull off one of LA’s biggest philanthropic events of the summer.
Despite the chaos, she found time to talk about how she keeps herself going, the real secret to her beauty routine, and the treatment that makes her feel just like a “new-born baby.” Along the way, Robinson Peete tells us how she and her husband made it to 28 years together, and just how much goes in to preparing for their non-profit’s 25th anniversary.
You’ve always had glowing skin. What is your approach to skin care like?
My skin is hanging in there! I’m about to be 59, and what I always thought about 59-year-old skin when I was younger was that I would be covered in wrinkles. You think 59 is so old when you’re in your twenties. But what I have found is that my skin has been really cooperative.
I use a couple different kinds of products, but I love Drunk Elephant. They’re an excellent brand.
I’m also really into steaming my face, it really feels like you get your pores open. I use lemon or other essential oils in just a pot, and I’ll steam with over it with my hair up in a towel. It’s really simple, and I find it works really well for me. I also exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate.
Once a month I also treat myself to an anti-aging facial at Brook Williams, and my favorite part is the collagen mask they put on. I don’t know why I feel like a newborn baby afterwards, but I do! It just makes my skin glow and I feel reborn. If I’m treating myself nicely, I do that once a month, sometimes every two months?
What helps you feel like your best self?
I love to get a spa day in! The best version of myself always starts with a good night’s sleep. Sleep is everything for me now. I’m obsessed with sleep apps and sleep scores, so that’s how you know this is my life now. My husband and I compare sleep scores like ‘What did you get?’
Really my beauty regimen is a good night’s sleep. If I’ve had that, then I know the day should be pretty okay. That’s the most important part.
I also set intentions in the morning and will meditate some. I’m not a very patient when it comes to meditating, I kind of hit it and quit it. I can’t really meditate for hours and hours or handle a retreat; I just get a quick one in and go about my day.
I try to get some time on the treadmill just to walk, and I’ve wanted to get back into pilates. I used to do it when I was younger, but I haven’t found the time, yet.
And, you know, really if I’m eating right, then I feel like I can get through anything.
One thing I loved about Queen’s Court is that you and your husband were both mentors to these single women. What was it like to work with him on a project like this?
It was so much fun. We were pitched to do it, and they had a full pitch deck for our offer, which was the first time I’d ever seen that. They had it all planned out for why they thought we were the perfect couple, and we just couldn’t say no.
We also loved the idea that it was women who were in their forties, who had had bad luck in love, who were ready to stop playing games and stop being so picky and judgmental. And we felt like we were qualified to help them and mentor them.
We’ve been together 28 years this June 10th, and we feel like we’ve seen everything. We’ve seen the top, the bottom, the middle, and through it all, we always knew that our love was worth fighting for. And that is really at the core of why we’re still married today and why we’re happier than we’ve ever been.
But it was so much fun doing the show with him. We didn’t want to come off as a preachy couple who knows it all. We wanted to actually help them find a king.
Were you ever worried the queens might not take your advice?
That’s a great question because what I loved the most about Queen’s Court is that we were involved in every step. Other shows the host will essentially direct traffic and tell you where you’re going on your date. We got to have check-ins. So, we could weigh-in in real-time and offer advice right then.
Sometimes people took our advice and sometimes they didn’t, but we actually had the opportunity to address it then instead of waiting around until the reunion episode. This way it was really proactive.
You’re also knee-deep in prep for the HollyRod Foundation’s DesignCare gala. What has that been like?
HollyRod is really my fifth child—it’s a lot of hard work to run a nonprofit, but it’s our 25th anniversary. It’s hard to believe that we’ve been raising funds and helping families impacted by Autism and Parkinson’s for all these years, a quarter of a century, that’s kind of wild. But this is a big one for us, and we’re so excited.
We’re honoring some really amazing people, there’s a fashion show and a sexy backyard BBQ kind of dinner. It’s consistently been one of the best events in LA in the summer, so we have to step our game up.
The foundation really got started after my father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. My dad was the original Gordon on Sesame Street, and was an amazing guy and a pioneer in so many ways, and he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at 46. I was a freshman in college at the time and had to suddenly become a care giver and it was really rough.
What I knew, especially after meeting and marrying Rodney…we knew we were so blessed to be able to take care of him and to have the resources to take care of him. But what about all the other families. So, it was for them that we started HollyRod.
And then when RJ was born and was diagnosed with autism, we knew we had to serve that community too. We were able to raise funds and build RJ’s Place, which is a compassionate care center, and we’re hoping to open another one with the funds raised from this event.
Your children both play a huge role in the foundation. What was it like to write with them for the children’s books you’ve published?
Oh, it was so awesome. My daughter and I co-wrote My Brother Charlie when she was only 12, and it was so well received and won awards. But it was made because it didn’t exist before that, there wasn’t a book that explained autism to children.
And we just released the follow-up to that book, Charlie Makes a Splash, and this book was co-authored by RJ this time. And that’s really important because we need to hear from autistic people themselves. We’re always talking about them and what they can and cannot do. So, it was so great to hear directly from him.
