Heather Rae El Moussa once again called out social media critics while sharing pics of her family’s Thanksgiving celebration.
“For the haters – Taylor is on a trip with her mom [Christina Haack], that’s why she’s not in our photo,” El Moussa, 37, captioned her Thursday, November 28, Instagram holiday slideshow, which did not feature any pics of her 14-year-old stepdaughter. Heather’s husband, Tarek El Moussa, shares Taylor and son Brayden, 9, with Haack, 41. He and Heather welcomed their first child together, son Tristan, in January 2023.
With Taylor away, Heather and Tarek, 43, still celebrated the holiday with their sons and parents. “We love the holidays and sharing this day with our loved ones. We are thankful for each other & the relationship that we have,” Heather wrote alongside sweet family snaps. “A strong foundation to get through hard times together & to be able to grow together as husband and wife.”
She continued: “We are thankful for our kids, Taylor, Brayden & Tristan. They bring so much innocence, love and laughter to our lives. And our big blended crazy but beautiful 🤪family. And we are thankful for our health. We wake up daily and strive for happiness and the excitement a new day brings. We hope that everyone has a ‘perfect’ day today whatever that may be and mean for you, Happy Thanksgiving ♥️.”
Haack, meanwhile, gave fans a glimpse at her and Taylor’s trip via her Instagram Story on Thursday. “Best day with my fancy girl,” she captioned a video of her and Taylor enjoying a luxurious caviar spread.
Earlier this year, Heather came under fire from social media trolls after she did not include Taylor in a Valentine’s Day Instagram tribute for her husband and sons. She addressed the backlash shortly after via her Instagram Story, captioning a pic of her and Taylor: “We close your ears to the pettiness. We strive for positivity only. My girl knows she’s my #1 gal 🤍.”
Despite occasionally featuring Taylor on her Instagram profile in the months since, Heather defended her decision to not post many pics of her stepdaughter exclusively with Us Weekly. “We have to respect her wishes,” she told Us in September. “I get shunned because it’s like, ‘You never put Taylor on anything. You only post the boys.’ Well, she’s a teenager. She has her own voice and she’s at school all the time and the boys are easy. They don’t mind being in photos.”
“I get all this hate because I don’t post [Taylor]. I’m like, ‘Well, I’m respecting my stepdaughter’s wishes,’” Heather stated, to which Tarek added: “She won’t let us. That’s the answer.”
That same month, Heather dedicated a sweet Instagram post to Taylor in celebration of her 14th birthday. “Tay, I can’t believe you are 14 today! It went too fast 😩You have grown up to be such a beautiful, driven, sophisticated young lady,” she captioned pics of the two of them from over the years. “I love watching you with Tristan and I am so lucky that I get to have you as my beautiful bonus daughter, I’ve loved every moment with you. I love you so much, happy birthday sweet girl.”