The Bachelorette’s Emily Maynard Takes Daughter Ricki to Get 1st Tattoo on Her 18th Birthday

Emily Maynard’s eldest daughter, Ricki, was just 6 years old when her mom served as the season 8 lead of The Bachelorette —and now she is all grown up!

“My girl is turning 18 today, anyone have a horse tranquilizer for me?” Maynard, 37, joked via Instagram Story on Thursday, June 29, alongside throwback photos of Ricki.

To celebrate her daughter’s milestone birthday, the former Bachelorette brought her to a tattoo salon. “Doing grown-up stuff,” Maynard captioned a second pic of Ricki lying on a table while an artist inked her neck.

Maynard gave birth to Ricki in June 2005, less than one year after her fiancé — and Ricki’s father — Ricky Hendrick died in an airplane accident. After years of raising her daughter on her own, Maynard signed up for The Bachelor season 15 and ultimately won Brad Womack’s second season. While their televised engagement was short-lived, the North Carolina native was cast as the Bachelorette lead in 2012. After a brief engagement to Jef Holm, Maynard found love with now-husband Tyler Johnson.

“He proposed to me at home and gave both Ricki and me rings. It was so sweet! Ricki loves him more than she likes me!” Maynard exclusively told Us Weekly in January 2014. “We definitely are looking to get married sooner rather than later. No point in waiting!”

The I Said Yes author and Johnson, 36, went on to tie the knot in November 2014 before welcoming five children together: Jennings, 7, Gibson, 6, Gatlin, 5, Nola, 2, and Jones, 10 months. The couple’s youngest son, Jones, arrived in August 2022 after they kept Maynard’s pregnancy under wraps.

“SURPRISE! On August 31st, Tyler and I welcomed our sweet son, Jones West Johnson, into the world,” she wrote via Instagram the following November. “During my surgery, we learned that he was born with Down Syndrome, and while it was certainly a surprise, we have so much peace in God’s perfect plan and know Jones is going to be a blessing to our family.”

After his birth, Jones spent more than one month in the NICU. “[He] is thankfully now home in all the chaos and we couldn’t love him more,” Maynard added at the time. “Thank you to everyone at @levinechildrens for all that you did for our family. I’m so happy to finally share the news and can share all the pictures with you guys! He’s absolutely the cherry on top! 🍒.”