Ree Drummond Celebrates Nephew Stuart's Last Day Filming Pioneer Woman : 'Aunt Ree Will Miss You'

Ree Drummond/Instagram

Family is everything to Ree Drummond.

The Food Network star, 53, shared a post on Instagram Wednesday announcing that her nephew Stuart Smith will no longer be helping her film her beloved cooking series, The Pioneer Woman.

"My sweet Stu!! 😭 We knew this day would come," Drummond wrote alongside a set of photographs of herself and Smith posing with a delicious-looking dish. "Today was my handsome nephew's last day of filming my cooking show."

Noting that Smith "stepped in with my kids during the early days of the pandemic and helped shoot a couple of episodes on iPhones" in April 2020, Drummond continued, "Those 'couple of episodes' turned into like 80 or more. 😳 ."

Drummond then revealed that Smith will spend his summer interning in Chicago before heading back to college in the fall. She also explained that her "original crew" will return to shoot her cooking series come July.

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Closing out her post, Drummond praised her nephew and celebrated him for all of the help he has provided her.

"I love this kid so much, and we've had the greatest laughs. So proud of you Stu, and Aunt Ree will miss you so much!!! 😭😭😭 ," she said, then adding: "(Oh, and see you at Paige's graduation in like eight days, ha.) 🎥 💪."

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In the comment section, some of Drummond's family members reacted to the news of Smith's departure.

"🥺🥺🥺 brb, crying.." wrote daughter Alex, 24, as sister Paige, 22, added, "Awwwww," beside a teary-eyed smiling emoji.

RELATED VIDEO: The Drummond Family Knows What's Important

Drummond's latest Instagram post isn't the first time that the star has expressed her love for her nephew on social media.

Back in August 2017, Drummond shared a sweet black and white selfie of the pair on the platform as she detailed in her caption a nickname she gave to the member of her brood.

"My nephew and me," she wrote alongside the shot. "His name is Stuart, but I still call him Tooie like we all did when he was little."

"Usually I go a step further and call him Tooie Booie," she continued. "Since he's well past the age of 18, I told him I was going to stop calling him Tooie Booie and start calling him Stuart."

Added Drummond: "It lasted about nine minutes. I love this boy a lot. ❤️."