Cody Nickson and Jessica Graf still can’t believe how Big Brother changed their lives forever.
When the two contestants joined the CBS reality show in 2017, they never expected to find love. Fast-forward nearly eight years later, and the reality stars are now expecting their fifth baby together.
“I can honestly say my heart is so full. Our girls are our pride and joy!” Jessica, 34, exclusively shared with Us Weekly. “We’re all so close, and even when they go to bed or we’re out on date night, we miss them and we’ll just laugh together about things they did that day. Being a mom has been my biggest blessing in life.”
Cody, 40, added, “God gave us all girls, and I couldn’t be happier. I just saw something that basically said for every daughter, a father adds five years to his life through a complexity of factors, which means that I will soon have 30 years added to my life. The people that hate me can’t catch a break.”
The couple — who are expecting baby No. 5 in October — welcomed Maverick in March 2019, Carter in October 2020, Atlas in July 2022 and Gemma in December 2023. Cody also shares daughter Paisley, 13, with a former partner.
Together, the family unit has found their home away from the Hollywood lights in Texas.
Jessica Graf and Cody Nickson Courtesy of Jessica Graf/Instagram
“It honestly took me years before I began to feel like Texas was home,” Jessica explained to Us. “I was pretty skeptical for a while. It’s hard to build a community and deep relationships with people when you work from home and we were starting from scratch. But we started finding our favorite community coffee shops and restaurants, joined a church that truly felt like home and started discovering friends that feel like family.”
While kids keep their schedules jam-packed, Cody and Jessica still make it a priority to make time for date nights every week in the Lone Star State.
The couple can often be found enjoying a kids-free evening at a restaurant and movie theater.
Although Cody joked that they still end up talking about the kids “the entire time,” Jessica believes quality time is what’s most important.
Jessica Graf and Cody Nickson Courtesy of Cody Nickson / Instagram
“I need to feel connected with him, and I don’t ever want to get too busy or distracted in life to forget that,” she said. “Getting dressed up and holding hands, flirting and talking about the week is something I look forward to each week. I don’t need much. Just time where we can focus on each other.”
When asked to share their secrets to a happy marriage away from any cameras, Jessica thinks she made the right choice in marrying her “best friend.”
As for Cody, “There’s just no one I’d rather be around to share life with. God gave me my soulmate, and I’m just so truly blessed to have her as my wife.”
With school back in session, the couple plans to enjoy a little more quiet time before their fifth baby girl arrives.
Until then, they remain grateful that the Big Brother house sparked a love story worth celebrating.
Many former Big Brother stars started families after leaving the CBS show. Jessica Graf and Cody Nickson, who sparked a showmance in season 19, announced in September 2018 that they were expecting their first child together. (Nickson welcomed his daughter Paisley with a previous partner in 2012.) Graf gave birth to their first daughter, Maverick, […]
“Jessica is everything I want our daughters to be,” Cody said. “I thank God every day how fortunate our girls are to have her as their role model and mom.”
Jessica added, “[I admire] his patience! He is the most patient and kind human. Lord knows I could take notes on that.”
Big Brother airs on CBS Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 8 p.m. ET. Fans can watch the live feeds anytime on Paramount+.
