Denise Jonas Married at 18 - Facts about the Jonas Brothers' Mother

Less than a year after meeting her future husband, Denise Jonas was a teenage newlywed trying to make ends meet. She later welcomed four sons and became known as the Jonas Brothers' mom, but Denise has tried to keep her musician sons grounded despite their stardom.

Denise grew up in a big Italian family in Newburgh, New York, and Phoenix. After three of her sons— Kevin, Joe, and Nick— formed one of the most well-known bands, she went from surviving off of food stampings to fame and garnering hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram at the time of writing.

However, despite her sons' success and her popularity, Denise has not forgotten about her religious and humble beginnings and ensures her sons have not either.

Denise Jonas Comes From a Family of Faith

Denise was born in Newburgh, New York, in July 1967, to Gerald "Jerry" and Frances Miller. Gerald and Frances met on July 6, 1963, and by August 1964, they were married and later welcomed Denise and her sister. While Denise's father honorably served in the United States Army and retired from the United States Postal Service in 2003, her mom worked in education.

After the Miller family relocated to Phoenix, Arizona, they discovered religion and became faithful church members. When Gerald retired, he and Frances bought a carpet installation company. However, that did not end well. By his death in 2013, Gerald and Frances had been married for nearly 50 years.

Denise Got Married at the Age of 18

Denise and Kevin Sr. met on their first day at Christ for the Nations Institute in Dallas. Denise recalled overhearing a baby-faced Kevin Sr.—who grew up poor in rural North Carolina in a single-parent household— talk about his plans to work at a summer camp for young kids in the registration line. She said:

"He was talking about working at a summer camp with these young kids and all his passion and heart for them. And I thought, 'He could be a wonderful father someday.'"

For the young couple, it was love at first sight, and within six months of meeting, Denise and Kevin Sr. married on August 15, 1985, both 18 years old. At the beginning of their marriage, Denise and her husband struggled financially. Kevin Sr. left his job at a church to work for her parents' carpet installation company to make ends meet.

But, it was to no avail as they were soon surviving off of food stamps, and Kevin Sr. gave up on his aspirations of becoming a performer to provide for his family. However, his sons continued his dream for him when Nick, Kevin, and Joe Jonas formed the Jonas Brothers.

Denise and Kevin Sr. now own a restaurant, Nellie's Southern Kitchen, in Las Vegas and Belmont. Inspired by his late grandmother's culinary skills, the establishment aims to give its customers a taste of Southern hospitality and comfort.

Denise and Her Husband Taught Their Kids Proper Manners

For Denise, nothing is more frustrating than an "annoying" child. As a result, she raised her sons— which includes the fourth Jonas brother, Frankie— to have good manners by "reinforcing good conduct until it was behavior." She said:

"We wanted [everyone] to feel joy in the presence of our children... We taught our kids proper manners... Because they're going to be adults a lot longer than they're children."

However, now that all her sons are grown up and out of the house, Nick revealed that he suspected Denise took any chance she got to feel like a mom again, including doing his laundry with a smile whenever he went home.

After the "Chains" singer married famous actress Priyanka Chopra, the couple welcomed their first child and honored both mothers by giving their daughter their mothers' middle names.

Denise Jonas Was Stalked

After receiving harassing phone calls and threats of kidnapping, which left Denise in fear for her life, she pressed charges against her stalker in 2018. However, Denise later dropped the charges after the accused pleaded guilty and received a 60 days jail sentence.

Denise still has an official Instagram account with over 300,000 followers at the time of publication, but her last post was in 2019. However, she still makes public appearances, as in 2022, Denise attended the grand opening of Nellie's Southern Kitchen.