Nick Jonas has spoken candidly for the first time about the harrowing birth of his daughter, Malti Marie, revealing the "very intense" circumstances that surrounded her arrival.
Appearing on Jay Shetty's On Purpose podcast, the Jonas Brothers star became visibly emotional as he reflected on the experience he and his wife, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, endured when their daughter was born prematurely in January 2022.
"We were expecting her to arrive in April of the year she was born, and we get a call that it's going to be sooner," Nick explained, recalling the shock of learning their baby would arrive months ahead of schedule.
Malti was born via surrogate and weighed just 1 pound, 11 ounces at birth.
"So we basically went into action," he said. "We got to the hospital, and she came out – she was 1 pound, 11 ounces. And purple, basically."
The couple's daughter was immediately rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit, where she would remain for three and a half months. Nick credited the medical team with saving her life.
"These angels in the NICU kind of resuscitated her in that moment and got her taken care of really quickly," he shared.
Nick and Priyanka divided their time at the hospital, taking 12-hour shifts to ensure one of them was always by their daughter's side.
"I could still sort of smell it, you know? There are always visceral things," he said of those long days in the NICU. "It was both comforting and frightening to be there every day and to see other families going through similar situations."
Despite the uncertainty, Nick described Malti as a fighter from the very beginning. "After six blood transfusions, she was doing great and we got to take her home after three and a half months," he revealed.
Now four years old, Malti is thriving – and her name carries special meaning for the family. Speaking on Today in 2023, Priyanka explained that "Malti" is her mother’s middle name, while "Marie" honors Nick’s mother.
"I don't know how much she remembers, probably nothing," Nick reflected. "But spiritually, I believe there’s gratitude in her and she's incredible."
The couple, who married in a lavish multi-day celebration in 2018, have largely kept their daughter out of the spotlight, sharing only occasional glimpses of family life. But Nick's rare insight into Malti's early days offers a powerful reminder of the resilience that shaped their journey into parenthood.