Gigi Hadid confirms Khai's birthday included both parents as fans call party 'normal'

Gigi Hadid addressed a rare topic on Instagram Monday, confirming that her ex-boyfriend Zayn Malik attended their daughter Khai's fifth birthday. In response to a fan comment asking whether Khai's dad was at the party, Hadid wrote, 'She was with us both on her birthday!!'

Hadid's carousel of photos from the outdoor celebration shows simple, kid-focused activities—arts and crafts, cake, and balloons—starkly contrasting with the over-the-top parties that some celebrities host. The centerpiece is a multicolored, heart-shaped cake with the message 'Happy 5th birthday Khai!!' in red icing, and the post includes images of wooden tables set up for coloring.

Her Instagram Stories offered a further glimpse: Khai riding a horse in the riding boots Hadid wore as a child, captioned with the line 'Riding in my old boots' and a string of emojis. The posts provide a rare window into Khai's life while keeping the child's face out of public view.

Even as Hadid shares moments from Khai's life, she and Malik have chosen not to publish their daughter's face, a privacy choice Hadid has explained publicly. In Vogue's April cover story, Hadid said she doesn’t think it would be fully genuine to post nothing of Khai, but she also wants to avoid anything that would intrude on the child's privacy and peace: 'I don’t think it would be fully genuine to post nothing of Khai.' 'But I also don’t want to put anything up that would take away from her privacy and her peace.'

On their co-parenting arrangement, Hadid described a system in which custody schedules are set months in advance, with flexibility to adapt when needed. 'Zayn and I do our custody schedules months in advance,' she told Vogue. 'That doesn’t mean that it doesn't change here and there, but we help each other out and have each other's backs.' She added that the current phase of their partnership is defined by 'love, and a feeling of camaraderie.'

Historically, Hadid and Malik dated for six years, from 2015 to 2021. Since their breakup, Hadid has been linked to actor Bradley Cooper, with reports first surfacing in October 2023 after both of their daughters attended a kid's birthday party. The ongoing public narrative around their family life has often centered on balancing privacy with public interest in a high-profile celebrity family.

Fans online celebrated the tone of Khai's fifth birthday, praising the party’s understated, kid-friendly feel. Comments highlighted the absence of extravagant branding and rituals, with many noting the real-life, down-to-earth environment as a refreshing contrast to some celebrity celebrations. The post drew wide engagement from Hadid's followers, who lauded the portrayal of a normal birthday celebration for a child in the spotlight.

The birthday snapshot and accompanying captions reflect a broader media trend: fans and commentators frequently commend co-parenting efforts that prioritize consistency and privacy for children of public figures, even as the spotlight remains fixed on the adults involved. Hadid and Malik have, by all accounts, maintained a pragmatic approach to shared parenting, occasional public updates, and careful curation of Khai's public life.

Overall, Khai's fifth birthday illustrates a balancing act common to celebrity families: celebrating milestone moments in a visible, but privacy-conscious way, and continuing a cooperative parenting dynamic that keeps the child’s well-being at the center.