It is 2026, and the "Brat Pack" era feels like a lifetime ago. Yet, for Molly Ringwald, the 1980s pink-prom-dress aesthetic is mostly just a backdrop for the very real, very loud reality of raising teenagers. People still want to talk about The Breakfast Club, but Ringwald is busy navigating the lives of her fraternal twins, Roman and Adele Gianopoulos.
They aren't babies anymore. Honestly, they aren't even "kids."
Born in July 2009, the molly ringwald twins today are officially 16 years old. That means they’re likely dealing with the same stuff every other 16-year-old is—driver’s licenses, junior formal drama, and trying to figure out how to be their own people while having a literal icon for a mom. Ringwald, now 57, has always been pretty protective of them. She didn't want them to be child stars. She didn't even want her eldest daughter, Mathilda, to act until she was an adult.
But as the twins hit this milestone age, the curtain is lifting just a little bit.
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What Life Looks Like for Roman and Adele Gianopoulos
The twins were a "miracle" of sorts. Ringwald welcomed them when she was 41, a journey that involved some medical hurdles, including surgery to remove fibroids. If you’ve ever followed her interviews, you know she’s been candid about the birth. It wasn't a walk in the park. Roman was breech. Adele "hogged the oxygen" in the womb.
Today? They are thriving.
Roman Stylianos Gianopoulos is starting to make his own mark. Just recently, in late 2025 and moving into 2026, he’s been spotted at high-profile events. He actually walked the runway for Lingua Franca during New York Fashion Week. He looked cool, relaxed, and—perhaps most interestingly—wore a brown velvet suit to his junior formal that fans swore was a subtle nod to his mom’s 80s style.
Then there’s Adele Georgiana Gianopoulos.
Ringwald has described her as "the most woke individual you've ever met." Adele seems to have a sharp, socially conscious mind. While her older sister Mathilda is leaning hard into acting (starring in The Idea of You), Adele has mostly stayed out of the professional spotlight. She’s more of the private, "introverted" type that Ringwald says the whole family secretly is.
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Growing Up with an 80s Icon
Imagine being 16 and realizing your mom is the reason everyone in the 80s wanted to wear a side-ponytail.
Ringwald told The Times that her kids are actually really good at communicating. That's a win for any parent, let alone one in Hollywood. Interestingly, Adele reportedly hasn't even watched some of her mom’s most famous movies yet. There's something kinda refreshing about that. They don't see her as "Claire from The Breakfast Club." They see her as the mom who makes them talk through their feelings.
The family lives a relatively "normal" life in New York. They didn't even have a TV for the first few years of the kids' lives. That was a choice. Ringwald wanted them to be bored. She wanted them to find other things to do.
The Dynamic Between the Three Siblings
It’s not just the twins. You can't talk about the molly ringwald twins today without mentioning Mathilda, who is now 22.
Mathilda is the trailblazer. She was the first to enter the industry, but she notably uses her father’s last name—Gianopoulos—rather than Ringwald. She wanted to open her own doors. It’s likely Roman and Adele will follow a similar path of independence.
- Roman: Loves the color pink (just like his mom's famous movie), has a height advantage over most of the family, and seems comfortable in the fashion world.
- Adele: Named after her grandmother, focused on her studies, and possesses a strong moral compass.
- Mathilda: The "iconic" big sister who was actually conceived in a dressing room at Studio 54 (no, really, Molly confirmed that).
Raising three kids in the age of social media is a nightmare for most parents. Ringwald handles it by being a "thoughtful" parent rather than a "celebrity" parent. She’s admitted to having complex feelings about her own early career and the "predators" she encountered. She’s clearly making sure Roman and Adele don't have to navigate those same waters unprepared.
Why the Twins Matter to Fans
There’s a reason people are so obsessed with seeing photos of these kids. For Gen X, Molly Ringwald represents their youth. Seeing her kids grow up is a reminder of how much time has passed.
When Molly posted a photo of Roman headed to his junior formal in November 2025, the internet lost its mind. He’s tall. He’s handsome. He looks like a mix of his dad, writer Panio Gianopoulos, and his mom.
But it’s more than just looks. It’s about the fact that Molly Ringwald seems to have done the impossible: she raised "normal" kids in an industry that usually breaks them.
What's Next for the Gianopoulos Twins?
As 2026 unfolds, we’ll likely see more of Roman and Adele. They’re entering their late teens—the years of college applications and deciding who they want to be.
- Roman might lean further into modeling or fashion, given his recent runway success.
- Adele seems poised for something academic or perhaps activism-related, based on her mother's descriptions of her personality.
- The Family Legacy: They carry a heavy name (even if they don't use "Ringwald"), but they seem to have the groundedness to handle it.
If you want to keep up with them, your best bet is following Molly's Instagram. She doesn't post often, but when she does, it’s usually a sweet, authentic look at a family that’s just trying to get through the teenage years like everyone else.
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Check out Molly’s recent interview in The Times for a deeper look at her parenting philosophy, or look up the Lingua Franca 2025 show photos to see Roman’s runway debut for yourself.