Famed US doctor Danielle Jones celebrates ‘bittersweet’ day as she and kids become NZ residents

Four years after relocating to Invercargill from Texas, Dr Danielle Jones and her children have been granted permanent residency. Photo / Supplied

After four years in Aotearoa, outspoken American medical influencer Dr Danielle Jones, aka Mama Doctor Jones, has become a New Zealand permanent resident.

The obstetrician-gynaecologist and science communicator, who has a YouTube audience of 1.4 million and 315,000 followers on Instagram, announced the news on her social media accounts saying: “Exciting day! We are homeowners AND permanent Aotearoa residents!!”

Jones moved to Invercargill with her husband Donnie and their four children in 2021 after Jones accepted a job at Southland Hospital.

However, this isn’t a case of happily ever after. As part of the “bittersweet” life update posted alongside a picture of Jones and her four kids sitting on the floor of their unfurnished new home, the medical influencer alluded to a change in their family dynamic.

“Obviously, this is not the way we ever imagined our new home or residency status update to be…but my heartbreak…no *our* heartbreak…doesn’t become less heavy if we pretend it’s not there.

“So, today – with my sweet babies who make this life perfect for me – we celebrate new beginnings. I know some part of me…actually, almost all of me…will always be broken hearted for what - and *who* - should have been, but I refuse to bury us in sad anymore.“

The doctor’s Wikipedia page states that “Jones confirmed in October 2025 that she and her husband have now divorced and will remain abroad for the foreseeable future, as they have shared custody of their four children”.

Responding to a readers comment on the life update that asked “He just left?!?!” the 39-year-old said “well…there’s always someone or something in the wings".

Elsewhere in the post, Jones outlined how the family are focusing on the silver linings, saying “Our storybook has had more tears than we ever anticipated, and definitely more than my sweet babies deserved, but for the past 2 years it has been the moments where we managed to embrace our new life and co-sign happiness as beautifully chaotic where we started to feel a sense of belonging.”

Jones began posting on social media in 2009, when she was a student focusing on creating medical content that provided the public with accurate medical information and served as a travelling CV of her work. In November 2021, Jones received a YouTube gold award for reaching one million subscribers.

At the time of this article’s publishing, Jones’ update post had been liked 29,111 times.