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The decision to have children is an intensely personal one, and often a topic of conversation for celebrities, who are frequently asked publicly if they’re having kids and when.For these stars, however, the answer has almost always been no — and even though they don’t have to, they’ve offered the reasons why.
The decision to have children is an intensely personal one, and often a topic of conversation for celebrities, who are frequently asked publicly if they’re having kids and when.
For these stars, however, the answer has almost always been no — and even though they don’t have to, they’ve offered the reasons why.
01of 09Patricia ClarksonPatricia Clarkson.Arturo Holmes/Getty Images"I have so many sisters who have beautiful children, and they now have beautiful children,“Clarkson saidon a summer 2023 episode of iHeartPodcast’sTable for Two with Bruce Bozzi. “I love being an aunt, I love it more than— probably more than acting, which is odd. They’re on par. But I’m telling you, these are gorgeous children, but that doesn’t have to define every woman.”“I made a big choice, but I knew it when I was young,” Clarkson continued, noting that she considered the possibility of having kids and getting married “with this one artist I dated when I was like 38.““I had a window to have a child, but [at] the end of the day I loved working, and I grew up with great parents who sacrificed everything for me,” she added. “And you have to really be committed to having children. You have to be a great parent, and I was afraid I couldn’t be.“She added, “My mother said, ‘Patty, I just don’t want you to wake up at 50 and be unhappy.’ I woke up at 50 in stilettos and a thong. I’ve had a great sexy-ass life.”
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Patricia Clarkson
Patricia Clarkson.Arturo Holmes/Getty Images
Arturo Holmes/Getty Images
“I have so many sisters who have beautiful children, and they now have beautiful children,“Clarkson saidon a summer 2023 episode of iHeartPodcast’sTable for Two with Bruce Bozzi. “I love being an aunt, I love it more than— probably more than acting, which is odd. They’re on par. But I’m telling you, these are gorgeous children, but that doesn’t have to define every woman.”
“I made a big choice, but I knew it when I was young,” Clarkson continued, noting that she considered the possibility of having kids and getting married “with this one artist I dated when I was like 38.”
“I had a window to have a child, but [at] the end of the day I loved working, and I grew up with great parents who sacrificed everything for me,” she added. “And you have to really be committed to having children. You have to be a great parent, and I was afraid I couldn’t be.”
She added, “My mother said, ‘Patty, I just don’t want you to wake up at 50 and be unhappy.’ I woke up at 50 in stilettos and a thong. I’ve had a great sexy-ass life.”
02of 09Chelsea HandlerChelsea Handler.Frazer Harrison/GettyHandler appearedonThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallonin early 2023 when she opened up more about why she doesn’t see children in her future.“I don’t think I have the skills,” she said to Fallon. “I’m not equipped with what it takes to answer all those questions from children because they don’t just ask you once. They come in, and in, and in.“And while Handler has experience with children, it’s the thought of having her own that she says doesn’t make sense. “I have enough nieces and nephews to know I don’t have the tolerance for that kind of line of questioning about things that I really don’t know the answers to,” she said. “At a certain age, when you don’t know the answer to questions, it’s too embarrassing to ask questions.“She echoed her sentiments in an interview with Drew Barrymore, saying, “I feel like so many women have reached out to me like, ‘Thank you for saying you don’t have to be, you’re not worthy in this world when you become someone’s mother and wife, you’re worthy before that.’ And I understand some people want children. Go get one. But for the people that don’t we’re doing the world a favor too.”
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Chelsea Handler
Chelsea Handler.Frazer Harrison/Getty
Handler appearedonThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallonin early 2023 when she opened up more about why she doesn’t see children in her future.
“I don’t think I have the skills,” she said to Fallon. “I’m not equipped with what it takes to answer all those questions from children because they don’t just ask you once. They come in, and in, and in.”
And while Handler has experience with children, it’s the thought of having her own that she says doesn’t make sense. “I have enough nieces and nephews to know I don’t have the tolerance for that kind of line of questioning about things that I really don’t know the answers to,” she said. “At a certain age, when you don’t know the answer to questions, it’s too embarrassing to ask questions.”
She echoed her sentiments in an interview with Drew Barrymore, saying, “I feel like so many women have reached out to me like, ‘Thank you for saying you don’t have to be, you’re not worthy in this world when you become someone’s mother and wife, you’re worthy before that.’ And I understand some people want children. Go get one. But for the people that don’t we’re doing the world a favor too.”
03of 09Seth RogenSeth Rogen and Lauren Miller Rogen.Roy Rochlin/GettyThe actor explained thathe wouldn’t have the time to work as muchas he would like to if he had kids, and that his wifeLauren Millercompletely agrees.“I wouldn’t be able to do all this work that I like,” Rogen said on an episode ofThe Howard Stern Show. “People are always like — it’s something I think I was uncomfortable answering this before — but they were like, ‘How do you do so much?’ The answer is I don’t have kids. … I have nothing else to do.“As for Miller, whom he wed in 2011: “I would say she wants kids less than I do. I could probably be talked into it; she’s like no.”
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Seth Rogen
Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller Rogen.Roy Rochlin/Getty
The actor explained thathe wouldn’t have the time to work as muchas he would like to if he had kids, and that his wifeLauren Millercompletely agrees.
“I wouldn’t be able to do all this work that I like,” Rogen said on an episode ofThe Howard Stern Show. “People are always like — it’s something I think I was uncomfortable answering this before — but they were like, ‘How do you do so much?’ The answer is I don’t have kids. … I have nothing else to do.”
As for Miller, whom he wed in 2011: “I would say she wants kids less than I do. I could probably be talked into it; she’s like no.”
04of 09Miley CyrusMiley Cyrus.Neilson Barnard/GettyCyrus revealed why she’s not pursuing motherhood in acandid interview withElle. Looking at the issue broadly, the singer wants to fight back against general expectations that women should make reproducing a priority.“We’re expected to keep the planet populated. And when that isn’t a part of our plan or our purpose, there is so much judgment and anger that they try to make and change laws to force it upon you — even if you become pregnant in a violent situation,” she said. “If you don’t want children, people feel sorry for you, like you’re a cold, heartless bitch who’s not capable of love … Why are we trained that love means putting yourself second and those you love first? If you love yourself, then what? You come first.“When it comes to making her own decision, Cyrus is eschewing the idea of having children until major environmental changes happen. “We’re getting handed a piece-of-s— planet, and I refuse to hand that down to my child. Until I feel like my kid would live on an earth with fish in the water, I’m not bringing in another person to deal with that,” she toldElle.
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Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus.Neilson Barnard/Getty
Cyrus revealed why she’s not pursuing motherhood in acandid interview withElle. Looking at the issue broadly, the singer wants to fight back against general expectations that women should make reproducing a priority.
“We’re expected to keep the planet populated. And when that isn’t a part of our plan or our purpose, there is so much judgment and anger that they try to make and change laws to force it upon you — even if you become pregnant in a violent situation,” she said. “If you don’t want children, people feel sorry for you, like you’re a cold, heartless bitch who’s not capable of love … Why are we trained that love means putting yourself second and those you love first? If you love yourself, then what? You come first.”
When it comes to making her own decision, Cyrus is eschewing the idea of having children until major environmental changes happen. “We’re getting handed a piece-of-s— planet, and I refuse to hand that down to my child. Until I feel like my kid would live on an earth with fish in the water, I’m not bringing in another person to deal with that,” she toldElle.
05of 09Portia De Rossi & Ellen DeGeneresPorta de Rossi and Ellen DeGeneres.Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagicThe spouses of 15-plus years are happy to remain a party of two. “I think I would [like to have kids]. But that’s not enough to have kids. I love kids. But that’s such a big commitment,” DeGeneres said on theTodayshow in 2015. “And it seems long-term. It seems like a commitment that you have to stick with. And I just don’t know if I can — it’s too risky. Like, what if I don’t like the kid? What if it turns out that it’s not as cute as I wanted, or as talented? I’m going to compare it to all these kids that I have on the show that are so smart and so funny.“De Rossi has also opened up about why children don’t fit into their life plan.“There comes some pressure in your mid-30s, and you think, ‘Am I going to have kids so I don’t miss out on something that other people really seem to love? Or is it that I really genuinely want to do this with my whole heart?’ I didn’t feel that my response was ‘yes’ to the latter,“she toldOutin 2013. “You have to really want to have kids, and neither of us did. So it’s just going to be me and Ellen and no babies — but we’re the best of friends and married life is blissful, it really is. I’ve never been happier than I am right now.”
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Portia De Rossi & Ellen DeGeneres
Porta de Rossi and Ellen DeGeneres.Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
The spouses of 15-plus years are happy to remain a party of two. “I think I would [like to have kids]. But that’s not enough to have kids. I love kids. But that’s such a big commitment,” DeGeneres said on theTodayshow in 2015. “And it seems long-term. It seems like a commitment that you have to stick with. And I just don’t know if I can — it’s too risky. Like, what if I don’t like the kid? What if it turns out that it’s not as cute as I wanted, or as talented? I’m going to compare it to all these kids that I have on the show that are so smart and so funny.”
De Rossi has also opened up about why children don’t fit into their life plan.
“There comes some pressure in your mid-30s, and you think, ‘Am I going to have kids so I don’t miss out on something that other people really seem to love? Or is it that I really genuinely want to do this with my whole heart?’ I didn’t feel that my response was ‘yes’ to the latter,“she toldOutin 2013. “You have to really want to have kids, and neither of us did. So it’s just going to be me and Ellen and no babies — but we’re the best of friends and married life is blissful, it really is. I’ve never been happier than I am right now.”
06of 09Oprah WinfreyOprah Winfrey.JB Lacroix/WireImageWinfrey toldGood Housekeeping U.K.that the experience of running her Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa was a “perfect” fit for her since she “didn’t want babies.““I have 172 girls, and 20 are in college in the United States and use my home as their home base,” she said in the 2017 interview. “It is more rewarding than I would ever have imagined. I was doing this to help them, but it has brought a light to my life that I can’t explain … When people were pressuring me to get married and have children, I knew I was not going to be a person that ever regretted not having them, because I feel like I am a mother to the world’s children. Love knows no boundaries. It doesn’t matter if a child came from your womb or if you found that person at age two, 10 or 20. If the love is real, the caring is pure and it comes from a good space, it works.““I wouldn’t have been a good mom for babies. I don’t have the patience. I have the patience for puppies, but that’s a quick stage! But this is so rewarding,” she added.
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Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey.JB Lacroix/WireImage
Winfrey toldGood Housekeeping U.K.that the experience of running her Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa was a “perfect” fit for her since she “didn’t want babies.”
“I have 172 girls, and 20 are in college in the United States and use my home as their home base,” she said in the 2017 interview. “It is more rewarding than I would ever have imagined. I was doing this to help them, but it has brought a light to my life that I can’t explain … When people were pressuring me to get married and have children, I knew I was not going to be a person that ever regretted not having them, because I feel like I am a mother to the world’s children. Love knows no boundaries. It doesn’t matter if a child came from your womb or if you found that person at age two, 10 or 20. If the love is real, the caring is pure and it comes from a good space, it works.”
“I wouldn’t have been a good mom for babies. I don’t have the patience. I have the patience for puppies, but that’s a quick stage! But this is so rewarding,” she added.
07of 09Alison BrieAlison Brie.Charley Gallay/Getty Images for WGAw"I don’t really want to have kids,” theGLOWstar toldThe Sunday Times Magazinein 2018. “It’s great because I don’t worry about when I should get pregnant — between seasons, while we’re shooting the show — I don’t think about it every day.““It would be nice, but I think of all the things that would be so stressful. I think about how much we’re involved in our cats' lives,” she added of herself and husband Dave Franco. “Oh my God, if it was a child!”
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Alison Brie
Alison Brie.Charley Gallay/Getty Images for WGAw
“I don’t really want to have kids,” theGLOWstar toldThe Sunday Times Magazinein 2018. “It’s great because I don’t worry about when I should get pregnant — between seasons, while we’re shooting the show — I don’t think about it every day.”
“It would be nice, but I think of all the things that would be so stressful. I think about how much we’re involved in our cats' lives,” she added of herself and husband Dave Franco. “Oh my God, if it was a child!”
08of 09Nick Offerman & Megan MullallyNick Offerman and Megan Mullally.Theo Wargo/GettyThe couple, who wed in 2003,talked toGQabout their family planning in a joint 2017 interview. “I never had a burning desire to have children,” Mullally said. “But then I met Nick, and I thought ‘This is the only person I’d do this with.’ So we tried, but I was a little long in the tooth for that sort of thing. But we didn’t turn it into a soap opera. We tried for about a year or so, and it didn’t happen, and took that to mean it wasn’t meant to be.“TheWill & Gracestar also thinks being childless may have helped their marriage endure. When asked what advice she would share with newlyweds, she said “‘F—’ seems like it’s key. We have a two-week rule. We’re never apart for more two weeks. Just not being separated for Jurassic periods of time seems to help. And no children probably helps a lot.”
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Nick Offerman & Megan Mullally
Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally.Theo Wargo/Getty
The couple, who wed in 2003,talked toGQabout their family planning in a joint 2017 interview. “I never had a burning desire to have children,” Mullally said. “But then I met Nick, and I thought ‘This is the only person I’d do this with.’ So we tried, but I was a little long in the tooth for that sort of thing. But we didn’t turn it into a soap opera. We tried for about a year or so, and it didn’t happen, and took that to mean it wasn’t meant to be.”
TheWill & Gracestar also thinks being childless may have helped their marriage endure. When asked what advice she would share with newlyweds, she said “‘F—’ seems like it’s key. We have a two-week rule. We’re never apart for more two weeks. Just not being separated for Jurassic periods of time seems to help. And no children probably helps a lot.”
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Tracee Ellis Ross
Tracee Ellis Ross.Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic
source: people.com
