Do Celebs Have A Right To Pregnancy Privacy? Yes, If They Don’t Lie And Are Adults
George Clooney is said to have uttered the following when asked what he thought about Nicole Kidman’s pregnancy announcement yesterday while attending the Critics Choice Awards, his response:
“At least she is older than 16.”
One can only assume this was an apparent dig at Jamie Lynn Spears, who is also pregnant, but at the ripe, old age of 16. Apparently, not all of Hollywood thinks being unmarried, under 18 and pregnant is a good thing.
Which is somewhat of a surprise considering the latest trends. It seems like every time you turn around a new celebrity is either announcing she’s pregnant (typically the young ones who are unmarried like Jessica Alba, Nicole Richie, Jamie Lynn Spears) and another one who is denying being pregnant, despite actually BEING pregnant, (oddly enough, these are the old ones who ARE married like JLo and now Nicole Kidman.)
So this makes me wonder what is in the water in Hollywood? Are they spiking it with fertility pills, or is being pregnant, bragging/denying it the new black?
Nicole Kidman is the latest to deny, then announce her pregnancy after rampant rumors swirled. Before her it was Jennifer Lopez, who in the face of the glaringly obvious, continued to deny being pregnant until of course she could no longer.
I understand the need to protect one’s privacy in a matter like this. I really do. The first trimester of any pregnancy can be tricky and many, many things can go wrong. No one wants to have to deal with a personal tragedy in a public way. The media really should respect the privacy of the newly pregnant. But no one can tell me Jennifer Lopez was still in her first trimester when she was still denying her pregnancy. She was HUGE by the time she admitted the obvious. And while Nicole and Keith must be elated about their forthcoming bundle of joy, why not just ignore the rumors until you are ready to announce your good news. There is such a thing as “no comment” or just plain pretending you don’t know what the f*ck people are talking about. I do it with nosy people all the time. “What? Huh? I can’t hear you. Ooops, I have to go, my biscuits are burning.” Or whatever. It buys you time and you don’t look like a total prevaricating charlatan when the truth does come out.
I have to tell you, while I was no Jennifer Lopez fan before she and her creepy hubby Marc Anthony lied about their pregnancy, I really couldn’t stand her after that. I mean come the hell on. You have a big huge baby belly and you are telling us you aren’t pregnant. Wait, you didn’t just say “I’m not pregnant” you made up elaborate and intricate stories about family members calling you daily with rumors and laughing them off as silly.
Making bad music is insulting enough, but treating me like I’m a moron, well that’s just rude!
Then there’s the flip side of all of this, and we have all these unmarried young women having babies. What the hell kind of impression does that send to our nation’s youth? Now, before you brand me some kind of religious fundamentalist who reads bible passages in order to make moral decisions, I am a pretty liberal, open-minded person. This however, does not mean I think having children out of wedlock is a good idea. In fact, I think it sucks and sends a very negative message to girls about what it means to be a mom.
Oh, and of course there’s the whole Jamie Lynn Spears pregnancy nightmare. According to reports in the NYPost, Jamie Lynn’s season finale on her Nickelodeon tween hit show, “Zoey 101,” 7.3million viewers tuned in to the show, twice the average for the entire seasons episodes. Of course, this final episode came on the heels of her big pregnancy announcement in an exclusive interview in Ok! Magazine two weeks ago.
You can be sure, I, like many moms and dads around the country had to explain to their tween kid why Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant, when she plays a teenager on a show who is still in high school. Kids aren’t stupid, even they know that’s not normal.
I love Nickelodeon, but I am deeply disappointed with their decision to run that show, and to continue with the show next year, thankfully its last. Shameful.
I think we’ll skip “Zoey 101″ and stick with Spongebob Squarepants. I’ll take a potentially gay/asexual sponge over a promiscuous, irresponsible teen any day.
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One of the many reasons why we stopped watching Nick after my daughter got too old for Blue’s Clues.
And I’m no George Clooney fan, but dang…that was one heckuva soundbite. Bravo! -golfclap-
Of course, I think that celebs shouldn’t have kids unless they are prepared to drop out of sight for eighteen years, so what’s my opinion worth in this?
Comment by k — January 8, 2008 @ 5:38 pm
Well I used to think she was a great person that it was good cuz she wasn’t following her sister’s footsteps i thought she wasn’t gonna be a freakin hor like a her sister but i was wrong i think she should be punished yeah well things happens to bad no other man is gonna want her cuz shes already had sex with somebody and if they do want her it’s not serously they just want to use just to have sex whith her!! well i hope this is all just a rumor!!
Comment by Heyley Wiliaamse — January 8, 2008 @ 8:10 pm
I think it’s all about money.
Why is JLS still on Nickelodeon? Money. I read somewhere that her last show was the highest rated one ever. Role model, schmole model, meal ticket more like it.
Why did JBlo and Xtina, et al not say anything about being preggers? Maybe they had exclusive deals or something — maybe JBlos handlers figured that NOT saying anything would bring out the curious to see her lip-sync at her concerts.
Maybe it’s just that — the “is she or isn’t she?” thing or the quest to be the first magazine, tv show or website to have pixx of the baby bump.
Either way, it’s all about the Benjamins… or Suris or Shilohs.
p/s - Clooney only said out loud what everyone else has been thinking, and he’s right, I think.
Comment by crazymom — January 8, 2008 @ 9:48 pm
OMG when zoe101 finale came on my kids told me “she’s leaving ’cause she’s nocked up” and “She’s following in her sister’s footsteps” Wow! those are some huge shoes to fit into! Well how upsetting so much for the shows we used to watch. Whatever happened to family values? Now all the kids shows are about dating and kisses I try to monitor what my sons are watching. As for JLO and her hubby If you’re not pregnant then are you just fat! Come on we’re not that stupid. Don’t lie about it, either ignore the questions or simply just say that you are not sure (during your first trimester) Once your pants don’t fit, I think it’s obvious! Perhaps they were getting paid for an exclusive. MULA MULA MULA They need the money for their babies!
Comment by Reality shock mom — January 9, 2008 @ 11:07 am
It was obvious Jennifer’s pregnant. We really didn’t need it confirmed. You can’t please everyone. Fans understand.
Comment by madelyn — January 10, 2008 @ 11:52 am
Fans understand being lied to, being made fun of for even thinking she’s pregnant, having elaborate stories concocted to make everybody think otherwise?
I understand the need for privacy, but since the press is going to write what it wants anyway a simple “no comment” or pretending you don’t hear would suffice. Better to keep one’s dignity intact.
Comment by k — January 10, 2008 @ 2:14 pm
JLO preggers..cant be.
As for JLS move out and far far away from home and you, him and bubby may actually turn out ok. If not there’s adoption.
Nic n Keith..congrats, with so many miscarriages I too would have waited before telling the world..not that its really any of our business.
And what is with actors waiting until nearly 40 to get knocked up..menopause with a teenager, not moving out until your 58, you may even live to see your grandkids.
At lease JLS may live to see her great, great grandkids if her little one follows in the spears footsteps.
Comment by kat — January 10, 2008 @ 2:55 pm
“k” can’t refute (that)”it was obvious that Jennifer’s pregnant”, or that “We really didn’t need it confirmed”.
Trying to imagine myself in Jennifer’s place: I’m not certain how I’d respond. But I can recognize the difference between this, and holding back crucial information which must be shared. Some people can’t.
It was obvious Jennifer’s pregnant. We really didn’t need it confirmed. You can’t please everyone. Fans understand.
(Adding to that:) Non-fans won’t. Some, such as k, will ignore the first and second sentence, which are objective
Comment by madelyn — January 10, 2008 @ 5:56 pm
Well lying is just plain stupid, that was k’s point. There’s no reason to lie, it just makes you look incredibly stupid and deceitful once the truth comes out.
Comment by D — January 10, 2008 @ 6:17 pm
No, I can’t refute that she’s pregnant. Why would I want to?
Nor can I refute that fans don’t need it to be confirmed. Again, why would I want to?
Based on what I’ve seen, not only do most fans not need confirmation of the obvious, but most fans of most stars also don’t need to be told the truth about the object of their adoration; they are perfectly willing to accept whatever story wanders out of the star’s mouth, whether it be truth or an elaborate fiction. Remember, “fan” is just the root word of “fanatic”.
I don’t wish to refute anything. I personally don’t care. But if you’re ballooning up and it’s obvious to the whole world that you’re pregnant, lying about it is counterproductive. Saying “I’m not pregnant, and I laugh at the rumors,” and “The press just likes to make up stories about me,” just makes you look foolish when it comes out that you ARE pregnant and told a lie. Saying that the press makes things up, and then it turns out that the press is telling the truth and it’s YOU who are lying…well, it’s foolish and dumb. There are many, many ways of concealing private information, and stars are well-versed in these ways, including someone of the caliber of J-Lo.
And as far as fans versus non-fans…there are very, very few famous people whom I like, but even the few which I do like are not exempt from truthful objectivity if I feel they’ve done something stupid.
Comment by k — January 10, 2008 @ 7:00 pm
Wouldn’t it be less stressful, after one or more denials, as her twin abs are expanding rapidly, to simply ask (something like):”Since your marriage, you’ve been confronted with baby rumors; I can understand how private a matter this is..When the day comes that you have something you want to share, please call me (and hand them your card). Vinegar or honey?
Comment by madelyn — January 12, 2008 @ 7:14 pm