10 Celebrities Spoke Honestly About Why They Chose Not to Have Kids

Having the chance to make a conscious choice about whether to have a child is a gift that our grandparents and even our parents rarely had. Back then, society’s standards pretty much dictated their decision-making, and many people had offspring just because it was the right thing to do and not because they wanted to.

Even though celebrities are in the center of the public eye and are easily criticized, these 10 actors still decided to share why they chose not to have kids, and we at Bright Side appreciate their honesty.

1. Jon Hamm

The Mad Man actor has plenty of friends with kids, and he can’t believe it when he sees that even after so many responsibilities, they still manage to stay upright and be at work at 6 AM. “I would be a terrible dad,” Hamm revealed. “I never thought I’d be this age and not have kids. But the chance that I and my wife will regret it doesn’t seem like a compelling enough reason to do it.”

2. Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus revealed that she doesn’t want to bring a child into this world because of the environmental issues our planet is facing. “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.”

3. Alison Brie

She and her husband, Dave Franco, decided not to have children because it would be too stressful. “I don’t really want to have kids. 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.”

In one interview, Alison Brie also joked on their behalf that they already have 2 children — referring to their cats, Harry and Arturo. “I think about how much we’re involved in our cats’ lives. Oh my God, what if it was a child!”

4. Renée Zellweger

Renée Zellweger revealed that she never plans what her life is going to be like — she just takes things as they come. She says that the same implies whether or not she is having a child: “Motherhood has never been an ambition. I just want to be independent and be able to take care of myself. Anything else is just gravy.”

5. Tracee Ellis Ross

The Black-ish star thinks that there are too many babies in the world and that it’s part of the problem. “Some people could be working on the world being a better place, or just being happy,” she pointed out.

Even though getting married and having children for Ross is not off the table, she wants to do it on her own terms and not when society believes it’s the right time. “I’m constantly asking myself questions, reminding myself, ’Are you making that decision for you or someone else?’” she explained.

6. Keanu Reeves

In the past, Reeves had the desire to become a father. However, luck wasn’t on his side, and his then-girlfriend Jennifer Syme gave birth to a stillborn. The loss of their unborn child took a toll on their relationship, and they broke up only a few weeks later.

Since then, Reeves didn’t have any serious relationships, and in 2017, when he was asked if he plans to have kids, his response was, “I’m too old. It’s too late.”

7. Kim Cattrall

When Kim Cattrall was 5 years old, she fantasized about having a hundred dogs and a hundred kids. But she wasn’t having luck in finding a partner and realized that if she wanted to be a mom, she should do it on her own. But with all the DNA choices she was provided, she simply couldn’t see becoming a parent that way. She wanted a product of a union with someone she loves, and the only pressure she felt about becoming a mother was from outside sources.

At age 44, Cattrall considered having babies with her third husband, Mark Levinson. She wanted to start IVF treatment, but at the time, she was filming Sex and the City and realized that a child wouldn’t fit into her schedule.

8. Betty White

Betty White knew that if she had children, all her focus will fall on them. But she chose not to have kids because she wanted to only focus on her career and believed that, as compulsive as she was, she wasn’t going to be able to focus on both. And the good thing is, she never regretted her decision. Even though she never had biological children, she was blessed with 3 stepchildren.

9. Portia de Rossi

In her thirties, Portia de Rossi felt pressure about becoming a mother because her biological clock was ticking. And since she wasn’t so sure that she wanted to have any children, she asked herself a question: “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?”

Her answer to the second question wasn’t yes, so she decided to not have kids.

10. Anjelica Huston

Anjelica Huston revealed that there have been times in her life when she wanted to have kids, but there were also times when she was grateful not to have them. She’s so connected to her dog that she’s a mess whenever she has to be away from it, and she doesn’t know how she would deal if she had to kiss her kids goodbye to go to work. “I would probably have been miserable,” she says.

Do you think you made the right decision to have or not to have children?