Every celebrity parent I have interviewed in 2020 (translation: every celebrity parent I have interviewed mid-pandemic) has said the same thing: They feel guilty for struggling. Yes, quarantining with kids is so hard (so, so hard), but they have money and privilege and nannies and big houses, so what on earth could they have to complain about? But hate to break it to you: Celebrity moms are moms, too. And with that title comes a whole lot of baggage.
It is so very tempting, for those of us regular-old moms, to imagine that celebs have it easy on all fronts, 100% of the time. Yeah sure, of course motherhood is fun and beautiful when you can afford ALL the childcare / baby classes / best organic kid food etc. etc. But when you think about it, we moms — all of us — are trying to combat so much of the same crap: Pandemic, systemic racism, sleepless nights, school shooting drills, mom-shaming on and off social media, and that true mom brand of worries about never quite measuring up and being the best parent we can be. Surprise! When it comes to shame, fear, and anxiety, celebs really are just like us! But famous moms don’t just have enviable celeb-resources; plenty of them also have hella wisdom and life experiences to pass along. (You know, just like all of us Normal moms do, too.)
So in honor of all of us moms just out here trying to do our darndest to keep our kids alive and make them feel loved, we rounded up some powerful celeb mom quotes about motherhood that we can all use. Because don’t worry: Serena Williams and Chrissy Teigen and Pink and Shay Mitchell are all having a rough week, too.
A version of this story was originally published in May, 2019.
Ellen Pompeo
Talk about a wake-up call. In SheKnows’ exclusive interview with Ellen Pompeo, the actor talked about what it’s like to be the highest-paid actress on TV — and how she hasn’t even gotten around to having the pay-gap convo with her kids. Why? She has far more pressing matters to address with them first, obviously — such as climate change and the widespread prevalance of school shootings and other gun violence against children.
More pressing indeed — and these are conversations all of us parents need to be having in 2020, whether we like it or not.
Pink
O, Pink. How do we love thee? Let us count the ways: Actually nevermind, we got lost after “rad music,” “boundary-breaking performances,” “true talent,” “troll-slapping,” “general badassitude,” “gender-neutral parenting skills,” “breastfeeding selfies aplenty“… the list goes on. But we’re pretty sure teaching our daughters the rules so they know how and when to break them is #1 on our #momgoals to-do list.
Serena Williams
Tennis champ Serena Williams posted a message of support for working moms everywhere — whether or not said moms have 23 Grand Slams to their name (JK, nobody but Williams has that). No matter what our day jobs are, we working mamas have got to go to work and take care of the kid. And Williams is right there with us.
Shay Mitchell
In SheKnows’ exclusive interview with new mom Shay Mitchell of Pretty Little Liars and You fame, she got real about the tough early days of parenthood — and the fact that a little mom-compliment (mompliment?!) can go a long way.
Viola Davis
In an exclusive interview with SheKnows, three-time Oscar winner Viola Davis got candid about diabetes, motherhood, equal pay and more. Oh, and she has a children’s book out too. Could she be any more badass?
Jillian Michaels
And speaking of badasses, the ever-strong (and often-terrifying) fitness trainer, mom of two, and BlogHer keynote speaker Jillian Michaels opened up to SheKnows about what it’s like to forge her own path as an entrepreneur, athlete, and a queer mom.
Mindy Kaling
The Office and The Mindy Project fan favorite Mindy Kaling is rocking her role as single mom to her baby daughter Katherine Swati — a baby who has great taste in houses, if we do say so ourselves. Kaling still isn’t revealing the identity of Katherine’s mystery dad, but she’s happy to reveal one of her own parenting role models: her late mother, Swati Roysircar.
Chrissy Teigen
Chrissy Teigen recently told SheKnows in an exclusive interview that she did not get to her current Queen of Troll-Slamming status without working for it. The model, author, mom of two, and Twitter icon knows there’s no place for mom-shaming — online or off.
Connie Britton
When I interviewed Connie Britton for a SheKnows exclusive, I thought we’d bond over living in Nashville and being single moms of one boy each (and I’d like to think we did!) but what she said that resonated most with me is how hard it can feel to travel away from your kid. Even if the trade-off is a blissfully quiet hotel room. We miss them!
Anna Faris
When I spoke with Anna Faris for a SheKnows exclusive interview, the actor and mom of 6-year-old Jack Pratt (whom Faris shares with ex Chris Pratt) was her usual hilarious self, cracking jokes about everything from mom fashion to feeding toddlers lemons for the hell of it. But when it comes to the very real pressures moms — famous or not — face, Faris is dead serious. And who can blame her? “It is difficult” is an understatement.
Busy Philipps
My personal bad-gal crush since the Dawson’s Creek and Freaks and Geeks days, Busy Philipps spoke honestly with SheKnows about a recent incident when she had to miss her kids’ holiday concerts due to work committments. “My heart is a little broken,” she told us — and any parent can sympathize. (Surprise! The mom-guilt struggle is real, whether you’re a megastar or not. Sigh.)
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