Maria Menounos and husband Kevin Undergaro are officially prepping for a little princess — the couple is having a girl!
On Monday’s episode of her podcast, Heal Squad, Menounos and Undergaro revealed the sex of their baby, who’s due to arrive this summer. The One Tree Hill alum said, “It’s funny because when we were on Live With Kelly, I didn’t realize that the dress I picked was blue. I mean technically it’s periwinkle, but I wore a blue dress and everyone was like, ‘She’s having a boy!’ But we’re having… A girl!” Menounos revealed.
“We’re very excited to announce we have a baby girl coming,” she said softly. The television host also shared the news on her Instagram, writing alongside a video clip from the podcast, “Kev and I are so excited to share with all of you in our @healsquad and beyond that we are having….. a girl!!!!”
The mama-to-be continued, “We are over the moon excited! We are reading baby books, working on the nursery and just overall preparing for this beautiful new addition to our lives. She is already so loved and we cannot wait to meet her.”
Picking the Perfect Name
While the couple didn’t reveal the exact name they’ve tentatively chosen, Menounos did share that they do think they have their baby girl’s name picked out.
“We’ve been thinking about names for years, because as you may or may not know, this has been almost a 10-year journey for us, so we’ve thought about names forever, and I think we’ve come up with the perfect name for this baby,” she explained, adding, “We do reserve the right to seeing her and making any last-minute decisions.”
A Feminist Approach to the Baby’s Last Name
When asked whose last name their child will have, Menounos explained, “Our daughter will have his last name within the name, but [her last name] will be Menounos.”
Undergaro shared why they’ve chosen to give their daughter Menounos’ name, saying, “My mom is a feminist… So I saw my dad support her, then I supported her; I’ve always supported you. And I think it’s like, I have to put my money where my mouth is.”
He continued, “To me, it’s partly to be in line with progression, and then I think also it doesn’t matter as much to me. And I think, obviously, you’ve done great with the Menounos name, so that’s not going to hurt either.”
Announcing the Pregnancy
The couple announced their pregnancy via surrogacy in February 2023 during an appearance on Live With Kelly and Ryan. Chatting about their summer travel plans, Menounos said, “We had a lot of plans; we were going to go to Greece in the summer. We’re having to move that up because… we’re having a baby.”
Speaking through tears, she continued, “[We’ve been trying for] almost like a decade, guys. It’s been a long time. We’ve done everything — I mean, literally everything. They’ve tried to get me pregnant, that didn’t work. Kevin had a surgery, that didn’t work. He’s hung me upside down like a chicken, that didn’t work!” Menounos joked.
Turning to friends who had first-hand experience with welcoming children via surrogacy, the EveryGirl’s Guide to Life author shared, “Zoe Saldaña and Kim Kardashian have been so helpful to me in this journey and they both gave me all their advice and people. And Kim especially gave me this wonderful lawyer named Andy and he found me this woman, Stephanie, who helped me find our surrogate,” she said.
“We’re just so, so grateful for these people because they help you bring life forward, and we wouldn’t be able to do it without them.”
A Long Time Coming
In 2016, Menounos publically shared that her IVF treatment to become pregnant had been unsuccessful. During Monday’s podcast reveal, she mentioned that in addition to the embryo that gave them their little girl on the way, she and Undergaro have a few more that are currently frozen for potential later use.
After 20 years of partnership, Menounos and Undergaro tied the knot moments before the ball dropped in Times Square on New Year’s Eve in 2017, then enjoyed a second ceremony in Greece in 2018. Both will experience parenthood for the first time when their daughter arrives this summer, and we couldn’t be more thrilled for them.
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