Actor Jason Bateman is facing backlash after suggesting that Charli XCX might change her mind about having children if she met "the right guy."
The comments, made during a recent episode of the Smartless podcast, struck a nerve with childfree-by-choice listeners, especially after Charli calmly pointed out that she’s already married.
Jason Bateman should have checked Charli's Wikipedia page
On Monday's episode of "Smartless," pop star Charli XCX was promoting her upcoming film The Moment when the subject of kids came up. In a clip now spreading across social media, Bateman started by asking her how many kids she wants.
"Would you love to have more than one kid or would you like to have a kid that has the same experience as you, the only child, and then you get to nurture and protect?" he asked.
"I actually don’t really want to have kids," the singer replied.
Co-host Sean Hayes immediately jumped to ask "why," before admitting that it's "none of my business."
Bateman, however, kept talking after Charli astutely observed that she may not be ready for kids if the thing she's most excited about is the naming rights.
"My wife did not want to have kids, so the story goes," he claimed. "She said once we started going out she thought, ‘okay, I think I can have a kid with this guy.’ So you might find somebody."
"Well, I am married," Charli revealed.
Charlie married The 1975 drummer George Daniel in July 2025.
Childfree women say they're tired of being second-guessed
If there's one thing women are tired of in the year 2026, it's people pressuring them to have children.
Folks in "childfree by choice" communities did not take kindly to Bateman's remarks.
"I'm not saying no one has the right to change their mind to either side, I just think its inappropriate to ask people if they're having kids," wrote u/AprilBelle08 in her r/childfree post.
"She’s one of the biggest pop artists currently, has had a majorly successful album and has been the industry for years. And they still feel the need to ask about children?!" commented u/liljabird.
"And then to assume she isn’t already in a great relationship since she isn’t sure on kids."
"Why the f*ck does society continue to pressure women, in particular, about having kids?!?" asked u/BestBeBelievin. "People should respect when someone knows themselves well enough to say they don’t want to be a parent."
Some think that Bateman should have stuck to acting.
"This is bad on so many levels and yet another reminder of why real journalists are necessary for celebrity interviews," wrote music and culture reporter Rachel Brodsky on X.
"I have this idea in my head of Jason Bateman why would he ruin that for me and get a podcast," lamented @theekidda2.
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