Expert Unpacks Media’s Harsh Treatment Of Childfree Stars Like Jennifer Aniston And Dolly Parton

As a growing trend takes hold in Hollywood, more female celebrities are openly choosing and advocating for a childfree life, sparking conversations around motherhood, career, and personal autonomy.

This shift has seen high-profile stars use their platforms to challenge the societal stigma that motherhood is a prerequisite for a complete life.

With figures like Miley Cyrus, Dolly Parton, and others embracing life without children, experts suggest these choices reflect broader debates around gender, privilege, and cultural expectations.

“I don’t want kids, it’s not a chip I have. And the mom I would wanna be, I’m not sure I can be,” shared the White Lotus star Leslie Bibb.

A media expert and scholar weighed in on female Hollywood celebrities challenging the societal stigma surrounding a childfree life and motherhood

Female star smiling during a TV interview, discussing nannies and the internet influence on parenting choices.

Image credits: Getty/NBC

Reportedly, birth and fertility rates in the U.S. have generally declined over the past two decades, reaching historic lows in recent years.

While the total number of births has seen a slight increase in the past few years, the broader fertility rate, the average number of children expected per woman, continues to sit well below the population “replacement level” of 2.1.

It has been estimated by multiple studies that by the next decade, particularly between 2030 and 2033, the annual mortality rate will exceed the annual birth rate in the U.S.

Moreover, a 2021 study reported that childfree individuals are just as content and fulfilled in their lives as their counterparts with children.

This observation is also evident in the way celebrities, especially female stars in the country, approach conversations surrounding children and motherhood.

Two children drawing with colorful markers outdoors, highlighting nannies and the internet raising kids concept.

Image credits: Unsplash

While pop star Miley Cyrus has publicly expressed hesitancy about bringing children into a world facing severe climate change and political instability, actresses like Helen Mirren and Leslie Bibb have cited a lifelong focus on their craft and professional freedom as primary reasons for not having children.

In a 2016 interview with The Sunday Times, Mirren explained that she never felt regret over not having children, saying, “I never felt the need for a child and never felt the loss of it… I’d always put my work before anything.”

“It was not my destiny. I kept thinking it would be, waiting for it to happen, but it never did, and I didn’t care what people thought.”

Meanwhile, Leslie Bibb shared during a 2025 appearance on Jenna Bush Hager’s Open Book podcast that she wasn’t sure if she could be the “mom I would wanna be,” citing that, because her mother was “working all the time,” she often felt the “loss of her presence.”

Blonde woman with short hair wearing a polka dot blouse, representing female stars choosing to go childfree.

Image credits: lesliebibb

She added that prioritizing her career and embracing an independent life was also “important.”

Meredith Ward, Director of Film and Media Studies at Johns Hopkins University, explained that the childfree trend reflects a larger cultural shift and “is not unique to the film industry.”

She shared with Bored Panda in an exclusive interview, “It reflects a cultural movement… Women under the age of thirty are increasingly opting to either delay having children, or electing to remain childfree. It is difficult for women to self-actualize professionally and still maintain the role of super-parent; it requires a sacrifice of time, effort, and energy that would otherwise be spent on themselves or their work.”

Meredith Ward discussed the challenges and benefits of a childfree life, the role of social media in the conversation, and the gender bias surrounding the choice

According to Ward, opting for a childfree life is not limited to celebrities, noting that “the only real difference between them and others is that their choice is much more public than anyone else’s.”

Addressing the potential reasons why “a woman in Hollywood may decide to be childfree,” Ward explained that, “they could have ecological reasons and be worried about the climate crisis; they could have professional reasons, about not wanting to lose their momentum in their chosen field by stepping away; they could have financial reasons that have to do a hit to their earning potential if they lose the momentum from a ‘streak’ of successes by taking time away…”

Highlighting the role of social media in popularizing “pro-parenting” narratives, Ward noted that while such content “is totally fine,” it also “does present a challenge for those who choose to be childfree, to swim against the current of the images that are so abundant in popular culture of perfect motherhood, perfect homes, perfect meals – complete with kids in the frame of the Instagram reel.”

At the same time, female celebrities who remain childfree continue to face significantly more scrutiny and negative bias compared to their male counterparts.

Young woman with tattoos sitting indoors, reflecting on nannies and the internet raising kids in modern parenting discussions

Image credits: Getty/Emma McIntyre

This differential treatment is rooted in persistent societal norms that link a woman’s fulfillment to motherhood, while a man’s worth is more often measured by professional achievement or individual autonomy.

For instance, childfree actress Jennifer Aniston has long been wrongly subjected to tabloid speculation that often paints her life as “lonely” or “incomplete,” frequently ignoring personal circumstances and boundaries she has previously spoken about.

Addressing this double standard, Ward explained, “We have publicly scrutinized [female celebrities] parenting since the beginning of writing about stars, in biographies and the popular press. We don’t do that with men. The primacy of their careers is always assumed. With women, it isn’t. Women do receive significantly more criticism for remaining childfree than men.”

“A woman without a partner or children is earmarked by the popular press and popular culture as having missed out, and… is marked as ‘difficult,’” said Meredith

Female star speaking on stage with microphone, highlighting trends of nannies and the internet in childfree decisions.

Image credits: Rick Kern

“This is, of course, because women are thought of as caregivers and life-bringers in popular culture more than men. It is, then, perceived as them failing to self-actualize, or failing to achieve their role… For women, getting partnered and being a mother is still thought of as a primary accomplishment, without which, even a very powerful woman celebrity may be thought of as lacking.”

To illustrate this cultural double standard, Ward pointed to actress Marisa Tomei, who said in a 2009 interview with Manhattan Magazine, “I don’t know why women need to have children to be seen as complete human beings.”

The media scholar further added, “A woman without a partner or children is earmarked by the popular press and popular culture as having missed out, and if she insists upon her reasons for being childfree, then she is marked as ‘difficult.’”

As both a happy parent and working professional herself, Ward nonetheless acknowledged that “choosing a childfree life in Hollywood has some benefits,” noting that it “permits a singleminded focus on one’s career, and leaves a certain amount of time for self-development outside of the career, as well.”

Older woman with white hair wearing blue textured dress and earrings at event, representing female stars and childfree choices.

Image credits: Getty/Amy Sussman

“Television or film actors must leave for extended periods of time, of course, to work on set. It is not a lifestyle that makes it easy to take care of a child.”

These realities have also fueled debate among the public. One Reddit user questioned, “Why most successful and famous women don’t have kids? I see it quite often female celebs usually don’t or never have kids. Why is that?”

Several netizens chimed in with their own takes. One user wrote, “Because these women chose not to sacrifice their lives so they could live their dreams lol.”

Another added, “Because being a mom DOES require you to give up your career unless you let nannies and the internet raise your kids. The whole idea of you can be a mom and having a fulfilling and successful career is mostly b*llsh*t in my opinion. every mom i know had to make sacrifices to her career in order to be a mom.”

Ward also discussed the different “attitudes” adopted by stars such as Miley Cyrus, Dolly Parton, and others when it comes to their stance on motherhood

Child hugging adult on beach at sunset, illustrating themes of parenting and nannies and the internet influence.

Image credits: Unsplash

“No matter how much anyone says women can ‘have it all,’ modern life in most countries still makes being a mother and having a career almost impossible. And men are still not carrying their weight,” a third user commented.

Echoing these sentiments, Ward pointed to the “negative stereotypes” often attached to childfree celebrities, noting that their choices are sometimes “read as privileged or selfish, as these are rich and powerful people who seem to be able to give their potential children the world if they wanted to. But they don’t want to.”

She emphasized, “If they don’t want to, why should they? We forget at times that celebrities are just people, navigating the same social currents we all are. They just do so more publicly.”

Another key point raised by Ward was what she described as the media’s double-edged sword approach to celebrities with children.

Two young children sitting on a gray armchair, highlighting the role of nannies and the internet in raising kids.

Image credits: Unsplash

“The media industry also seems to turn celebrities’ parenting into a commodity to be sold: paparazzi pregnancy photographs, pictures of celebrities out with their children, interviews about being a parent that encourage readers to think they can ‘have it all,’ or relatable content about how hard it is.”

She added, “But the industry also sees women who have had children as potentially less desirable, the implication is often that having children uses up some of what our visual culture uses women for – fantasy. They are no longer blank slates for the public’s s*xual fantasies. They are someone’s mom.”

According to Ward, this tension often results in a shift toward the so-called “hot mom” trope, underscoring that society “hasn’t quite worked out how we feel about motherhood and professional life working together in our culture. It is still being negotiated, and understood.”

Ward concluded by citing the public “attitudes” of several childfree female celebrities, including Dolly Parton and Ashley Judd, who have long spoken candidly about their choices.

Previously, the Jolene singer had stated, “I often think, it just wasn’t meant for me to have kids so everybody’s kids can be mine.”

Two children running by the water wearing colorful superhero capes, symbolizing nannies and the internet raising kids.

Image credits: Unsplash

In a separate interview with The Guardian, Parton added, “I would have been a great mother, I think. I would probably have given up everything else. Because I would’ve felt guilty about that, if I’d have left them [to work, to tour]. Everything would have been changed. I probably wouldn’t have been a star.”

Meanwhile, activist and actress Ashley Judd wrote in her 2011 memoir, All That Is Bitter and Sweet, “I figured it was selfish for us to pour our resources into making our ‘own’ babies when those very resources and energy could not only help children already here, but through advocacy and service transform the world into a place where no child ever needs to be born into poverty and ab*se again.”

The discussion also resonated online. “Really hope more women normalize this conversation,” one Reddit user wrote, while another joked, “Given current parental expectations within the gender divide, I think I could be a ‘good’ dad. I don’t think I could be a good mom.”

“Being a parent takes a lot of time and having a successful career takes a lot of time. And there’s not enough time to do both,” one netizen wrote in support of female stars

Text post discussing Helen Mirren being childfree by choice, relating to nannies and the internet raising kids.

Comment on women choosing childfree lives to pursue dreams, linked to nannies and the internet raising kids discussion.

Text excerpt discussing Helen Mirren’s unique parenting role, highlighting nannies and the internet in modern childrearing choices.

Text post discussing how nannies and the internet help parents balance raising kids and maintaining a career.

Expert explaining why female stars choose to go childfree amid nannies and internet influence on raising kids.

Screenshot of an online comment discussing female stars choosing to remain childfree and parenting views influenced by the internet.

Expert explains why female stars are choosing to go childfree, focusing on careers and nannies raising their kids.

Quote from user ebblur about parenting and career balance, highlighting challenges nannies and the internet pose for parents.

Text comment from user lemonadecandy24 saying, Yeah exactly, this is common sense, in a plain digital interface.

Screenshot of a comment discussing gender roles in parenting and the impact on women raising kids.

Screenshot of a social media comment discussing famous men’s families and nannies raising kids in modern parenting.

Text post from user lithogiraffe discussing reasons female stars are choosing to go childfree amid internet and nanny culture.

Screenshot of an online comment explaining why female stars choose to go childfree, highlighting challenges of fame and parenting.

Text message on a screen discussing reasons related to nannies and the internet influencing childfree choices by female stars.

Poll Question

Total votes ·

Thanks! Check out the results:

Total votes ·

Newsletter

Subscribe to Access
Exclusive Polls

Subscribe

By entering your email and clicking Subscribe, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Privacy Policy.

Thank you! You've successfully subscribed to newsletters!

Anyone can write on Bored Panda. Start writing!

Follow Bored Panda on Google News!

Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda!