Michelle Williams got candid about welcoming her fourth child via surrogacy. The Dying For Sex actress appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! where she spoke with guest host, Tiffany Haddish, about her experience.
The 44-year-old star shared in April that she and her husband, Thomas Kail, 48, welcomed a child via surrogate. And last night, Michelle revealed the gender of their new baby – a baby girl!
After Tiffany complimented Michelle on her "snapper" figure, Michelle clarified saying: "I've got to give a big shoutout to Christine because this last baby did not come through my body.”
She continued: "The miracle of our little girl is thanks to [my surrogate] Christine. Maybe you're watching out there. Thank you, Christine."
Michelle welcomed her first daughter, Matilda, in 2005 with her then-boyfriend, the late Heath Ledger. She married Thomas in 2020 after meeting on the set of Fosse/Verdon. Michelle had her son Hart in 2020 and welcomed another child in 2022 – whose gender and name she has not shared.
In 2023, Michelle told Entertainment Weekly: "My heart obviously belongs to my children; they tug at it the most. But I really want to be able to have both. And I think that it requires deep thought and learning and the support of other women to figure out how to get through it."
Celebrities and surrogacy
Michelle's confirmation about using surrogacy for her fourth child is not unusual in Hollywood. The actress joins Nicole Kidman, Riley Keough, and Chrissy Teigen in using a surrogate to expand her family.
Many celebrities use surrogates due to infertility or life threatening pregnancies. Like Kim Kardashian, who used a surrogate for Chicago and Psalm after experiencing preeclampsia – a serious blood pressure condition – during her first two births.
"When I was pregnant with North I was suffering from preeclampsia, which made me swell uncontrollably," Kim wrote to her Instagram story in March 2021. "It really broke me."
While Kim shared her struggles very publicly, many celebrities choose to not be so open with the reason behind their decision. In February, Lily Collins faced controversy after she shared with her 28.8 million Instagram followers that she and her husband Charlie McDowell used a surrogate. One commenter shared their opinion that surrogacy is an "exploitation of impoverished women" and "shouldn't be normalized."
Charlie hopped in to defend their choice, writing to Instagram: "Thank you for all the kind messages and love. In regards to the unkind messages about surrogacy and our path to having a baby — it's OK to not be an expert on surrogacy."
He continued: "It’s OK to not know why someone might need a surrogate to have a child. It’s OK to not know the motivations of a surrogate regardless of what you assume."
For her part, Michelle didn't share too much about her and Thomas' decision to use a surrogate. But she did call her newborn a "miracle baby." Now a mom of four, Michelle is "really busy trying to figure out the life-work balance" while raising three young kids and a 19-year-old.