Seth Rogen Defended Child-Free Choice On Kelly Clarkson, Resurfaced
by Leyla MohammedBuzzFeedBuzzFeed StaffAs a Celebrity Reporter, I cover everything from fashion and award shows to TV, film, and cultural conversations.
As you might know, Seth Rogen has been married to comedian and actor Lauren Miller since 2011 — and for some reason, people seem to get super upset whenever he talks about how content they are without kids.
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“The older we get, the more happy and reaffirmed we are with our choice to not have kids,” the 43-year-old stated in 2023. “Now, more than anything, the conversation is like, ‘Honestly, thank God we don’t have children.’”
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“We are in the prime of our lives. We are smarter than we've ever been. We understand ourselves more than we ever have,” he went on. “We have the capacity to achieve a level of work and a level of communication and care for one another, and a lifestyle we can live with one another that we've never been able to live before, and we can just do that, and we don't have to raise a child.”
When asked if he believed that he and Lauren could be “happier” with kids, Seth said, “I’ve been around obviously a lot of children, I'm not ignorant to what it’s like. … Everyone I know has kids. I'm 40, you know? I know. Some of my friends have had kids for decades. Some people want kids, some people don't want kids.”
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Many parents took offense to Seth’s comments, with some even suggesting that his and Lauren’s lives have “no meaning” simply because they are child-free. Seth acknowledged the wild response to his comments last year, telling Esquire, “People really had strong takes on it, being like, ‘Fuck this fucking guy. Who the fuck does he think he is not to have kids?’ Well, if you hate me that much, why do you want more of me?”
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He also called out people who have children purely for “selfish” reasons as he recalled being asked, “Who’s going to take care of you when you’re old?” “Is that why you’re having kids? Because I have two things to say: One, that’s very selfish to create a human so someone can take care of you. And two, just because you have a kid, I hate to break it to you, that doesn’t mean they’re going to do that,” he said.
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This week, a clip of Seth talking about his decision to remain child-free on The Kelly Clarkson Show from 2023 resurfaced online.
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When host Kelly, who shares two children with her late ex-husband Brandon Blackstock, questioned “why” Seth doesn’t want children, the actor simply replied, “It doesn’t seem that fun.”
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Kelly said, “I can see how it seems like way,” while Seth doubled down and said, “Most of my friends who are parents, God bless them, spend most of their time talking about how much they don’t like having kids. And what me and my wife spend a lot of time talking about is how much fun stuff we can do because we don’t have kids!”
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Kelly, who was also stepmom to Brandon's two kids from a previous marriage, told Seth, “I think that’s actually pretty rad though, because I never wanted kids [until] I met my ex. He had kids, and I was like, ‘This is kinda cool.’”
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“I got to kind of experience it, so then I ended up having kids,” she said. “I wouldn’t say it’s the most fun job, because it’s overwhelming.”
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Kelly then added, “But it’s a beautiful thing, and it’s, like, nothing cooler for me.” In response to this, Seth awkwardly stayed silent, raising his eyebrows and shrugging.
The Kelly Clarkson Show / NBC / Via youtube.com
Kelly then quickly said, “But, I will say though, I think it’s important because people used to always pressure me about it. About marriage and about having kids, and like, that’s not everybody’s dream.”
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Seth agreed and said, “A lot of people have kids and they don’t even think about it…They just think that’s the next thing you do in life.”
Seth went on, “People describe having kids as brief glimmering moments of beauty amongst a sea of pain. Whereas not having kids, it’s just lovely all the time.”
The Kelly Clarkson Show / NBC / Via youtube.com
“I’m never like, ‘I wish I had kids and I’m missing something by not having them.’ I’m doing stuff all the time where I look over at my wife and she looks at me and we’re like, ‘If we had kids, we couldn’t do this! This wouldn’t even remotely be on the table!’” he said.
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Kelly then said, “People with kids, that’s what we call ‘me time.’ You have to carve it out.” Seth replied, “All the time is me. Why wouldn’t it be me time?!”
Kelly concluded by telling Seth, “I think that’s really awesome. And I think it’s really cool to not pressure people.” She also clarified, “I do love my children.”
Seth’s resurfaced comments really r