Jason Bateman awkwardly grills Charli XCX over her choice to not have kids

Jason Bateman has faced a backlash after he appeared to grill Charli XCX about not having children.

The singer appeared on Bateman's SmartLess podcast which he hosts alongside comedians Sean Hayes and Will Arnett, and they say the conversation on the show is 'genuinely improvised and authentic'.

Charli was on as a guest to promote her new film, The Moment - a mockumentary which sees her playing an exaggerated version of herself on her recent world tour.

While she probably expected to be the butt of a few jokes, Charli was subject to an unexpected questioning about her decision to remain childfree.

Ozark star Bateman was discussing the fact that Charli is an only child, which caused him to ask: "Does that mean you would love to have more than one kid?

Jason Bateman hosts SmartLess with Sean Hayes and Will Arnett (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

"Or would you like to have a kid that has the same experience as when you were a child."

Charli answered honestly: "I actually don’t really want to have kids."

She was asked why, and responded: "You know, who knows? That could change."

They then discussed how co-host Hayes and his husband talked about not wanting children, and Charli agreed with Hayes when he insisted: "I’d rather regret not having kids than have them and regret it later."

Charli went on to elaborate: "I love the fantasy of having a child. Like, naming it sounds so fun. But I’m like, that is exactly a sign to me as to why I should not have one."

She revealed: "The fact that that feels like the coolest part about it, I’m like, ‘Maybe I’m not ready’."

However, Bateman then chimed in: "My wife did not want to have kids so the story goes… and she said once we started going out she was like ‘I think I can have kids with this guy’."

The actor has been married to Amanda Anka since July 2001, and they have two daughters together.

In a refrain that will be familiar to anyone who's decided to stay childfree, Bateman insisted that Charli might change her mind, saying she 'might find somebody'.

But the singer bluntly pointed out that she already had: "Well, I’m married."

Charli tied the knot to the drummer of The 1975, George Daniel, in July last year.

Charli XCX married George Daniel last year (Photo by Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for W Magazine)

Bateman accepted his mistake, admitting: "I’ve got to read a newspaper one of these days."

Charli replied sportingly: "That’s OK. I knew immediately where you were going to go and how I was going to respond, so I was looking forward to it."

Bateman responded: "Maybe your next husband, you’re gonna want to have kids with him."

Some fans called out Bateman and his co-hosts for the awkward exchange, with one slamming it as an ‘incredibly rough listening experience’.

"I had to go listen to see for myself and it’s worse than I thought it would be …. Disgusting," another said.

Someone else commented: "Jesus this is a painful listening… these guys couldn’t even Google the name of her album or new film…. Yikes."

It's worth noting that the concept of the podcast is that two of the hosts don't know who the guest is in advance, so they don't research or prepare.

One fan pointed out: "The point of the podcast is that one host handpicks a guest with the other two not knowing who’ll they be interviewing."

In May 2024, Charlie told Rolling Stone that while she 'feels like a kid' herself, 'you have to make the decision — because we have a clock'.

LADbible Group has contacted representatives of Bateman for comment.