Lily Collins defended after her birth announcement sparked unexpected debate
Lily Collins’ husband has defended her after trolls targeted her with unkind comments following the birth of their first baby.
The Emily in Paris star, 35, announced that she and husband, screenwriter Charlie McDowell, had welcomed their daughter named Tove Jane McDowell via surrogacy.
Collins has been married to the director and writer, 41, since September 2021. Despite sharing insights into their marriage, they decided to keep their surrogacy journey private.
In a sincere post shared with her Instagram followers on Friday (31 January), Collins wrote: “Words will never express our endless gratitude for our incredible surrogate and everyone who helped us along the way. We love you to the moon and back again…”
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The post was accompanied with a picture of the couple’s baby daughter in a basket.
Despite the heartfelt post, Collins and her husband have been met with unexpected criticism from social media commentators who, for some strange reason, took issue with their decision to use a surrogate.
“I will never forgive y’all for normalising commercial surrogacy btw,” one outraged Twitter user remarked (via Metro), while another user complained: “Screaming as usual from the rooftops MAKE SURROGACY ILLEGAL!!! This is the new trend for celebrities and it’s DISGUSTING.”
Someone else commented: “What is up with this trend of wealthy women paying surrogates to carry their baby? The most wonderful journey of being parents is the pregnancy! The thought of providing everything the baby needs in utero is a mother’s privilege and blessing.”
Thankfully, the unsettling criticism towards Collins was challenged by a number of people on the same platform, with one person writing: “I need you all to stop speaking on people who you know nothing about.”
Another person wrote: “Everyone should stop having a go at Lily Collins fo using a surrogate — it’s entirely her choice.”
McDowell also took to the comments of his wife’s post to defend her.
“Thank you for all the kind messages and love. We are overjoyed and very grateful,” the response begins.
“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. 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. And it’s ok to spend less time spewing hateful words into the world, especially in regards to a beautiful baby girl who has brought a lot of love into people’s lives.”
McDowell concluded his message with a lighthearted point all first-time parents can relate to. “That’s all for now because she just pooped and I need to change her diaper.”
Both Collins and McDowell have revealed their desire to start a family in the past, with McDowell telling E! News in 2024 that they would like to 'move into that next stage' but were waiting to see 'when it happens'.
Meanwhile, Collins told Harper's Bazaar in 2023: Of course, I’d love to have a family. So there’s the personal, the work, there’s the blending of the two…
"It’s always a juggle, but I want it to be – I want to be able to do all the things I enjoy. The key thing is finding out what makes sense for us."
Topics: Celebrity, Parenting, Health, Lily Collins
Gregory Robinson