Jason Bateman has been slammed for grilling Charli XCX over her decision not to have children and for lack of research on his podcast.
The Arrested Development star, 57, who shares daughters Francesca, 19, and Maple, 13, with wife Amanda Anka, chatted to the Brat songstress, 33, alongside Sean Hayes and Will Arnett on their hit podcast SmartLess.
During the chat, talk turned to having children, to which Charli, who tied the knot to The 1975 star George Daniel last year, said: ‘I actually don’t really want to have kids.’
In an awkward and widely-criticised moment, Jason explained that his wife did not want kids when they met yet he changed her mind, before enthusing: ‘So you might find somebody’, to which Charli informed him of her marriage.
Listeners blasted Jason for breaking the taboo of asking women about having children and failing to research his guest, with a Reddit user writing: ‘Why the f**k does society continue to pressure women, in particular, about having kids?!’
Jason Bateman has been slammed for grilling Charli XCX over her decision not to have children and for lack of research on his podcast (Charli pictured last month)
In an awkward and widely-criticised moment, Jason explained that his wife did not want kids when they met yet he changed her mind, before enthusing: ‘So you might find somebody’, to which Charli informed him of her marriage (Jason pictured in 2023)
The Arrested Development star, 57, shares daughters Francesca, 19, and Maple, 13, with wife Amanda Anka (Jason and his family pictured in November)
During the interview, Charli was asked: ‘Would you like to have a kid who has the same experience as you or it’s the only child and then you get to, you know, nurture and protect?’, leading to her profession that she does not want children.
After a shocked Jason said: ‘You don’t? Wait why?’, she responded: ‘That could change. I love the fantasy of having a child like naming it, it sounds so fun but I’m like, that is exactly assigned to me as to why I should not have one…
‘The fact that that feels like the coolest part about and like, maybe I’m not ready you know?’
Jason then launched into his own story, saying: ‘What, you know, but you know, all that could change if you you might my, I mean I guess I’m backing into giving myself a half a**ed compliment here, but my wife did not want to have kids…
‘So the story goes, as she tells it. Once she said, once we started going out and she met, she was like “Ok, I think I can have a kid with this guy”. So you might find somebody.’
After Charli awkwardly then stated that she is married, he joked: ‘I got to read a newspaper one of these days’, to which a tickled Charli joked: ‘No. It’s ok, I was enjoying [it], I knew immediately like where you were going to go…
‘I knew that, I knew the response. I was looking forward to it so.’ Jason joked: ‘Your next husband, you’re gonna want kids.’
Charli is pictured with her husband George Daniel on Thursday. The couple married in 2025
She was praised for how she handled the comments from the actor
Jason spoke to Charli alongside Sean Hayes (centre) and Will Arnett (right) on their hit podcast SmartLess
Despite the lighthearted nature of the chat, the podcast was met with fury – with fans describing Jason’s interview skills as ‘incredible rough listening’
Despite the lighthearted nature of the chat, the podcast was met with fury – with fans describing Jason’s interview skills as ‘incredible rough listening’.
An X user penned: ‘incredible rough listening experience at one point jason bateman asks her how many kids she wants to have (bad enough)…
‘Then she’s like “i don’t think i want kids” and he’s like “well maybe you just need to find the right guy” and she’s like “i’m married” and then silence.’
Reddit users meanwhile took to the comments to slam the chat, writing: ‘Why the f**k does society continue to pressure women, in particular, about having kids?!?…
‘People should respect when someone knows themselves well enough to say they don’t want to be a parent… jason bateman being gross about women? what a shocker…
‘I do not care about people saying how having children is the best thing ever blah blah blah, ESPECIALLY when its coming from men…
His research skills were slammed by listeners
Superfans then referenced the fact that Charli spoke on her 2024 album Brat about her questions over motherhood, in the track ‘I Think About It All The Time’
‘I wish people would normalize that some people just simply do not want kids. It’s not always about the “right person”. Some people live very happy childless lives…
‘It was ridiculous like even 20 years ago to push kids but like NOW? F**k right off thanks… They literally sound so shocked when she says she doesn’t want kids. This is the 21st century ffs…
‘One of my fav things about Charli is how she’s normalized so many things. Being like 30 doesn’t mean you have to stop clubbing. Also you don’t need to have kids. She makes me feel younger. I love her so much so leave her tf alone!’
Superfans then referenced the fact that Charli spoke on her 2024 album Brat about her questions over motherhood, in the track ‘I Think About It All The Time’.
In the song she sings: ‘I think about it all the time // That I might run out of time // But I finally met my baby // And a baby might be mine // Cause maybe one day I might // If I don’t run out of time // Would it make me miss all my freedom?’
Pointing this out and how it relates to her chat with Jason, fans wrote: ‘She actually has a song on brat about this topic called “I think about it all the time”… Was there literally nothing else to ask her?…
‘Wasn’t the song on brat talking about how she was starting to want to have kids?… They didn’t listen to brat and it shows…
After years of speculation and public scrutiny over his friend Jennifer Aniston not having children, last year the star revealed she had unsuccessfully attempted IVF and had since ‘made peace’ with not having kids
‘Yes, I interpreted it as also the baggage/mental back and forth and thought process that comes with considering having a child when you haven’t really wanted to.’
Meanwhile, their research skills were also called into question, with users writing: ‘Two of them don’t research the guests…
‘Literally the entire point of the podcast is that one of them picks the guest and the other two don’t know who it is until they start recording…
‘He didn’t bother to research her and even listen to what she said 5 seconds ago, which was that her stance could change, but right now it’s not in the cards. Why can’t people just respect that and not be weird about it?’
After years of speculation and public scrutiny over his friend Jennifer not having children, last year the star revealed she had unsuccessfully attempted IVF and had since ‘made peace’ with not having kids.
Last year, Jason described the star as a ‘co-mom’ to his two daughters – which led to further outrage from fans over his insensitive line of questioning.
Users penned: ‘I’m surprised at his insensitivity to this considering he is BFF with Jennifer Anniston [sic] who must have shared how hurtful the motherhood questions from the press have been to her her whole life…
‘I am actually surprised about Jason Bateman being so tone deaf here because he is extremely close to Jennifer Aniston and has vocally supported her as she has been constantly pummeled by the media for this very thing….
‘Seems hypocritical to defend Jennifer while doing the very same thing to Charli that others have done to Jennifer. Clearly, he knows how that can affect a woman.’
