Seth Rogen was asked if he would be “happier” if he had kids, and his brutally honest answer made people realize how rarely men are asked if they don’t have kids

Seth Rogen and his wife Lauren Miller have been childless and happily married since 2011, and in a brand new interview, the actor opened up about their decision not to have children.

appearing on the Diary of a CEO podcast This week, Seth spoke at length about his long career and how he became one of Hollywood’s most popular comedy writers – noting that “definitely” not having children played a big part in his success.

“There’s one big thing I don’t do, and that’s raise kids,” he said.

In response, host Steven Bartlett asked Seth to consider the other side of the debate, that parents may have made his and Lauren’s life “happier” – leading Seth to strongly disagree.

“I don’t think so,” he replied. “I’ve obviously been with a lot of kids, I don’t know what it’s like … Everyone I know has kids. i’m 40 you know I know.”

“Some of my friends have had children for decades. Some people want kids, some people don’t want kids,” he added, before pointing out that a lot of people start their families before they even think about whether or not it’s really right for them.

“I mean, a lot of people have kids before they even think about it, from what I’ve honestly seen,” he said. “You’re just told, you go through life, you get married, you have kids — it’s what happens.”

Speaking more explicitly about his personal experiences, Seth clarified that neither he nor Lauren ever wanted to have children, adding that they’ve become more confident in their decision as they’ve gotten older.

“Me and my wife, neither of us was like that,” he said. “Honestly, the older we get, the happier and more affirmed we are with our decision not to have children. It was something we talked about more and we were like, ‘Did we make the right choice, are we sure?’”

“Now, more than anything, the conversation is like, ‘Honestly, thank God we don’t have kids,'” he continued. “We can do whatever we want.”

“We are in the prime of our lives, we are smarter than ever, we understand ourselves better than ever, we have the ability to reach a level of work and communication and to care for each other. and a lifestyle we can live together that we’ve never been able to live before, and we can just do that and we don’t have to raise a child — which the world doesn’t need right now,” Seth concluded.

After the interview was published on Monday, fans spoke out in favor of it Very bad Author, with one person in the comments section praising his “authentic” and “genuine” answer.

“Very refreshing to hear someone loudly say with no shame or society’s expectations that they don’t want children and are happy with their choice,” they commented.

Approvingly, others applauded his attitude, noting that they have a similar experience with child-free marriage.

“Very refreshing to hear why he doesn’t have kids,” added another user. “My wife and I think and feel exactly the same. Hit Seth!”

“100% spot on when it comes to kids. Me and my wife are actively enjoying not having them!” echoed another.

Aside from the praise, several people were over there Tick ​​tock who found that it is actually quite rare that a man not only answers so extensively, but is even asked if he has no children at all.

It goes without saying that women have long faced public and invasive questions about why they don’t have children, with a number of big names like Miley Cyrus, Helen MirrenAnd Ellen DeGeneres after previously speaking out to quell speculation about her views on motherhood.

Oprah Winfrey, for example, is often there asked about not having children, which is what prompted her to say that Hollywood reporter In 2013, if she had children, they would “hate” her.

“You would have landed on the equivalent of oprah show talks about me because something [in my life] should have suffered, and they probably would have,” she said.

Similarly, Dolly Parton is another famous face that is spoken extensively about never having children tells Oprah in 2020 that she believed it was never meant for her.

“I didn’t have kids because I believed that God didn’t want me to have kids so all the kids could be mine,” she said. “If I hadn’t had the freedom to work, I wouldn’t have done all the things I’ve done. I wouldn’t be able to do all the things I’m doing now.”

Just last November Jennifer Aniston opened up about her “challenging” fertility journey after decades of invasive speculation about her body and why she’s not having children, telling Allure that the ongoing questioning has been “really hard” for her to deal with.

Given that this type of questioning has historically been forced upon women — both in celebrity contexts and in everyday life — people were almost surprised to see that Seth was also confronted with the issue.

“Nice to see a man being asked that,” one person wrote, earning more than 17,000 likes.

Other commenters responded, noting that this was actually the first time they had seen a man in public being questioned about her plans – or lack thereof – to have children.

“I have NEVER seen a man discuss this,” added another.

Of course, there were also people who felt that no one should ever feel in a position to justify, publicly or otherwise, their reasons for not having children.

“I love everything he said,” one person commented, adding, “Why do the childless have to justify their choice?”

Another user called the question “condescending,” noting that people with children are rarely held accountable for that decision.

However, the majority of people felt that Seth’s response was refreshing and will help normalize people’s personal choices when it comes to parenting.

“Yes! As a childless couple, we appreciate these kinds of conversations! 🥰,” one person wrote.

“YES! Exactly how my husband and I feel. Normalize it. It’s wonderful. 🙌,” agreed someone else.

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