Back in July, we learned that Jimmy Fallon and his wife Nancy Juvonen Fallon had become first-time parents to a daughter they named Winnie Rose. The news did seem to come out of nowhere, but Nancy isn’t that well-known and I guess people were like, “Oh, okay. That happened.” Then last week, Jimmy revealed that a surrogate had given birth to Winnie and that the surrogacy had come after years of fertility issues. Now Jimmy has given a longer interview to the Today Show about the situation:
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Jimmy Fallon’s road to fatherhood wasn’t easy. In a interview with the TODAY show airing Tuesday, Aug. 13, The Late Night with Jimmy Fallon host reveals that he and wife Nancy Fallon struggled with fertility for five years before welcoming daughter Winnie via a surrogate on July 23.
“We’ve tried a bunch of things,” Fallon, 38, told Savannah Guthrie. “Anyone who’s tried will know, it’s just awful.”
The comedian and his wife, who wed in 2007, decided to keep their most recent attempt at getting pregnant a secret from their family and friends. “We tried before, we told people and then it didn’t happen,” Fallon explained. “And it’s just really depressing. It’s really hard on everybody.”
“We said, ‘We’re not going to tell anybody,'” he recalled. “It’d be just more fun if it’s just private between me and my wife. And then we get to introduce her to everybody.”
When their daughter, Winnie Rose, arrived on July 23, Fallon said their struggle was more than worth it.
“We tried for a long time, for five years. I know people have tried much longer, but if there’s anyone out there who is trying and they’re just losing hope . . . just hang in there,” he said. “Try every avenue; try anything you can do, ’cause you’ll get there. You’ll end up with a family, and it’s so worth it. It is the most ‘worth it’ thing. I’m just so happy right now. I’m freaking out.”
As for the inspiration behind his daughter’s name, the late night TV host addressed speculation that her moniker comes from Winnie-the-Pooh or The Wonder Year’s Winnie Cooper character. “It’s not Winnie-the-Pooh at all . . . though I do love Winnie-the-Pooh,” he said. “My wife and I got engaged in New Hampshire at this lake house that her family’s had forever, and it’s on Lake Winnipesaukee. And so we went there every summer as we were dating.”
“And yeah, Winnie from The Wonder Years is the coolest girl in any TV show ever,” he added of Danica McKellar’s unforgettable character. “And also, she’s a ‘win’ for us.”
Nancy is 46 years old right now, so she was 41 years old (and he was 33) when they first tried to conceive? Well, I think that works as a better fertility cautionary tale for younger women than anything else. I get the impression that some younger women think that it will still be easy for them to conceive in their late 30s and early 40s because they see so many Hollywood women doing it. But on average, it’s a lot harder and a lot less likely to happen once you get past a certain age, even with fertility treatments.
Anyway, I don’t really have anything but love for Jimmy and I think he seems like a loving husband and enthusiastic and proud new dad. It’s really sweet.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Jimmy’s Instagram.
Good for them. I think older parents have a lot to offer a child. They’re more likely to have their own issues sorted out, and if their priorities are right they’ll put spending time with their child ahead of making more money. Jay Leno, for example, travels constantly on weekends doing stand-up; here’s hoping that Jimmy will not.
Well, that depends on what “older” means. In this case the Mom would be like 60 during the teenage years of the girl? It’s kind of really old. Also, the younger the parent is the more energy he or she is able to dedicate to his children. I always feel kind of sad seeing young children wanting to play and run on the beach but unable to do so with their elderly parents .
Etsy you don’t know that. In some instances individuals who are older are more stable career wise an feel more secure in being identified as a mom first before a career woman. The kids get more focus, time and energy. My parents work tirelessly until I was in my 20’s it wasn’t so much about energy as it was time.
Both points are fair. It could go either way
My dad was 41 and my mom 35 when I was born. I’m 25 and they’re both in their 60s. While I don’t have siblings, I still had a great childhood. My parents definitely had experienced their youth and were ready to raise me. We had fun, I learned a lot and I felt loved- that’s the best kind of childhood to have and I feel like Jimmy and his wife will give that to precious Winnie.
Jay Leno doesn’t have any kids.
I know it’s not any of our business, but I wonder if she used a donor egg. Again, it is only relevant in that it brings home the point once again that conception after 40 (or even 35) is difficult using a woman’s own eggs. But then again, it’s none of our business so I won’t ask. Congratulations to them again!
As sure as I’m sitting here, they used a donor egg. The chance of a 46 year old successfully using her own eggs for invitro is just about zero.
Congratulations to them, but I do believe that there’s a common belief right now that a woman can extend her fertility into her forties. Not only is it increasingly difficult (and expensive) to try to conceive at that age, the risks for the baby increase, too.
You’re absolutely right, and it’s not just the children of older mothers that face increased risks. Children of older fathers are also more likely to be autistic or schizophrenic, according to the latest research.
Most women who had no difficulties conceiving in their 40s have probably given birth before. It’s hard if one is trying to conceive the first time.
This. The fertility rates for women who are trying to get pregnant with their first child in their 40s is lower than women who have been pregnant before. For most of those anecdotal stories, the woman in question had been pregnant before.
The moral is: if you are serious about wanting to give birth to a baby, you are taking a big risk waiting past the age of 35-36. I’m 34 and single, and I have done extensive reading on this topic. I’m not ready to be a single mother (just starting out in my second career after massive student loan debt), so I’ve had to make peace that by waiting, I might not be able to do it at all.
ctkat1: I’m 30 and have just started looking into freezing my eggs. I realize how hard and incredibly unfair it is for people of our generation who are stuck with massive student loans, many of whom cannot find jobs after graduation. My advice is don’t wait. If having a child is something you desire very much, start looking into options including freezing your eggs, finding a sperm donor, or just putting yourself out there until you meet the right guy. I feel awful for women who wait for a variety of reasons and are left to regret waiting until it is too late. I truly hope I don’t end up like those women.
As a twenty-something, let me assure you that NO ONE my age is under that impression. If anything, I think the din of shaming people for not heeding their fertility early in life has gotten louder. Exactly no one is telling me “don’t worry about it, ladies have babies in their 40s, it’s fine!” Everyone is telling me “don’t wait too long or your eggs will dry up!” As this article is evidence of.
So much misinformation going on! We really don’t know as much about fertility as we suppose. One of the big things skewing fertility data is fertile women tend to have babies younger and although they likey can have babies without problems until their forties, they’re more likely to take steps to stop having babies. Before birth control the idea that 40 was the age of infertility was way less prevalent:
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/07/how-long-can-you-wait-to-have-a-baby/309374/
I remember when I was 35 I was having a physical and my doctor asked me if I wanted children. I said “umm, yes, I think,” and she said I should give it thought because with each coming year it would get harder for me to conceive and it shocked the hell out of me. I hadn’t seriously thought about it until then. At first I was angry with her, but she was smart to bring it up. I tried IUI once when I was 40 and it didn’t work; I’m 44 now and even though I know it wasn’t meant to be because of various choices I made and where I was in my life, I will always carry the regret with me.
He’s such a sweetheart. Congrats to them.
WORD.
so handsome…congrats!!!!
I remember he always talked about wanting to be a father way before be got married to Nancy, and he probably didn’t think of the problems they would face since she was in her forties.
Jimmy Fallon always seems to be genuinely excited about life in general. He has a lot of joy, and an infectious smile. Love him.
Well said. I couldn’t agree more.
I love when celebs are honest about their infertility struggles, it is such a gutwrenching thing. Hopefully I’ll be joining their ranks soon. It’s day 2 of my first IVF cycle 🙂
Good luck!!
The greatest thing I did in my life was have kids. Even though they’re teenagers and ignore me 95% of the time, I love having them around.
Good luck to you!
Jackie! Be positive and carefree. Good luck! Take it easy, eat well and don’t stress. It’s hard when your ovaries are each the size of a grapefruit and you’re totally hormonal. In the end, it is worth all of it. The discomfort, the pain, the heartbreak of miscarriage. I have a daughter whom I love to the moon and back and it was worth it. May you have love, light, luck and happiness for your cycle. All the best! T
Good luck! Really hope it works for you.
Good luck, Jackie!!! I hope it goes well!!
Good luck – go with fresh eggs if you can. Frozen cycles never worked for us.
Jackie
Best of luck and hang in there. Take it one day at a time. I went through 3 IVF cycles and now have a beautiful 6 month old daughter. PS – acupuncture really helped me!
And we were successful with frozen not fresh!
Cheers Jackie! We just stimmed and go in for IVF 4 tomorrow. Did acupuncture and prenatal massages this round. Started eating mostly organic. Good luck to you!
Good luck! We tried fertility treatments a few years ago unsuccessfully and quit. Five years later, it happened out of the blue and now I’m reading CB while holding my beautiful 7 week old daughter. 🙂
Good for you and good luck! Don’t let the injections get you down. It’s hard but totally worth it.
Thanks to all you ladies for the sweet comments! 🙂
Good luck, ***baby dust***, and DON’T take a HPT before your blood test!! I had ALL of the symptoms of AF (including spotting!), took a HPT & got a negative, and was devastated. Went in for my blood test, and well, my daughter started 3rd grade today.
Good luck, sweetie! Did you have shots and a lot of ovarian swelling? Best wishes!
Another voice chiming in for hope.
what puzzles me is that one night stands with rich, married men always get pregnant in just one night but loving, stable couples try it for years and they have no luck 🙁
Yes good point! It’s not fair but what can you do…
Glad to hear they made it though. He seems really a sympathetic person. Congrats!
Now now, I’m sure there are plenty of anguished side-pieces out there who failed to concieve and trap their golden tickets. That thought actually makes me happy!
LOL!
congrats to them, cute little girl and love the name. But I’m going to be honest, I had no idea who she was before it was leaked that they had a baby, so she could have carried and I wouldn’t have known the difference.
Jimmy Fallon is awesome, but I have one question for him..”What about Bob?”
Wonder if they ever met Dr. Leo Marvin? 🙂
My heart breaks for them. I can’t imagine struggling for five years. Having your menstrual cycle turned into a cycle of hoping, praying, waiting, and disappointment. And if they suffered miscarriages during that time it’s even more heart breaking. Five years of that. Im so glad they now have their beautiful daughter!
I’m glad it worked out for them, their daughter is adorable. I never really watch his show, just clips now and then, but he seems like a really nice and enthusiastic guy. He’ll probably be an awesome dad.
Isn’t his wife Drew Barrymore’s producing partner?
Love him & so happy for both! He is such a kind, nice man and I wish them both lots of love and happiness with their little bundle Winnie.
Im kinda going thru the same thing myself. I always thought when one day I wanted kids, i will be able to have them naturally. Unfortunately my hubby turned out to be subfertile, (no clue about myself, hopefully all ok) so its a struggle for us, with little chance of unassisted pregnancy.
Well, I cannot imagine what 5 years of that might be like. Im very happy they got their wish and I know he tells his story to give hope to ppl like us but I still am very anxious about my situation. Does that make me weak, I honestly dont know..
You’re not weak at all, it’s a huge thing to deal with and not something people can really understand unless they’ve lived it.
Nur
Also going through this. Both husband and myself in great shape, but unable to conceive naturally. It’s so frustrating that many woman think it’s as easy as doing it on your ovulation cycle. I’ll look into ivf when i hit 30 and still nothing. That will mean 4 years of trying. Best of luck to all celebitches trying for a baby.
Florc, I couldn’t tell from your post if you knew this or not, but there are several interventions that can be done before resorting to IVF. It is currently recommended that someone in your age group (<35) seek medical attention after one year of inability to get pregnant while trying.
Love the name, love the thoughtfulness that went into that name. My fave celebrity baby name.
One of my students began trying for a baby when she was 28 and her husband was 26!!’ Now, three years later and just two weeks ago their baby boy was born. She found a fantastic doctor in Mexico City and they conceived via IVF. What shocks me is that: Neither of them and at that such young age, could conceive naturally! What I am trying to tell you is that this happens to everyone! Younger couples are not excluded anymore. But there is hope!
Yep 33 here and have been trying to conceive an bring a baby to term for over 6 years now. The bitch of it is that there is no medical reason than a low egg count or AMH. If women want to wait past 30 they should really have their AMH checked or think about freezing.
I’m 28 and it’s been hinted at by my doctors for years that if I want children, it’ll either A. be very difficult or B. be with the help of doctors. I’ve tried to get them to be honest and say, “Yes you will have fertility issues” but because I’m not actively trying to get pregnant, they feel like it’s not a talking point.
Get your AMH and smh checked. It’s a simple blood test I asked my obgyn for at my annual and its always the infertility along with your genetic testing and any abnormalities regarding your medical condition.
Same for my situation: I was told at age 15 that I had endometritis, where the uterine lining eventually becomes unable to support a placenta for the fetus. I married at 25 and we had to begin with fertility specialists right away: he had a low sperm count with slow swimmers. Fertility treatments hurt a lot. We adopted.
I’m 39 and it is awlful for my hubby and I. I’m really really happy for Fallon!
“I get the impression that some younger women think that it will still be easy for them to conceive in their late 30s and early 40s because they see so many Hollywood women doing it.” COMPLETELY! There is a lot of misconception out there about it being no biggie to wait until you’re 38 to start trying for kids. I see a few of my friends falling into this trap. They are 35ish, young professionals, who have been in schooling of some kind for most of their lives and now that they are established and no longer struggling financially, they want to ‘live’ before they have kids. I get that, but it may bite them in the bum when they feel like they have it out of their system and are ready for a family.
This. I have a lot of friends in the late 30-ish boat too and they don’t seem to understand how fast fertility rates fall after 35. I was 40 when I conceived via IVF after a year of trying using less invasive treatments. It was horrible. I wish egg freezing had been more widely available when I was younger. It would have been worth the $10,000 or $15,000 debt just to make sure I had better eggs when I got older. The feeling of panic you get when you’re in fertility treatments is just horrible.
I figured when he announced they had a baby out of the blue it must have been a surrogate, because he never mentioned her being pregnant once on his show. I watch his show all the time. I love it. Great human being and I love how he fell in love with a really smart woman (who happened to be older) not that he had to, just that he did and they have a strong marriage.
I really commend him for speaking out about this. I’m so over this being some big shameful secret to people. There is no shame in trying to have a family. Failure or not. Shame does not even get to enter the conversation. I completely understand people’s right to privacy. But it should never be because you’re ashamed to have had fertility treatments.
“I get the impression that some younger women think that it will still be easy for them to conceive in their late 30s and early 40s because they see so many Hollywood women doing it.”
YES! In my case it’s not me but my boyfriend who believes this. I’m 30 and I want to start having kids in the next few years, but my boyfriend is 25 and isn’t quite ready. Whenever the topic comes up, he always says I shouldn’t worry because I have a “good 10 years” left to try. So frustrating because he thinks he knows best (on every topic… lol). He’s even used his aunt, who had her first child at 40, as an example, but she had fertility problems and ended up using someone elses eggs!
Having kids before your partner is truly ready doesn’t do anyone any favors. Both parties have to be on board 100%, or at least that’s the ideal…
Having kids before your partner is truly ready doesn’t do anyone any favors. Both parties have to be on board 100%, or at least that’s the ideal…
Fertility issues are heartbreaking. That being said, what did they expect going into this when she was 41? I agree that this should serve as just another cautionary tale for women – if you wait until your 40s before trying to conceive you may never have a baby without expensive interventions.
My sister in law just turned 40 this year, and she and my brother are waiting another year to try and have their first baby. I really don’t know what they are thinking, they should be trying now, especially seeing as she only has one ovary left.
I am a Licensed Acupuncturist living in Houston Texas. I am nationally certified, and have a Masters Degree in Oriental Medicine that I earned after studying Acupuncture & Chinese herbs for 4 long years. Acupuncture & Chinese herbs work wonderfully well when struggling with fertility issues, regardless of the infertility reason. WIth IVF as expensive as it it, with all of the environmental and chemical toxins, crappy diets and stress levels off the charts, along with BOTH women & men’s particular issues that impair optimal fertility, any people NOT adding OM & Herbs to the fertility process are doing themselves a HUGE disservice. That should be one of the FIRST things to increase fertility that any person trying to conceive should incorporate. Not just one visit but a series of visits leading up to, during, and after the conception itslef. A womans body has to be prepared to conceive, implant, and retain a fetus. There will be AT LEAST one person who writes in reply that acupuncture doesn’t work because they read it is fake somewhere on the internet or “heard” that it doesn’t work or don’t feel that it worked for them, for whatever reason. That is why I listed my credentials~I KNOW that it does in fact help, in most cases. Not in all, there is NEVER any one route that can guarantee that~If you are trying to conceive, check it out.
Infertility can be utterly heartbreaking & I am glad that more celebs are opening up about it. I just hope that people remember that when they blast people like Elizabeth Banks for using surrogates because they “didn’t want to ruin their bodies”
I am a Fallon fan. But it seems that there is always some form of shamming. Someone who is waiting until they are established and stable, which happens later in life, decide they are ready to start a family but almost get crap for it when it does not happen right away. The first thing is always, you should have done it when you were in your 20’s. Shamming. So you should have children at that age when you are not ready and those little ones get the brunt of it while you are growing up.
Do you mean “shaming” as in making someone feel “shame?”
I’m so happy for them! What a blessing! As an IVF nurse, I know how much patients can suffer before they finally have a baby. This is probably a donor egg/ surrogate cycle.
Current research shows that frozen embryo transfer is more successful when coming off a stimulation- but fresh is good when using donor ovum or using a surrogate. But of course, quality of the eggs is the most important factor!
Curious, and this may sound naive, is there an age limit of the eggs you use? If the mother is 44+ do you use her eggs?
@ Isabelle. Hopefully the IVF nurse will be able to chime in as well. From what I understand (and every woman is different):
Egg production drops off SERIOUSLY as you enter your late thirties to early forties. Your body is shutting down that process as you become peri-menopausal. It produces far fewer eggs AND they are lower-quality than before. Your body also becomes far less sensitive to the drugs needed to stimulate the process, so even big doses may not help you produce more eggs.
– IF your body can produce any eggs (big IF)
– IF any of those eggs are mature (another big IF)
– IF any of those fertilize successfully (30 percent chance of fertilization per egg)
– THEN roughly 15 percent of the resulting embryos have a chance of being chromosomally normal at your age.
Then you start the process of trying to get those to successfully implant during a cycle and surviving for 9 months.
If you want to try at 44, try now. Go in for an assessment immediately and see what they find. Then at least you’ll know what your individual situation is, rather than wondering at the possibilities until it really is too late.
For those of you considering it: If you want a chance at biological children, freeze your eggs for your 30th or 35th birthday present to yourself.
i took a pregnancy test today, 11 days after my period was due; it came out negative. i dont know if i’ve waited long enough to trust the negative result.
Is Jimmy flipping us the bird in the first pic?
Isn’t Maya Rudolph’s baby due any time now???
Here is an interesting article about how womens fertility lasts much longer than is commonly thought.
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/07/how-long-can-you-wait-to-have-a-baby/309374/?single_page=truekj
While it’s a shame that Jimmy Fallon and his wife had to deal with fertility issues for many years I can’t feel too sorry for them because they have something that the vast majority of people with or without fertility problems does not have-tons of money. When you have money like they do, you can have a baby at any age. It may be via IVF, it may be through donor eggs and surrogates or it be may via adoption but whatever the case you will be able to have a baby. Infertile people who do not have their vast financial resources are in a completely different situation. Those are the people that I have sympathy for-sorry.
“Well, I think that works as a better fertility cautionary tale for younger women than anything else.”
Yeah, because I want my gossip with a side of judgment. Thanks for that.
His wife could be Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ sister. No? Just me? Okay.
So happy for them. I disliked SNL Fallon but I love talk show Fallon.
I appreciate your paragraph about the Fallons being a cautionary tale for younger women (luckily with a very happy ending for themselves). I struggled with infertility at the age of 29 because I have Diminished Ovarian Reserve and it irked me so badly whenever I heard people make reference to IVF as a magical fertility solution for older people. It is an amazing scientific advancement but it’s not a guarantee for people of any age, and the rates of success lower significantly with age. People are very misinformed about fertility/infertility and unfortunately the people who know about it are those who are directly impacted by it.