Charlize Theron is interviewed on today’s Ellen DeGeneres Show. Usually, I just kind of ignore Ellen’s interviews – I mean, I like Ellen and everything, but I’m not crazy about doing a lot of coverage from television interviews. But this one moved me. Charlize has been doing press for Prometheus and Snow White and the Huntsman for weeks now, but somehow she’s managed to avoid really talking about her son Jackson, and the adoption process she went through and all of that. But she gives it up to Ellen, including some personal photos of her dogs and her son.
Charlize describes bringing a newborn son into a household that includes two dogs, saying: “It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever witnessed. From the moment this baby came into our home. Those two dogs have never been more in love. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever witnessed… People keep saying, oh you’re a single mom and I’m like actually I’m not. I got two boys (her dogs) helping me out. It’s incredible.” She says her terrier mutt Berkley is “the pacifier thief… He’ll just lay there with the pacifier in his mouth.” And Charlize says her Pit Bull “woke up with me for every feed, for every change, and whenever the baby would cry the Pitt would start crying.”
Charlize also confirms that she adopted Jackson from America, not Africa, and that she brought him home when he was nine days old. She describes her two-year adoption process: “You know, it took me a while. The process, it took around two years. My Mom said the most beautiful thing. I’m going to cry. She said,…it took me nine months to fall in love with you were growing in my stomach. She’s like it took you two years to fall in love with this little baby. It really took two years of just waiting and then one day it’s finally there. It just feels exactly how it’s supposed to feel. I don’t know how to describe it. It just feels right.”
Here’s the video – you should watch it just for the photos of Charlize’s dogs with the baby.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet, Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.
I just love her, you can tell Jackson HATES the cameras.
He makes faces like an old man. I like him.
And I really like that she adopted from America. I hear it’s more difficult than adopting abroad.
I once tried to adopt a broad, but was shot down.
Awwww.
It was so beautifully said, I wish most mothers would be that yearning and ready for their child. But then again, it takes emotional maturity to truly feel honored in raising a child.
She was on Leno yesterday, and talked how lucky she was to be surrounded by very good friends who had kept her secret for months on end, before she was ready to take her child publicly.
She also gave a very eloquent and well-educated speech about educating children on AIDS in Africa. Hope CB includes a link of that interview as well. It was very touching.
Condescending much?
What is condescending much to you pinkelephants?
Is there anything making you feel culpable enough to disparage a comment simply stated, with no intentional attack whatsoever?
I read it as literal and not condescending all…
@Jess, thank you! For a moment there, I questioned my grasp of the English language 😉
Have a good day!
You have a good day too, and don’t worry; she’s seeing pink elephants, I’m not sure what her other symptoms are but I’d get it checked out.
😀
iseepinkelefants says: Condescending much?
Okay what am I missing here?? There’s nothing condescending WHATSOEVER about Maguita’s comment…
Thanks Skuddles!
Anytime Maguita 😉
I didn’t think you sounded condescending. I can totally envision Charlize being very eloquent in speeches, especially about important topics.
Thank you! And she did, to a very surprising degree.
She wasn’t just babbling information she learned by heart, she had lived in South Africa a good portion of her life, and has done much to help and educate.
http://www.vdare.com/articles/will-the-us-go-into-the-cannibals-pot
aww, the pit crying when the baby crys made me tear up, that’s so sweet and so like a dog. Jackson is such an adorable baby.
Yeah, so sweet. Because Pittbulls have never mauled babies to death…
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=pitbull+mauls+baby&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
People have so many misconceptions about the pitbull breed. They are actually great family dogs. I have two kids under the age of four…my pitt is infatuated with them. She absolutely loves them, and it’s the same in our house… When the kids are upset, te dog becomes visibly upset. This one article you posted is not representative of the breed as a whole. They are wonderful dogs!
I did not post one article, i posted a google search that draws up NUMEROUS horrific attacks and murders by “family dogs” who never showed any sign of aggressiveness before viciously tearing apart small children and babies. No big deal though, it’s got to be a misconception. Let me see if I can find an article about a Chihuahua murdering anyone…
Nope, that’s not a “thing” apparently…
What about the couple in New Jersey? Their beloved 5 year old pit bull killed their year old son right in front of them. Yet this was the “nicest, sweetest, dog.” They can never be trusted. People who think it’s always bad owners are delusional.
Wow, the pitbull hate is strong. During WWII times, pitbulls were known as family dogs. It is this very devotion to humans that allows them to tolerate being fought to death – they endure to please their owner. The most decorated military dog is a pitbull.
I suggest googling the poor baby whose leg was torn off while he was in his swing. I believe it was a lab mix and yet you will never hear a call to ban labs.
You can also google the pitbull who sat vigil for 14 hours after his mate was killed by a car. He would not leave her side.
For every 1 pitbull that bites, there are 10.5 million who don’t. Learn the facts Jess before you damn a whole breed. I wonder if you have ever even interacted with a real pitbull.
I once took a pitbull quiz that showed 15 different breeds that look like pits. It took many tries to find the correct answer. Vicious dog attacks tend to be called pitbulls when the dog is a generic medium/large size.
Not only have I owned a pedigree (good bloodlines, not backyard puppy mill) american pittbull terrier, but I have been around countless pitts owned by family and friends. I would not trust 1 of them around a baby or little kid, and that goes for any large breed dog. I do not hate pittbulls, but they should be owned by responsible people without young children. They ARE inherently dangerous. When they bite, it’s not just a bite and the propensity is to KILL!
I stopped smiling when I read she had a pitt. The amount of times i’ve read or heard about babies all of sudden being mauled by their family’s pet pitt is ridiculous. Hate to think so negatively but I really hope she watches those dogs around him. He’s such a cute kid.
agreed. can’t imagine taking that chance with my newborn, or any child.
I did the same thing. A pit, and a “terrier mix”. I will reiterate what I always say – any terrier can get snappy or bratty. I wouldn’t take the chance with a pit, even though I know some super-sweet pits. (Of course I just wouldn’t leave any infant alone around a dog, even though I trust my dog implicitly. I just wouldn’t.)
Oh I so agree and I have had dogs all my life. You can’t trust ANY dog around kids. You have to be constantly vigilant as kids are so unpredictable. And if a pit bull bites, that’s it, game over.
Yeah, the pit bull gave me pause too… I’ve been freaked out by them ever since I saw my friend get attacked by one for no reason at all (dog was put down).
Exactly. I love animals but pitbulls and young children together just makes me uneasy. I’ve had two terrifying experiences with the breed, once involving my five year old brother, enough for me.
There are no bad dogs, just bad owners.
Exacly.
Yeah, but she should have say something like she’s careful with the baby and dogs – I’d try to never leave baby and a dog alone in the same room, no matter what breed or which character the dog has – it could just be that the dog wants to carry the baby around or make it safe and grabs his neck. I grew up with dogs and I would just be very careful.
Yep. And guess what is the number one breed for biting children? It isn’t pitbulls. It’s cocker spaniels.
bluhare is exactly right: Cocker Spaniels, Chows, Labs, and Golden Retrievers have all been proven to be more prone to biting than Pit Bull-type breeds. However, Pit Bulls (along with Rottweilers) are responsible for more homicides — their jaws are simply far more powerful than most breeds, making their bite more devastating. Doubly unfortunately, Pit Bulls and Rottweilers are often trained by their idiot owners to use their powerful jaws to attack and bite, since that’s what they were bred for. They’re not “inherently vicious” (as MD recently ruled), and there’s no doubt in my mind that for 99% of the cases, the owners are to blame.
Before I read this comment, i watched the vidoe, and then followed it with Theron’s PSA for PETA. Although I am no fan of PETA’s stunts, I cried and hugged my own dog while watching the vidoes of the poor inmates of puppy mills.
I don’t know why you went to the trouble of making your comment and providing your link Jess. You could just have easily found examples of abberational behaviour of fathers or mothers killing their child, and I don’t think that anyone would say that people shouldn’t have children because parents kill children. What point exactly were you trying to make?
I made my point clearly and articulately. Brush up on your reading comprehension…
And you sound like a bad owner, dogs do not like being hugged, you’re liable to get your face bitten. Not your dog’s fault if that happens though.
http://doggonesafe.blogspot.com/2010/12/dogs-dont-like-hugs-and-kisses.html
jesse: there’s nothing wrong with my reading comprehension, and there’s no need in being mean. I didn’t understand your point, and I still don’t. Are you saying that Theron is an irresponsible parent by having a pitbull and a baby in the same household? Are you saying that pitbulls are the only dangerous dog? Are you saying that all pitbulls are killers? Are you saying that dogs are more dangerous to children than other humans?
The point that I would make is that parents of babies should be careful of animals, other children, poisons, hot stoves, sharp knives, automobiles, backyard swimming pools … the list is endless, isn’t it?
As a parent, you have to be careful with any animals around your kids. That is very true. The key is to teach your kids and animals to Love and respect each other, as well as each other’s space. My sister has a black lab (supposedly one of the dogs with the best temperament, right?)… She nipped at her daughter a few years ago, even broke the skin! It’s all how you raise your kids, and animals. If I had any concerns that my dog would attack my kids, she wouldn’t be here… Period.
I have had dogs my entire life. The only dog that ever bit me was my toy poodle – she got me right in the face. Now it’s not a fair comparison of course.
Some things with dogs are common sense.
I would never let a child in her face when she was eating. Also, many dogs look at children as peers instead of pack leaders. Any dominating behaviours towards kids must be strongly corrected. For example: humping, sitting with a paw on a human’s lap. If you cannot stare down your dog when you are in it’s face, he does not accept your dominance. I had a 100 pound friend who could stare down her 150 pound rottie.
And to all parents – please teach children to ask before petting a stranger’s dog. Even the most timid, fearful dog will bite if provoked by an unsuspecting child.
I think a lot of the stories, the parents are responsible, not all but a lot. Pitbull or not, you don’t leave infants and toddlers unsupervised around dogs. They are too little to understand the signs that a dog is being agitated, especially in a party or crowded situation that might be more stressful. Plus, the breed itself has been hurt by people training it to fight and kill. Not everyone can own a pitbull just like some people shouldn’t own horses and other large animals (not because lack of space but because they lack the knowledge to handle them).
Aww…that’s sweet. Love that the dogs have fallen in love with little Jackson too!
Not moved by her having a pitbull around a baby or a dog having a babies paci in its mouth (EWww!!!) but I have had BAD experiences with animals and trust that she has the support and knowledge for proper training and raising of dogs and children.
ANYWAY, didn’t she split with her man about 2 years ago? I wonder if parenting either figured into the split or the split pushed her to move ahead as a single parent. Seriously, IMO, this kid is now THE cutest black, celebrity baby boy!
You have to be careful with babies around any house pet. My son and daughter in law have a cat. She’s an absolute sweetheart but she is spoiled rotten. When they brought my newborn grandson home from the hospital the cat was like “Who the hell is this?!” She sulked and went into a snit. She had a bad case of sibling rivalry. He completely put her nose out of joint. After a while she got used to him.
Kasey — you had to qualify Jackson as being the cutest BLACK adopted baby? I guess Jackson better get used to this since wealth will not protect him from racism.
Have you ever called Zahara Jolie-Pitt the cutest black celebrity child? I think she’s the cutest celebrity child -regardless of race and regardless of the fact that she was adopted.
No I’m not calling you a racist Kasey. I think your wording was unfortunate.
Forgive me for being so touchy. I am irritable because of the posters here using this sweet story as a means to vilify pitbulls.
Omigosh, how could I have gone this long without seeing her baby? He’s sooooooo cuuuuute!! I love the little baby ‘fro. They don’t look anything alike, but I just caught a memory. I have a cousin who had a huge baby afro when he was a toddler. He’s in his mid-twenties now, but I still call him by the nickname I bestowed upon him (and got my whole family calling him) in 1990: Bushie.
It was a pretty huge afro.
I’m glad she cleared up that it took her two years to adopt him. There is this misconception that adoption (for celebrities and non celebrities alike) is a matter of throwing some money at it and having someone hand you a baby and that’s really not the case. Kudos to her, Jillian Michaels and Sandra Bullock for telling the truth – it takes a really ridiculously long time to bring home a child via adoption.
Jackson is adorable! I just want to nibble his little cheeks.
We don’t know what her household is like, so folks who have their panties in a wad should calm down. Hopefully, she’s VERY careful when she has the baby around the dogs and I’m sure she’s smart enough not to leave Jackson alone with the dogs.
Why would she bother? They are all 3 her “boys” apparently in the same category. The dog is IN THE BED with the baby, face to face inches away. Sorry, but that is not smart. Pets may be honorary family members but they are not the kid’s brother or sister, they are PETS. The pit gets up in the night with her to feed the baby and displays anxiety when the baby cries. He shouldn’t have roam of the house, he should be safely kenneled at night and supervised at all times around the baby. She’s to laissez-faire about it…
I don’t like vilifying any breed of dog or dogs in general, but I have to agree that one must be vigilant with any dog-child interaction. It doesn’t matter what breed it is.
We have a dog that has been going through behavior mod for aggression, and the behaviorist pointed out to us that “even the worst dog is good 90% of the time.” It’s the 10% time for the worst dog that can be devastating, or by comparison, the 0.00001% for the best dog.
Dogs are animals and thus unpredictable to humans. It is so dumb to pretend they are just like us, if that were true, why would anyone have a pet dog? They are amazing for their uniquely dog-being. I appreciate that Charlize loves her dogs, but she does need to be more careful if she wants to keep all of her ‘boys’ safe.
Since there is a stigma on Pitbulls, I would hope that he would be watched more carefully, however, not at the expense of thinking the other dog can do no wrong because he is not a Pitbull. Terriers can be very high strung and jealous (may be why hers steals the pacifiers) and any dog can hurt a child. In short, people should be careful of their children around any dog, and yes, even chihauhau’s (they may not be able to kill a person but they can certainly scar a face).
Whoa! What happened to all the comments?
Yeah, most dogs do the same when they hear the Law and order music. It’s more about the high-pitched sound than about empathy, but cute story, Charlize. And I like how she basically says at the end that it’s bad to use her son to promote her movie, when she just showed intimate pictures of him on television. Please.
awwwwwww so adorable!
When I think about dogs ‘helping out’ to raise celebs’ kids, I can’t get that image of the Yorkie who breastfed orphan kittens out of my head. Some might be better off.
Animals do not THINK like humans!!! They have similar EMOTIONS which make them so easily relatable. I love my cats and dogs, but giving them access to my baby’s face would warrant a kick in the ass. Ignorant!!!
I cried just reading about what her mom told her. I have always wanted to adopt as well. So wonderful that she has done this. Hope for all the best with her son.
PROMETHEUS!! Everybody go and watch!
“the baby, this baby ….” why isn’t she calling the boy by his name? It’s not like she has to keep it a secret, we already know his name. It sounds weird when she does it several times. But well, maybe it’s just me.
BTW Jackson is really cute.
I’m sorry but what is it will these woman in Hollywood they all want to adopt their own little black baby toys (boys) and even try to bribe people into selling them one like a certain gossip site reported last week .where a numbered but well know tried to buy a baby from a house keeper…and its true…I’m glad someone has adopted the baby don’t get me wrong but he and this includes most of them will be raised mostly by nannies..not mommies….
As for her boys loving the babys ..I’ve heard that before also…by the little girl down in Charlotte who left the pitbull in the house while her newborn asleep only to come in and find only its left leg and its bloody blankets the Pit love it alright and mauled and ate it…Now she will have to live with that the rest of her life because pitbull aren’t bad dogs they just have bad owners…
wow just wow. I am a life long dog owner. And I am just in shock. Never let a dog so close to a newborn. It takes much time to trust a dog and baby. My son was bitten by his cousins dog without warning. When he was a 3 year old. He wasn’t even near it or touching it was a toy breed. I took the parents actions as a sign my son could be in the same room with said dog. Never again did I do that.
I could let my children around one of my dogs but not the other. I would never just assume I could from birth. And she adopted the pitt as an adult. Not a good thing. Lets the dog take it pacifier out of the baby’s mouth? are you freaking kidding me? She is not being a responsible parent.We all love our pets. But they are not humans . Looks like PETA is clouding her judgment.
Truly, I’d anticipate a toy breed being MORE likely to bite than a big dog, including a lot of pits. Either way, I wouldn’t take the chance, obviously.
If there is one recommendation is to avoid pets when you are having a newborn.
Dangerous on 2 counts: they can attack and see the infant as a threat (whether competing for attention or other) and allergies.
Other than that, a dog requires more time, and taking care of a baby takes more than enough, though Charlize probably has help and people who can help her, and also, probably was alone and her dogs were a stable part of her life…
SO, IDK.
Perhaps having a dog once the kids grow?
All the recent coverage of animal-friendly celebs has endeared me to this site even more.
Learning that someone prefers (or even appreciates) the company of animals — be they a famous stranger or my own best friend — always seems to triple my capacity for tolerating their human shortcomings.
Ok firstly, sounds like Charlize is enjoying being a new mom, yay congrats! Secondly a dog shouldn’t be left unsupervised with a small child at any time, but nowhere does she say she does that. Thirdly, to all the commenters that swooned until it came out she had a *gasp pitbull! Bigots! The lot of you!
I really like her and her story is touching. One thing; she is not a single mom, at least not in the sense that she’s going to raise her baby alone. From those pics, it’s clear she has at least one nanny. She has lots of money that will make it much easier for her and I doubt she’s the one staying up all night long with him and then shopping in the morning before she heads for work for groceries and diapers. Sorry if I sound snarky but I get tired of hearing about how celebrities are just like us. They’re not.
zomg. My take? ALL children are beautiful, childhood is not a beauty contest. Universally, across-the-board, they are all beautiful.
Pits can be awesome, I’ve known some who were wonderful with my children. That being said, I wouldn’t leave a small child ALONE with any animal capable of causing injury – duh. I doubt Charlize lets her dogs actually babysit her son.
Logic, people. Using it is not hard. Sorry, I think I’m PMS-ing and I have a wicked cold.