Gwyneth Paltrow covers the latest issue of ES Magazine, which is the Evening Standard’s in-house magazine. Gwyneth has been on a promotional tear lately, which I’ve only recently realized is about her latest cookbook. I thought she was just giving interviews to shill for Goop and whatever Goop-adjacent pseudoscience she’s got going on. This ES Magazine interview is just a smug greatest-hits of all of Gwyneth’s enlightened family life stuff. She and Chris Martin are closer than ever, like it’s such big news that two rich white people in an open marriage could find a way to get a divorce without much drama, but only when Gwyneth had her jumpoff lined up (YES I SAID IT). Some highlights from the interview:
Her divorce with Chris Martin: “I think we’ve managed to really stay a family. Chris is a very close friend. I see him every day, I talk to him every day. It doesn’t have to be the end of your relationship with somebody. I think Chris and I were meant to be together and have our kids. But our relationship is much better like this: friends and co-parents and family.”
Skipping the bad part: “[The divorce] was very difficult, but I think you see in the children that they got through it, so I am proud of us, I really am. We kept to our commitment that we would put the children first.” She recalled her friends telling her “it was really hard because for the first two years my parents didn’t speak”, “it was awful for a while” and “my parents hated each other.” “I thought, ‘I would really love to skip that part.’ Those kids felt they were constantly betraying one parent by being with the other.”
On possibly having children with Brad Falchuk: “Good lord, no. I’m too old. It’s great that women are able to have babies late into their 40s, but … I mean, pfffff. I don’t think I could be up all night. I wouldn’t survive.”
Apple’s ‘naughty side’: “I’m looking at [Apple] through the lens of, “This is what she is supposed to be doing”. If you look at it like that, then you don’t freak out. You don’t judge them. You don’t shame them. You try to keep them on track and have good conversations. So far, so good.”
[From Us Weekly & The Daily Mail]
“I think Chris and I were meant to be together and have our kids. But our relationship is much better like this: friends and co-parents and family.” Credit where credit is due, it’s good for Apple and Moses that Chris and Gwyneth found a way through and are closer than ever, and that she has no regrets about being married to him and having their kids. I find it more interesting that Gwyneth continues to shut down the possibility of having a kid with Brad. Granted, he’s already got kids from the marriage Gwyneth homewrecked. So maybe he doesn’t want any kids either. But it is unusual in this day and age.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, ES Magazine.
RE: children, it’s probably the only topic about which Gwyneth is actually sensible.
No shade here.
She has her moments of where she is likable. I think if she wasn’t so wrapped up in her perfect woman wrap she would actually be a “cool” witty snarky person.
I totally agree. There are many things one could shade her for, but choosing not to have more kids is actually a responsible and loving choice. There are enough kids. And she’s right that you don’t get any sleep when they are little!
These quotes…..did not annoy me.
Is this my feel good residual from Indictment Friday or am I softening in my old age.
This may be the one time I admit this: I think Gwyneth is right. I’m 46, too – for me, it’s way too f—ing old to have and raise a child. Even with nannies, chefs, jade egg thingies up the hoo-hah. Way. Too. Old.
In that second pic her face looks oddly tight and round. I’m not 100% sure I would have recognized her (except for the hair).
Thats all I could focus on! Her face has been fillllllllllllled.
The eye shape has changed from those cheeks being plumped up.
Is she graying naturally? The main pic looks like she’s getting some chrome in the dome.
I think so and it looks great. I recently saw an old Columbo episode with her mum and she had grey/white hair at a young age.
I agree – I’m getting my silver unicorn hairs coming into the blonde. I’m sure she’ll find some way to be pretentious about it, but for now, I’ll just enjoy the silent acceptance of grey.
I follow Commentsbycelebs on Instagram which is an account that posts various comments by celebrities on other Instagram posts. It’s pretty funny and has gained some traction lately. All of the sudden, Goop is making some really “funny and clever” comments on posts. Ones that make her seem like a cool mom not a regular mom. It all feels so fake to me! I get Mad every time I see it, it’s like she’s trying to reinvent herself as Goop: just like us v.2.0
No shade to you at all, but I would examine why that bothers you. May be a case of it says more about you than G.P. I think she’s probably a clever person.
Hmm. Clever is not a word I personally would use for Goop.
She made a comment on one of the popular meme accounts recently. Something like “so meta” to a funny post. Problem is it wasn’t meta and responses of “that doesn’t mean what you think it does” were hilarious. So yes, she’s in try hard cool mom mode now. And wtf is this dress she’s wearing on the magazine cover?!
I’m sure some people will get mad at her about it, but really…I’d feel the same. Who wants to put their body through that nearing fifty? I can understand if you desperately want your own child and have struggled with fertility, but like…pass. I’ll just adopt if I get the craving for insomnia at that age.
I’ll give her and Martin credit for the divorce handling, though. My parents did NOT put their children first in the bitterness of their divorce, and I can assure you all that the ugliness you witness sticks with you.
Verónica, as someone who spent years navigating the adoption process, i can tell you that at 45 no one ‘just adopts’ a healthy infant if they decide they want to. It just doesn’t work that way in 2019. In 1958, more so ~ not now. And believe me, no one ever ‘just adopts.’ If people think fertility treatments are difficult, you ain’t seen nothing yet….
I actually really like all these answers? Like, she sounds sensible and mindful and thoughtful. There is a ton to criticise about Goop, but I don’t think her family is one of those areas. And I applaud her for being emphatic about not wanting any more kids- even for someone like her, that’s not always the easiest thing to be open about, with the way our society looks at women. Good on ya, GP.
I don’t think she’s open to having two baby daddies personally and her age is a plausible excuse. I’m not a GP hater she’s just pretentious as f-k and her picture perfect life is her priority.
Yeah, I think pretentious AF is a perfect description of her.
Dangerously clueless crossed my mind, but pretentious AF works well:)
It wouldn’t be two ‘baby daddies’, it would be an ex-husband and a husband. That wouldn’t make her life less picture perfect.
I don’t have kids and now too old to have kids. would panic of I became pregnant at this point. Saying this may get me flamed but think there is a lot of selfish when a woman decides to become pregnant in early 50s, late 40s. Completely thinking of themselves and their fulfillment. Treating another life like a bucket goal on their list.
You’re not alone in your thinking Isabelle. I can see how much energy it takes for my family members in their 40s to deal with teenage kids, basically you’re running a hotel with 24 concierge/chauffeur service. For the kids too, they could be dealing with an ageing parent with poor health in their teens/early 20s.
How old should you be with teenage kids, then? I had mine at 30 and 35. Not everyone (I would say, not the vast majority of people) are ready for kids in their early 20s. My husband and I finished school (he also got a graduate degree) and established lives before we met and married, and had our first two years later. We are able to provide financially and emotionally for our kids in ways we wouldn’t have been able to a decade earlier. The idea of another baby at my age (I’m 41) strikes fear in my heart, but I think I’m right on track with an elementary-aged kid and a middle-schooler at this point in my life.
Yes I think you’re in the safe zone!!
I became pregnant 2 months after getting engaged while in my mid forties. I was taking
birth control and totally shocked. There are a lot of emotions during and after a pregnancy at that age, mild embarrassment, bone weariness, rethinking your whole life and trying to adjust to a completely different horizon. The thing it isn’t? Selfish….
Thankfully in retrospect it’s the best thing that ever happened to me…
Annie, you’re right raising a child with love and care is never selfish. The problem is the people who plan to have a late child almost as an after thought. They plan, go through IVF at 45-50+ and are then surprised by how hard it is. Often they’re high achievers and not aware of how much of yourself you have to give to your children, which is basically everything. Your situation is different, your child decided on you, and you gave your body for 9 months and I’m sure you’ve given every bit of yourself since.
Again, I had my second child two weeks after I turned 47. She’s the toddler in my pic here. She has been a wonderful blessing for us every day of our lives.
I’m glad you spoke up. The “selfish” statement was absolutely ridiculous.
Isabelle:
Unless you are paying for them, it is really their choice. I would rather see a child actually wanted, no matter the age of the mother, than not wanted and become an emotional and mental mess due to not feeling wanted. There is no guarantee in life anyway.
What in the name of bridal circus tent is she wearing on that cover??
hahaha, it looks like the other, untold side of “Girl, interrupted”. 😉
Why does being white make going through a divorce easier? Being rich sure, and I guess being in an open marriage, but since when do white people get drama-free divorces?
I was also wondering this…
Can we please abandon the term “homewrecker”!? It’s used almost exclusively on women and implies that a woman is the one responsible for the actions and choices of the man who choosing to cheat on his wife. It’s misogynistic and gross.
This.
I was going to ask why it wasn’t noted that Brad homewrecked her marriage, it you took the words out of my mouth. He also left his marriage with his jumpoff lined up. Why is she the villain?
Yes. It’s an awful term.
And also: the possibility that neither of them may want additional kids “… is unusual in this day and age?” What? How so? That line makes no sense.
I was thinking the same.
Amen.
My favorite part of that cover is where it says Goop is going to tell us how NOT to be an a**hole. Excuse me, but…BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! 😀
Hope it was a sarcastic dig from someone at the magazine. She is the biggest asshole.
Yeah, of all the people I DON’T want that advice from…
She usually annoys me so much, but all these answers are so down to earth and admirable, particularly her comments about her ex, which is exactly how you should speak and act about the father of your children whether you actually feel such fond, logical thoughts or not (fake it, till you make it so).
I’m sure next week she’ll be back to recommending dodgy and dangerous diets and doodads but for today she’s the sane celeb in the conversation.
I don’t find this annoying either. Has she been … better lately? Maybe the new marriage is helping ground her, which is surprising from one of the guys behind shows like “Glee” and “American Horror Story.” Yes, the way they started was suspicious (as was some of Chris Martin’s behaviors — no winners here, except maybe Brad’s wife, who I don’t know much about), BUT I don’t hate them as a couple. With GOOP, at this point, she just has a ridiculous reputation to uphold, and I think she knows that. I think the best we can hope for is for her to not shill anything else potentially harmful, like the jade egg thing.
The annoyance with GOOP is way overblown. Is she an overprivileged, self-absorbed woman who talks down to we peons? Yes. But as far as I can tell, she’s not making problematic statements about Me Too, or defending Polanski, or kicking teeny kittens. People need to ease up on Our Lady of Straw Hair.
In the header picture, Goop is morphing into Martha Stewart
I found this interview kind of sweet. I can’t believe Im saying that.
Meh. This is one of the times I agree with her. I’ll be 45 in a couple of months and we just got a puppy, which tests my patience (I have already decided this will be my last puppy). There is absolutely no way I would have the stamina or patience for a baby or toddler at this point in my life.
one of my best friends had her first child at 44. Her husband was almost 60 when the kid was born and he can’t handle a toddler AT ALL. It’s actually a bit sad because he wanted a child so much (she was ok being child-free). I really admire my friend’s patience juggling her kid, career and husband. I can’t imagine living a life like that and I’m several years younger. Just visiting them totally drains all energy. O_o
I’m 46 and about to adopt a newborn… go figure 😀
Exactly. If a child is truly wanted, does it matter the mothers age. I do foster care and the amount of children from parents in their 20’s that are abandoned is disgusting. Here in Colorado, the foster care system is overflowing with children from parents who clearly do not want them. It is those people in their 40′ and 50’s that are stepping up and fostering or adopting children, not people in their 20’s. At least not here is Colorado and surrounding states.
Congratulations mama! This is probably the route that I will take as well since I am 45, but who knows maybe I’ll be able to give birth to a baby AND adopt.
She could have worded it slightly differently to be more sensitive to women in their mid 40’s who are still desperate for a child, but her life is hers and another kid at 46 sounds exhausting to her, which is totally fair. The child I had at 36 was quite exhausting. I felt so old. Can’t imagine being ten years older and dealing with a blbewborn. So I get it.
There are still women in their mid 40’s with a desire to get pregnant and deliver a child. She could have been a tad sensitive. But hey…
It’s a perfectly reasonable comment. She really is just talking about her own personal situation. Her life, her choice! More folks should just keep their comments about this sort of thing to “hey, this is how I feel, and what is working in my life for me and my loved ones” not “oh all women feel this or do this.”
I know she is a scammer but I really can’t bring myself to hate GOOP. I actually like her most of the time. *hides*
I agree. It certainly is an strange Friday when Goop is the reasonable coherent one…but she said *I’m* too old. Not that 46 is too old, just that 46 year old Gwyneth is too old. She learned a lot from the toxicity of her parents divorce so if her and Chris Martin can avoid that with her kids, great. Its actually laudable no matter how weird she phrases it.
Next week I fully expect an interview where she exalts the benefits of a unicorn vomit enema for full cheeks, on sale now exclusively on her website for 1000 dollars a milligram. A true steal!
Gwyneth was talking about her friends experiences not her own. Her parents never divorced, they were on a family vacation when her father passed.
Are you kidding me? This thread is insane. I’m exactly the same age as GOOP, we were born within a few days of each other. Her health advice is ridiculous. But my god, I have kids much younger than hers. Having kids as an older mother was a choice I was lucky to have and which I’ll never regret. And yet, I agree with every word she said about having a third child at age 46: staying up all night with a newborn now would kill me. If you want to do it, by all means carry on! Why on earth are we Judging a perfectly reasonable statement of personal choice?
I feel bad for criticizng older mothers. There are pros and cons to having children at each age. You win in some categories and lose in others. Energy, wisdom, money and career are all good/bad at different ages. Each person has to deal with what life gives them and when.
What I find sad is that some people leave it to the last minute to have children because they have prioritized having fun first and slot raising children at the end. It’s like they begrudge giving them the best years of their life but they are scared not to have kids in case they are missing out. Maybe this is more a male thing but there are plenty of women like it. It can be physically harder having kids when you’re older but as long as you keep yourself strong and healthy, in balance you’re in no better or worse a position than any other parent. If you already have kids you probably don’t have the strong desire/need to overcome the difficulties. If you really want a family you’ll move heaven and earth and a ton of lego to be a mum. Fostering definitely requires maturity! Judgey Judy signing off xx
“It’s like they begrudge giving them the best years of their life but they are scared not to have kids in case they are missing out.”
Are you sure you aren’t feeling like you missed out?
Gwyneth was talking about her friends experiences not her own. Her parents never divorced, they were on a family vacation when her father passed.
i thought it was Lucy Lui with blonde hair…
Each person has a budget for certain things. She is just saying what her budget looks like after already having had two kids. Perhaps if she hadn’t, it wouldn’t daunt her at this age. To each his own. I’m happily childless at 34 and I doubt my feelings will change.
My husband and I had our first kid as teenagers and our second in our late 30s, almost exactly 19 years apart. There are pluses and minuses to both experiences, but overall, I wouldn’t trade my current financial situation, emotional stability, and level of patience for the energy I had as a very young parent.
I DO think it helps that we’ve been parenting this entire time, though–I have friends who are trying to adopt in their 40s, and giving up a lot of the things they’re used to enjoying as kid-free adults is really mind-blowing for them. It’s easier for me and my spouse, because we’ve literally never been kid-free adults, so our expectations re: stuff like free time are looooow.