Jamie Chung and Bryan Greenberg welcomed twin boys in October. That was a surprise because they made it public that they were expecting. Though quiet pregnancies and surprise baby announcements became popular among celebs during covid, Jamie and Bryan actually turned to surrogacy. In a recent interview with TODAY Parents, Jamie explained why — she was worried being pregnant would negatively affect her career.
Jamie Chung and her husband, actor Bryan Greenberg, surprised fans last October when they announced the birth of their twin boys.
Now, for the first time, the “Dexter: New Blood” star, 39, is opening up about her and Greenberg’s decision to expand their family through surrogacy.
“I was terrified of becoming pregnant. I was terrified of putting my life on hold for two-plus years. In my industry, it feels like you’re easily forgotten if you don’t work within the next month of your last job. Things are so quickly paced in what we do,” Chung told TODAY Parents in a candid phone interview. “So it’s a compromise that we made together as a couple.”
Chung noted that the stigma surrounding surrogacy is pervasive. It’s one of the reasons she kept the pregnancy private, despite sharing her egg freezing journey in 2019.
“I think there’s a little bit of shame. It’s still not a very common thing and we weren’t ready for judgment,” she explained. “We really just did it to protect ourselves. We announced things when we were ready to.”
“People probably think, ‘Oh, she’s so vain. She didn’t want to get pregnant,’ and it’s much more complicated than that. For me, personally, and I will leave it at this, it’s like, I worked my ass off my entire life to get where I am,” Chung said. “I don’t want to lose opportunities. I don’t want to be resentful.”
I’ve vaguely followed them for years because I think Bryan is hot and they’re a cute couple. They’ve been together and married for so long that at this point I just assumed they were happily childfree. What Jamie says is an unfair reality that affects women in all jobs/careers/industries. The time it takes to be pregnant and have a maternity leave unfortunately causes women to lose out on career opportunities, and though they should be protected under employment laws, that’s not always the case. And with acting and image-based industries, pregnancy affects women’s job prospects differently because they may spend more time “out of commission” based on their looks compared to a woman in a normal job who may be able to return to work more quickly because they don’t have to be “camera-ready.” And I understand why she was quiet about the surrogate for fear of judgement and people thinking she’s vain — people are so judgmental about pregnancy and motherhood. Regardless of Jamie’s reasons, people should choose what works best for them when it comes to having children.
Photos credit: Avalon.red, Instar and via Instagram
Oh, my God, the cuteness. Congratulations. Jamie is divine in that red dress.
I too adore that red dress on her. Looks great on her.
Hearing that baby try to talk made my morning. I miss hearing that sweetness. Thank you.
If she thinks pregnancy puts your life on hold, just wait for the next 18 years!!
P.s. I think I need batteries, but I’m not sure why. 😉
Yes! Son is 18 and my life is STILL on pause. But I’m sure she has nannies to do the physical heavy lifting (appointments, getting to/from school, picking up a sick kid, etc.)
I’m betting she means the physical aspects of pregnancy, ranging from morning sickness to breastfeeding. Also, there aren’t many acting roles for pregnant women. Hollywood wants those skinny chicks! 🙂
I got that part! I was responding to the comment about having your life on pause for 18 years. The “reasons” are the ones I listed, which she won’t have since she’ll likely have a nanny.
I was responding to Ang’s comment as well; it just went under yours for some reason, Looneytunes.
One reason why there aren’t a lot of roles for pregnant people in Hollywood? They’re uninsurable. So of course no production would want to hire an uninsurable actress. Just another example how it sucks to be a women.
Some women love to be pregnant, and that is perfectly fine. Some women cannot stand the though of it, and that is perfectly fine aswell. I love that she is speaking up. Using surrogates needs to be de-stigmatized. It is a win-win solution for consenting adults AND the kids. I appreciate what she said about her not wanting to be resentful later. My mother loved us kids but boy did she regret “messing with her career”. She became really bitter about it and she let us know all about it.
A solution like this is for the best of everyone involved.
Yes, I have a friend who’s career never really recovered from her maternity leave when she had her two boys, and it certainly has an impact on how she parents. I can’t imagine how much more precarious it would feel in an industry predicated on youth. Not to mention, my friend had a hugely traumatic birth that I still see the emotional effects of 15 years later.
If surrogacy was a favoured option for all parties bringing this sweet baby into the world, good for them.
Of course she’ll be judged. I hate pregnancy/baby stories because the write-up and comments always wonder if it’s surrogacy or adoption. Then they are judged as being superficial and lazy. It doesn’t matter why as long as the baby is loved and cared for.
Yuuuuuuuuuuup, this. We need loving parents to care for children. I am childfree, but I recognise the importance of children being brought up in a world where they are loved and cared for and parents are happy and healthy. They made the right choice for them, and I applaud it. Child-having and child-rearing is such a personal decision. I’m just glad/grateful when a child is loved and the parents are happy and able to make informed decisions that suit themselves.
I judge her because she let people that fertility was a sensitive issue hence surrogacy but in reality she didn’t want to go through the physical toll of pregnancy for her own vanity. I find it rather unsympathetic tbh and insensitive to women who are trying to conceive but having issues.
@CF86713
It wasn’t for her Vanity, if you’d actually read.
She did it to not lose her career, which there would have been a good chance she would have.
And you have no idea if there were any other reasons she just chose not to mention.
There are many reasons it’s not great for someone to get pregnant.
And the big thing, pregnancy and birth has risks.
She wouldn’t have been able to take the time to recover from a birth injury and potentially keep her career.
The birth with my youngest was pretty horrific, we both almost died.
I was so injured I was in surgery for 9 hours. They didn’t think I’d make it.
I had 4 total transfusions, iv’s in my arms, feet, thighs to dump the blood in me fast.
I had to have a hysterectomy and the surgeons said I had tens of thousands of stitches. They had to reconstruct my abdomen (inside) I tore so much, and had to reconstruct my vaginal canal because that was torn to shreds too.
My uterus had ruptured when I was 10cm and the baby was crowning.
He was then stuck so they had to push him all the way back up, and I had a vertical incision from my belly button to my pubic bone.
I couldn’t pick up more than a pound of weight for over a year, including my baby.
I had a huge yucky incision that took forever to heal and it needed to be packed twice a day (really fucking painful)
It took a year and a half to be mostly healed.
That kind of shit can happen any time you have a baby, and I would have been screwed if my job was in Hollywood. I would have been out almost two years and I have some nasty scars.
She made the right choice for her and her family.
So fuck your judgement
@KKat: I am very sorry you went through that. It sounds horrific and traumatic. I would not judge you for choosing surrogacy if you wanted more children after that experience.
I question, though, why you think it’s OK to place that same risk on another woman? I’ve never heard of Jamie Chung so I have no preconceived notion of who she is. I am referring to her own words, which indicate that she thinks pregnancy would be too inconvenient for her career, with no mention of how having and raising a child(ren) will require career sacrifices too.
Gestational carriers take on real risks, as you have described all too well. They are almost always less privileged and less well-resourced than the people they carry for. I am glad the option exists for gay couples, for transwomen, for older women, or for people of any and every gender who can’t conceive or are unable to safely carry a pregnancy to term.
That’s not what this woman is saying. She is opting to put the discomfort and the mortal risk of pregnancy on another woman because she can, not because she has to. (As if raising her children thoughtfully isn’t going to require real and difficult choices too.) And yes, I judge the hell out of that.
I appreciate how honest Jamie is here about her and Bryan’s reasons for using a surrogate.
I think it’s great that did what was right for them and their family. I really appreciate Bryan and how he supported Jamie in all this. Some men can be shits when it comes to things like this. I’m happy for them.
I think the last bit that she said: “I don’t want to be resentful.” is important, and it hits me hard. There are multiple points where I made decisions based on someone else’s health needs. This has impacted my career in ways that I’ve never been able to repair and bounce back from. I also have harbored pockets of resentment— because I felt forced to choose between someone else’s needs for advocacy and caregiving and the progress of my own very hard won career goals which, ironically, require some of the same skills that I utilized and developed further as a caregiver. I hate that we’ve created a society where people like Chung and even people like me are —and feel — forced to choose.
I’m glad that she was able to make choices that work well for herself and for her beautiful family. I’m glad she’s speaking her truth with courage. I’m glad that this was posted here, on a celebrity gossip site — because it’s exactly what I need to process. 🙏🏽 Many thanks. ✨
What a cutie! I definitely understand her concerns and don’t judge her at all.
The kids are so cute and Jamie and Bryan make a cute couple. As a side note, I really used to like her but her entire Instagram feed is sponsored content which always comes off as annoying and inauthentic to me… I had to stop following her.
I think being this honest about their decision was really brave, and I think a lot of women go through this thought process. It’s very relatable. The babies are super precious and I love pics of this couple.
Two posts today (this about surrogacy, and Naomi Watts about menopause) reinforce my belief that being honest and open about difficult things is how stigmas are broken.
As someone who will never be in her shoes, it’s easy to eyeroll the choice of surrogacy (although it’s none of my business), but what she shared shifted my thinking. Nobody has the responsibility to educate me, but I’m really grateful when they do.
I applaud her bravery, honesty, and openness.
It’s a very real thing the loss of career momentum for women who have kids. I’m impressed at the level of communication and planning between them as a couple.
They’re a cute couple, and their baby is adorable!
I respect her talking about this, despite knowing there’s going to be a lot of criticism. Her reasons are valid, and the problem is the industry that doesn’t give any leeway to women.
She’ll always be Jamie from (the last good season of) The Real World to me! I just loved her in Lovecraft Country. She seems really cool.
Sound like a shallow a very narcissistic person to me. Does she realize that raising kids will take her more time and energy ? I feel sorry for these kids.
I’m with you. On one hand, her honesty is appreciated. On the other our country (jobs and government policies) should orient themselves around women and families. I respect surrogacy but if all women said the part about work – isn’t that a little like the “Handmaid’s Tale”?
We’re trekking into dangerous territory…and it is a little vain on her part. She also does still have to raise that baby for the next 18 years.
It’s normal to wonder about the changes in your body, impact on work and whether you will love or resent your child (it certainly brings up a lot of psychological debris for new parents) but then you weigh whether you’re willing to ‘risk it’ – outsourcing it is morally ambiguous and vain. These reasons are surface-y excuses and ethically questionable on her part.
@jules all of this. And it’s brothers me that rich people that they use and exploit poor women bodies for superficial reasons like that.
Okie dokie, women are not forced to be surrogates.
They either do it for friends or family or they are well compensated.
It’s not a choice some women would make but some do.
Some women love being pregnant, some want to help people, some do it in part for financial compensation.
I have three friends who have been surrogates. One of them twice for the same family.
Among other things I’m a overnight nanny specializing in twins and triplets, a premi and newborn care specialist, birth doula and post partum doula.
The one who did it twice for one family was the owner of the agency I worked for.
She isn’t poor, we make 75$ an hour for 8-10 hour shifts. And work usually 6-7 days a week for the most part.
My other two friends are also not poor, who have been surrogates.
Up in the San Fran bay area the avg compensation for the pre hormonal tests and treatment, the implantation, the pregnancy and recovery is around 150,000.
There are a lot of women doing surrogacy now. And it’s an aboveboard option.
I explained up thread how pregnancy can ruin some career’s, not all pregnancies go well.
And you comparing pregnancy and raising kids to each other are apples to oranges.
Both my kids I had HG, my first I had to be on total bedrest for the last 7 months, for my second I had horrible injuries and an almost two year recovery.
So no, I had a MUCH harder time being pregnant than I have had raising my kids.
Surrogacy is a well thought out choice both parties make.
And I very much doubt this celebrity was trolling poor areas looking for a surrogate 😅
There are agencies and fertility clinics you go through.
As long as your healthy and have had a successful pregnancy and in the age parameters, you can sign up to be a surrogate. Or donate or sell your eggs, also a lot of women doing that.
KKat, thank you for sharing your experiences. I hope it helps combat some of the ignorance and appalling judgment about surrogacy. I’m glad you’ve recovered from a truly traumatic birth.
Yep. Absurd. Good for owning it (I guess…not really). Perpetuate the skinny stereotype which was never relatable to be in my 20s, let alone 40s. Honesty is good but not always healthy.
There’s nothing wrong with not having children too. Many women make that choice and that’s more than OK. Everyone here is praising Jamie for her decision, but don’t realize that this is a very rich person’s decision. For those working women, who can’t afford to hire a surrogate pregnancy is still a yes/no option.
I find this appalling and ignorant. If her career is her main priority at this time then she’s probably not ready to be a mother. It’s a big change and children deserve parents who care about them more than their careers.
@SK- would you say that if Jamie was a man? How do you know her husband isn’t caring for the children full time?
And it’s not about your children being your main priority, it’s about allowing women to have OTHER priorities than just their children. Men can be parents and also have careers, hobbies, interests and friends and people don’t shame them. Of course her top priority is her children but she’s also allowed to have a career that she cares about.
@SK – I agree with you. (And I am a working mother who would never give up her career, so I am intimately aquainted with the sacrifices that parenting entails.) Reading between the lines, it sounds like this woman is ambivalent about having children, but is married to a man who wants them. Sure, surrogacy will kick the can down the road for 9+ months, but it’s not really a compromise. At the end of the day our overpopulated world now has two more children who will be raised in part by a mother who is prepared to feel resentful about their existence. Having a wonderful and involved dad doesn’t negate that. Doesn’t sound like a great choice to me.
This is illegal in most other developed nations because it amounts to human trafficking. This woman exploited another less fortunate woman as an incubator and bought not one but two babies. The fact that she is just flagrantly announcing it to the world like it isn’t wrong is astounding to me.
@Lola – she didn’t buy the children FFS. They are biologically her & her husband’s children. She didn’t carry them. And you don’t know the financial situation of the woman who did carry them so I think you are making assumptions.
I realize they are biologically hers, but she most definitely bought them. What woman is going to to carry twins for another woman who isn’t infertile for free?
This made me very uncomfortable and I instantly judged her. I’m 39, in the engineering field that is male dominated so I get the losing opportunities… but I had a baby this year. I don’t recognize myself in the mirror, I can’t imagine getting back into the grind at work and need to focus on baby’s connection and development for a few years. Being a parent is essentially about love and sacrifice that you do with your whole heart. I can’t imagine making the decision not to carry because it’s inconvenient and renting someone else’s body on top of that.
People have a strong reaction to this story because it’s so incongruous with being a parent.
Anyway I can’t imagine experiencing infertility and hearing this story… I think I would be even more grossed out.
@CID I’m experiencing devastating infertility issues right now and I’m elated for Jamie Chung and Bryan Greenberg. It’s not about how you bring children into your family, it’s about the joy and privilege of getting to be parents. They made a choice that took the mother’s needs into consideration too. I’m not sure how that’s incongruous with being a parent.
@Lola Byrd +1
Good for her, but I note that unlike most of us, she was able to pay someone to be pregnant for her, and is very likely paying nannies to care for them. Hopefully her career stays good…$$$$
It’s interesting how it’s always portrayed as vain, selfish, and immoral for women (and to a lesser extent, gay men) to seek the same opportunities straight men have always had. Nobody tells wealthy men, “You’re only allowed to impregnate women equal to you in wealth who want to be yours for life, otherwise it’s human trafficking.” Nobody tells a man who gets one woman pregnant, “a person would have to be incredibly self-absorned to outsource the risk of pregnancy and childbirth to another human being when you could just adopt. Stop using another person’s body.” The same mothers who assume Jamie is going to be a crappy mom based on her not wanting to do pregnancy probably didn’t say to their kings,”the sex was great, but you simply aren’t capable of putting our child(ren) before yourself since you didn’t go through what I went through physically to bring them into this world, and have probably been glad at different times that you didn’t have to worry about this. “