Katherine Schwarzenegger and Chris Pratt have three kids together. They have two daughters, Lyla, four, and Eloise, three, and a son, Ford, eight months. Chris also has a son, Jack, 12, from his first marriage to Anna Faris. Katherine’s whole vibe is elite trad wife. She loves eating off the children’s menu in restaurants, yearns for the day when the Met Gala was “chic and classy,” and talks a lot about motherhood. Over the years, Chris has never missed an opportunity to gush over how great a mom he thinks she is, which has raised a lot of eyebrows about Chris and Katherine’s relationship with Jack.
Katherine and Chris recently appeared on the Parenting & You with Dr. Shefali podcast. During their interview, they talked about her step-parenting journey. In order to prepare for life as a step-mother, Katherine hired a coach after she and Chris got engaged to help her understand her “role” and “responsibilities” as a step-mother.
Katherine Schwarzenegger is opening up about her journey to becoming a step-parent ― and how a step-parent coach has helped her along the way. The 35-year-old, who has three children with her husband, actor Chris Pratt, is also a step-parent to Pratt’s son, Jack. Pratt shares 12-year-old Jack with his ex-wife, Anna Faris.
Schwarzenegger said during a joint podcast appearance with Pratt that she would recommend a step-parenting coach or therapist to anyone with a blended family, as she retained one “right when we got engaged” and found it “essential.”
“It’s been incredibly helpful for me and also just understanding my role as a step-parent,” the author said during an appearance on the “Parenting & You with Dr. Shefali” podcast, released on Tuesday.
“Step-parenting ― like parenting ― has no, you know, handbook,” she said. “Because also I have the benefit of being in both roles, step-parenting is extra confusing because you aren’t a parent, you’re not a nanny, you’re not an assistant. You have responsibilities in all of those areas, but you’re not either of them. It’s a confusing thing to try to navigate where you fit in.”
While she shared that “every dynamic is obviously very different” within each family, she said that she, Pratt, Faris and Faris’ partner ― cinematographer Michael Barrett― all co-parent “very well” together.
“It works when everybody is willing to put in the work,” Schwarzenegger said.
Pratt added that being in the position of a step-parent is “a tough job” and you don’t always “end up getting the credit you deserve.”
“If a parent is in there doing the hard work ― in the paint ― of creating structure for a child and holding children accountable, and it’s not a biological child, it can feel thankless. But it’s a really, really important job.”
Looking past the extreme privilege of being able to hire a “step-parenting coach,” I can understand Katherine’s logic here. She cares about getting along with Jack, which is nice. I’m not a step-parent but I’ve definitely had instances when my kids have had friends over who have misbehaved to the point of needing discipline. In the moment, I’ve been torn about what level of parenting is appropriate, and I’m not married to one of their parents, which adds a different level of complication.
That said, It feels like Chris is stepping in it again with his whole step-parents ”don’t end up getting the credit [they] deserve.” Is he alluding to something that went down behind the scenes that we don’t know about or is he just overpraising again? In general, parents don’t always get the credit that they deserve. It’s called parenting, and yeah, it sucks, but that’s part of what we sign up for. It’s about the child(ren), not you. I wonder if Chris, Katherine, and Anna had a conversation or even went to therapy together before their marriage to understand each party’s feelings and expectations. I bet communication between both sides helps Jack, too.
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- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 22: (L-R) Chris Pratt, Katherine Schwarzenegger, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Christina Schwarzenegger attend the Netflix premiere of ”FUBAR” on May 22, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for Netflix)
Photos credit: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon, Getty Images for Netflix, Getty
As a culture, we need to work together to prevent Chris Pratt entering politics. Because when he married Katherine Schwarzenegger all the “potential republican candidate” alarms went off. Chris Pratt is the Worst Chris, he mustn’t become Governor of California, or a member of Congress or even worse, President.
@summermoomin I agree with you. I saw an interview of Donald Trump regarding China years ago and it scared the hell out of me. I knew then probably before he even knew that he was going to enter politics. Then I have a friend years ago that talked about George Clooney and said she thought he was going to run for president one day. So here we are. That’s what scared me about this Chris marrying into the Kennedy family I felt it too. It’s gotten to the point that Celebitchy is the only website that has any sense anymore & can read between the lines (Hunter Biden article.)
This seems like a good idea to get advice from a professional. I can imagine it would be quite daunting to step into that situation.
I agree. I think it’s wonderful that she wants a healthy relationship with her stepchild.
Good for her! I dislike her husband’s politics, but I also like what she’s attempting to cultivate with her family.
She appears to be a good egg. We’ll wait & see what happens with the husband.
Yeah, I will also cop to going to a family therapist who understands blended families after I became a step-parent and it has been wonderful. While some may say its “extreme privilege” – yeah, its a privilege. But I’m not rich and I can’t think of anything more important to do with my money than working to be a better parent (and you are a parent) so i dont accidently hurt this child I adore.
As for “you don’t get credit” : again, I feel that. If you stand back you are “evil” and if you are present and loving you are a poser and stealing something from the bio mum. There is no winning.
This comes across as so othering to me? How did JLo make it seem so effortless (multiple times) lol. Salma Hayek too. Even Gisèle’s “bonus son” comment (which rubbed some people the wrong way) comes off more loving than this.
No, I’m mostly joking. Step parenting is a huge challenge and I greatly admire families that make it work. I just clearly have no benefit of the doubt for these two because I honestly wondered if the parenting coach was less to do with the “step” relationship and more to do with Jack’s special needs.
It’s possible that JLo and Gisele have sought some “help” navigating step-parenthood, I could certainly see Gisele doing that.
Oh, I fully believe they all have permanent parenting staff- was thinking more about the difference in navigating the public communication around their step-parenting (at the very least not giving interviews about how challenging it is lol).
It comes off privileged AF.
I’m sick of hearing about both of them. Maybe there is a class for me to take to deal with unwanted “celebrity” parenting of stepchildren issues.
Katherine in photos always looks like she’s trying to smile and trying to not cry at the same time.
OMG you nailed it
That’s what it looks like!
I don’t know much about her and don’t care for her husband, but I’ll give her credit for doing this and trying to be a good step-parent and understand the dynamics better.
Every time I come across something this woman has said I immediately cringe..
While I have an active dislike for both of them and how they choose to present themselves to the world I am here for anything that makes kids lives better, particularly kids navigating a two-family situation.
Well-said and ITA.
I can’t help but think that she is using Jack for her own pat on the back, emphasized by the worst Chris. Chris cannot even acknowledge Anna as a parent most of the time. Hopefully Anna is ok with this, because otherwise, katherine should not be discussing any of this. She makes it sound like it was a chore to be a step-parent. I think step-parents want acknowledgement, but let that come from your partner, not the public.
I am just so over the whole influencer let me sell every aspect of motherhood shtick, from all of these barely celebrities. And it’s always women whose kids are like, infant- 4 years old. I mean, give them a giant empty box to play with and they are content for hours. Follow me for more tips! 🙄
When your kids have all reached 30 and are content and thriving, then I might be interested in what you have to say. Maybe. Until then, you have no track record. 🤷♀️
I agree and while I wish that I had some of the current knowledge about child rearing, I’l doubly glad that the internet and mommy influencers weren’t a thing when I was raising my two. It was hard enough being a single mom without the added pressure to be perfect every stinking minute.
I give all the credit in the world to good step parents. To love the kid, to find the boundaries of the relationship, to make the kid feel loved and like they belong in your house.
That is what should be done. And that she hired a coach (yes, born rich, never had a job kind of human)- that impresses me that she wanted to get it right.
i have someone in my extended family/friend group, who i don’t see often, who treats his daughter with his current (2nd), lovely wife much better than he treats his daughter with the woman he divorced.
Her grandmother (his mom) said: I hope she never notices.
Spoiler alert- i can promise you she notices.
And that is how pratt presents, as someone who loves his kids with his wife more than he loves his kid with his ex-wife.
Obv we don’t know these people. But he seems like an idiot.
I have never forgotten that he divorced Anna because she wanted another child and he wanted to focus on his career. Then he almost immediately remarried and now has 3 more children…
I completely forget that she’s Arnold’s daughter every time I see her, the Kennedy looks are very strong in this one.
Maybe that coach can give her helpful advice about being a stepsister because she’s kind of a dick to Arnold’s other son.
Half sister.
She has a step parenting coach yet her husband, the worst Chris, constantly puts his foot in his mouth and is all around terrible person. She seems to go out of her way to seem perfect. I don’t like her, and she ignores her half brother. Someone tell her Katherine is never going to happen.
She has a step parenting coach yet her husband, the worst Chris, constantly puts his foot in his mouth and is an all around terrible person. She seems to go out of her way to seem perfect. I don’t like her, and she ignores her half brother’s existence. Someone tell her Katherine is never going to happen.
What bothers me about Katherine’s “Stepparent Coach” is that it’s part of her whole influencer shtick. Everything needs a service or a product. It reminds me of mindset coaches that MLM participants sometimes hire. Why not go to a therapist? Or, if she is going to a therapist, why go to a coach on top of that? Coach is a completely unregulated term, so anybody can set up a website and sell services, regardless of whether they have any formal training. I know therapists aren’t perfect, but at least they have licensure requirements and ethical obligations.
I’m no fan of either of them and yes, being able to hire someone to help you step-parent is a privilege. But it’s good that she cared enough to do it. I can’t find any fault with this message at all.
I have a friend who married a man about 12 years older, who had two young tween/teen girls at the time. She talked to someone about how to be a good step-mother before they married. She’s handled it very well and they have a warm, respectful relationship. She also makes sure to stay on good terms with his ex, even when she is making things a bit difficult for them. They have a son now and his girls adore him. Blended families have challenges so being prepared is a good thing.
I’m a stepmother and I feel this so hard! I wish I had had a coach, but what I did have was two co-parents who were determined to work together in the best interests of my (step)son. We weren’t perfect but I’m proud of what we accomplished together. Good for them to get guidance and create a workable system for everyone.