WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Hilary Swank, 52, addressed criticism of women who have children later in life while older fathers avoid similar scrutiny.
- Drew Barrymore agreed that older mothers face a double standard and noted that men have children in their 80s.
- Swank welcomed twins Aya and Ohm with husband Philip Schneider in 2023, when she was 48.
- The actor announced Wednesday that she and Schneider are expecting their third child, with the arrival anticipated in December.
Hilary Swank is responding to criticism aimed at women who become mothers later in life while men often escape the same scrutiny.
The 52-year-old star addressed the issue after announcing that she is expecting her third child with husband Philip Schneider, as reported by Page Six.
In a clip from an upcoming interview scheduled to air Oct. 20, Swank spoke directly to Drew Barrymore about the backlash surrounding older motherhood. She said the reaction reveals a striking difference in how women and men are treated.
“There’s a lot of backlash women get for having children older but not men, which is interesting,” Swank told Barrymore. Her comment placed the focus squarely on the contrasting public responses faced by older mothers and fathers.
Barrymore, who is a mother of two, agreed that the double standard is “weird.” She noted that “men have babies in their like 80s, and that’s not a euphemism or a joke.”
The talk show host also connected the subject to Swank’s previous experience as a mother. “You had kids in your 40s, and people weren’t always gracious about it,” Barrymore told her guest.
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Swank welcomed twins Aya and Ohm with Schneider in 2023, when she was 48. During the conversation, the “Million Dollar Baby” star recalled one especially blunt response to her decision to have children later in life.
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According to Swank, a woman confronted her by saying, “How dare you? You’re too old.” The woman then explained that her own father had been her “favorite person” before he died while she was in her 20s.
Swank said the woman described losing her father as “devastation.” Rather than reacting with offense, the winner of two Oscars tried to understand the personal experience behind that criticism.
“I related to it because my dad [has] also passed, but he was one of my favorite people on earth,” Swank explained. Her response drew on the loss of her own father and the importance of their relationship.
Swank said she ultimately believed that experiencing such a meaningful bond was preferable to never having it at all. She would rather have been born, known that favorite person, and experienced the relationship despite the pain that eventually accompanied the loss.
The discussion arrived shortly after Swank revealed that her family is growing again. She announced on Instagram on Wednesday that she and Schneider are preparing to welcome their third child together.
Swank shared the news through a video featuring Schneider and their twins. The family danced in darkness while wearing what appeared to be glow sticks taped across their outfits.
The actor’s pregnancy was incorporated directly into the visual announcement. As she danced alongside her husband and children, Swank displayed her baby bump with a glowing stick figure baby arranged across it.
In the caption, Swank playfully framed the pregnancy as the next project that people had been asking about. She said that this particular project would be released in December, indicating when the family expects its newest arrival.
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The announcement showed Swank, Schneider, Aya and Ohm celebrating together before the interview clip turned attention toward the criticism she has encountered. Both moments centered on her pregnancy, but they presented different sides of the public conversation around it.
On Thursday, Swank was spotted arriving at Barrymore’s eponymous talk show in New York City. She wore an outfit that left her baby bump bare as she made her way to the appearance.
During the interview, Swank answered the backlash by acknowledging the loss behind one critic’s objection instead of simply dismissing it. At the same time, she emphasized the unequal judgment placed on women who have children at older ages while men frequently avoid similar condemnation.
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