The singer, who joined the podcast to promote her film 'The Moment,' said she did not want to have children.
In the episode of the popular podcast, which aired Tuesday, the singer spoke about her experience growing up as an only child, in which her parents were incredibly supportive of career, even chaperoning her to the raves she would play as a young performer.
But she added that without siblings to fight with, she did not learn how to handle conflict well until later on. Bateman then asked the 33-year-old if she would like to have one child or several, to which the singer replied: “I actually don’t really want to have kids.”Charli xcx Officially Kicks Off Her Acting Era at Sundance With 'The Moment': "I Want 'Brat' to Stop and Pivot" “That could change,” she continued. “I love the fantasy of having a child, like naming it sounds so fun. But that is exactly a sign to me as to why I should not have one, the fact that that feels like the coolest part about it. Maybe I’m not ready.” “I mean I guess I’m backing into giving myself a half-assed compliment here, but my wife did not want to have kids, so the story goes. She said once we started going out she thought, ‘OK, I think I can have a kid with this guy.’ So you might find somebody,” Bateman continued. “There you go. I gotta read a newspaper one of these days,” Bateman said. star online read negatively into the exchange as putting pressure on a woman to have children, with some also pointing to the lack of research Bateman had done before having her on as a guest. Press representatives for SmartLess and SiriusXM, home of the podcast, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Bateman’s questioning aside, the lack of research is a central conceit of the show, which launched during the pandemic as a pastime for friends and now hosts Will Arnett, Sean Hayes and Bateman. Each episode, one host brings on a guest, for which they’ve prepared questions, who is unknown to the other two, who then ask questions on the fly. Charli xcx was a guest of Hayes, who had prepped questions and unearthed the origin of her stage name: her former MSN screen name.deal, a Golden Globe nomination and off-the-cuff discussions, such as a freeform conversation with Jake Gyllenhaal about Bateman’s downhill biking abilities. But as Tuesday’s episode showed, there can also be pitfalls to this strategy, as during the course of the episode, Bateman also learned that Charli had coined the term “brat.” She joined the podcast to promote her A24 movieOne silver lining: Charli proved that even though she was once an only child, she’s learned something about handling conflict.Alex WeprinThe Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2026 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Alamo Drafthouse Faces Backlash After Ditching No Phones Policy: “Just an Overpriced AMC Now”Moviegoers, critics and even some industry insiders are blasting Alamo's new mobile ordering system which seems to go against decades of brand-building as a distraction-free cinema.
Read more »
Beloved pop star’s Grammys performance slammed as ‘stupid’ and ‘cruel’Sabrina Carpenter's Grammys performance of 'Manchild' sparked backlash from an activist organization
Read more »
Darren Aronofsky Faces Intense Backlash Over New AI-Generated SeriesDarren Aronofsky's new AI-generated TV show has been torn apart by viewers and critics online.
Read more »
Will Arnett reveals ‘very famous comedian’ was kicked off ‘SmartLess’ podcast after 10 minutesToday's Video Headlines: 02/03/26
Read more »
Tom Brady Faces Backlash for Comments About Patriots‑Seahawks Super BowlNFL legend Tom Brady draws criticism from NFL fans for his prediction in the Patriots‑Seahawks Super Bowl matchup.
Read more »
Will Arnett Claims a 'Famous Comedian' Was Kicked Off SmartLess PodcastWill Arnett revealed that a ‘famous comedian’ was kicked off of the ‘SmartLess’ podcast after only 10 minutes, leaving many fans speculating who got the boot
Read more »