Not Just Anne Hathaway: The Worst Cases Of Celebrities Shamed For Their Baby Bumps

For many celebrities, the joys of pregnancy come with intense public scrutiny. On paper, it seems we live in a time when most people are aware that body shaming isn't okay. However, that belief is challenged when we see celebrities being repeatedly shamed for their pregnant bodies.

When a celebrity has a baby bump that people deem too small, they become the subject of wild conspiracy theories that they are faking their pregnancy. When a celebrity's baby bump is deemed too big, they have to face intrusive speculation they're carrying twins or triplets. In both cases, people disguise their baby bump-shaming as concern. However, one of the many myths about pregnancy that people should stop believing is that baby bumps should be uniform in size.

Speaking to Health & Fertility Centre for Women, Dr. Anita Kale, an associate consultant at the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology of the National University Hospital in Singapore, explained, "The shape of the pregnant belly depends on the tone of the mother's abdominal muscles, the size of the fetus, the position of the fetus, the number of fetuses and the amount of fluid around the fetus, among other factors." Additionally, a broader pelvis could make a baby bump appear smaller by providing more room for the fetus. When all of these factors are considered, it's clear that every baby bump is different. To better understand how baby bumps differ from person to person, here are some examples of celebs who were baby bump-shamed.

While attending the premiere of her film "The End of Oak Street" in August 2026, Anne Hathaway, whose third pregnancy at 43 put the over-40 baby boom back in the spotlight, wore a blouse that offered a peek at her baby bump. For some reason, that gave rise to speculation that the "Devil Wears Prada 2" star was wearing a fake baby bump. 

However, Hathaway proved that she was unbothered, sharing a video of herself from the premiere on Instagram with the caption, "Fake hair, real bump." Here's hoping that Hathaway follows in the footsteps of other celebrities who became parents after 40 and doesn't hold back about her experience with onlookers discussing her so wildly — she deserves to tell her truth like anyone else.

In 2017, during Catherine, Princess of Wales' third pregnancy, she endured comments about how small her baby bump was. Some social media users made snarky comments about how her baby bump was invisible or how she didn't look pregnant at all. 

Chatting with HuffPost, Gail Johnson, a professional advisor in education for the Royal College of Midwives, offered a possible explanation for why Kate Middleton's baby bump appeared smaller. "If you're tall with a nice long body then the bump might sit lower down and not stick out so much." It's worth noting that Kate is reportedly around 5 feet, 9 inches tall.

In October 2015, Chrissy Teigen took to Instagram to share a photo of her baby bump and captioned it, "Somebody is early to the party." After seeing the snap, one person on X, formerly known as Twitter, wondered if the model was having twins or triplets, saying they knew somebody due in February 2016 whose bump was noticeably smaller than the model's. 

Teigen responded that she would be well aware if she were having multiple children, as she had conceived through IVF. Additionally, Teigen had a five-word reply for her baby bump-shamers: "Get out of my uterus" (via ABC News).

While Claire Holt was pregnant with her first child, James, in 2018, she frequently endured comments about how large her baby bump was. That December, the "Originals" alum took to Facebook to write a letter to her shamers, which read, "If you would be so kind, please refrain from telling me how big/huge I am." Holt further clarified that she was not pregnant with twins, and that her due date wasn't all that close. The Australian-American actor also joked that she knew that she was pregnant with a "linebacker." 

Speaking to People in 2015, Coco Austin shared that she had seen loads of social comments "picking [her] apart" for how small her baby bump looked during the sixth and seventh months of her pregnancy. Eventually, the reality TV star began wondering whether the size of her baby bump was a sign that something was amiss with her pregnancy. 

However, Austin's doubts were swiftly cleared after she consulted her doctor, who informed her that women with strong abdominal muscles take longer to develop a baby bump. Additionally, in a blog post she penned for E! News, the model wrote that she did not wish to waste her energy trying to change the minds of shamers.

After Khloé Kardashian shared that she was nearly six months pregnant in December 2017, an X user asked why her bump appeared small. Instead of clapping back, the reality TV star wrote, "In the mornings my tummy seems smaller and later in the evening it pops out more." 

Speaking to Cosmopolitan, midwife Lesley Gilchrist explained why a baby bump could appear bigger at night: "This is generally due to the fact that [the woman's] abdominal muscles, which hold the baby bump, have loosened and relaxed throughout the day, allowing the bump to 'push' further out and appear larger." Who knew?

In April 2016, Tess Holliday took to Instagram to share that she had experienced tons of baby bump-shaming and received comments like "You don't look pregnant" and "You must be [having] quadruplets." Per the model, celebrities often paint a very glamorous picture of pregnant bodies that didn't accurately reflect the experiences of most people. "I'm part of a small minority that's telling you it's okay to not have a perfect baby bump, or not show at all," Holliday wrote. She also encouraged women to remember not to take unsolicited advice about their pregnancy.

For most celebrities, baby bump-shaming comes from social media commentators. However, that wasn't the case for Elsa Pataky, as she instead had to endure negative comments about her pregnancy body from talk show hosts. 

While "Fashion Police" hosts critiqued looks from the 2014 Oscars, George Kotsiopoulos said that he didn't want to be too harsh on a pregnant woman but followed that remark with a snipe about her dress. He added, "It doesn't look like a baby bump, it looks like a beer belly" (via Us Weekly). Joan Rivers also deemed the model "huge."

In August 2018, RadarOnline shared photos of Kate Hudson walking around in a bikini while pregnant with her third child. Those snaps brought on loads of body-shaming comments, with one person writing, "Why not just cover it like most women in the world know to do. Who wants to see this?" (via Daily Mail). Although the "Bride Wars" star didn't directly respond to the shamers, she continued sharing photos of her baby bump to social media, seemingly sending the message that she wasn't deterred by the chatter.