"Thank You for Giving Birth to My Youngest Daughter": Actress Expresses Gratitude to Surrogate on TV

Revealing Surrogacy After Compliment on Her Figure
More Celebrities Turning to Surrogacy for Childbirth

Hollywood actress Michelle Williams has publicly revealed that she had her youngest child through a surrogate, rather than giving birth herself. On August 21 (local time), Yonhap News, citing ABC Broadcasting and People magazine, reported that Williams appeared on the late-night TV talk show 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' on the night of August 18, where she shared previously undisclosed stories about her family.

Hollywood famous actress Michelle Williams. ABC Broadcasting

During the show, guest host Tiffany Haddish complimented Williams on her figure as she came on stage, saying, "You look like you've never had a baby." Williams replied, "Then I owe a big thank you to Christine," adding, "Because my youngest child did not come out of my body." She continued, "The miracle of our little daughter is thanks to Christine," and addressed the woman presumed to be the surrogate, saying, "You might be watching right now, Christine, thank you."

People magazine reported that this was the first time Williams had publicly spoken about her experience with surrogacy. Williams had her first daughter, Matilda Rose Ledger, with the late actor Heath Ledger, whom she met while filming the 2005 movie 'Brokeback Mountain.' Ledger is now 19 years old. Williams later had three children with her current husband, Thomas Kail. According to People and other sources, these three children were born in 2020, 2022, and 2025, respectively.

On Jimmy Kimmel Live, Williams said, "I have three children under the age of five at home," and added, "I'm trying to figure out how to balance work and life." She continued, "A lot of people talk about self-care, but I just wonder when that's possible. It's because I'm a working mom," and added, "I already feel guilty (toward my kids), so I don't want to take even more time away from them, but at the same time, I know I need to recharge my energy."

Meanwhile, although still unfamiliar in Korean society, more and more celebrities, including Hollywood actors in the United States, are having children through surrogacy. The reason they use surrogacy is not infertility, but concerns about their figure or health. While some point out that this leads to the exploitation of women from poor backgrounds, the global surrogacy industry is booming. It grew from 19 trillion won in 2022 to 24 trillion won in 2023, and is expected to reach 113 trillion won by 2030. However, in countries where surrogacy is illegal, people in urgent need of income secretly use it as a way to make money, and because they fear punishment and go underground, it is difficult to grasp the actual situation. In South Korea, where surrogacy is also illegal, surrogacy births are still taking place in secret.