Pretty much all celebrities are looked at under a microscope at some point and judged for everything they do, say, or post. But it definitely seems like celebrity moms in particular are shamed more than anyone. Whether it's what they say to their kids, how they show them affection, what they let them wear … it's all up for debate. And don't even get people started on the car seat straps!
No matter how much celebrity moms try to do their best at parenting, someone will always have something to say. Sometimes parenting advice can be useful, but a lot of the times it is unsolicited, unhelpful, and even downright mean.
Famous moms already have the struggle of raising kids with the media and a huge social following scrutinizing everything they do, so it's definitely a little unfair for them to get called out over something as small as what their kid eats on a slice of toast. The criticism can get pretty out of hand, and it's important for everyone to remember that they're all just trying their best.
Here are the most absurd mommy-shaming controversies, ranked by how ridiculous they are.
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Kim Zolciak's Friendship With Her Kids
Former Real Housewives star Kim Zolciak-Biermann once posted a photo of her and her daughters on Instagram and captioned it "best friends." Many mommy-shamers shared their disapproval over Kim not drawing a line between the parent-versus-friend role with her children, but it definitely seems to work for their family.
The Way Julia Stiles Used a Baby Carrier
When Julia Stiles gave a glimpse of her new baby in 2017, fans had some passive-aggressive remarks about how she was using her baby carrier. A good handful of people felt the need to point out that she was supposed to "pull the baby's legs out for proper placement."
Mila Kunis' Christmas Tradition
In a 2017 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Mila Kunis shared her surprising holiday tradition. "So far, our tradition is no presents for the kids [on Christmas]." Her reasoning was that both of her kids were young and she would rather they appreciate things, rather than be overwhelmed by a bunch of stuff. Of course, this made people pretty mad. Some fans said that Mila and husband Ashton Kutcher were being "selfish" for this decision, while others said it was just "stupid."
Kim Kardashian Letting North Wear Makeup
Kim Kardashian caught some heat for letting her oldest daughter, North West, try on a dark shade of lipstick. We're pretty sure they were just having fun, but that didn't stop people from saying that Kim was "exploiting" her child. And, of course, there were people saying North was "too young" to play with makeup.
Even as North has gotten older, that makeup-related criticism hasn't slowed down one bit.
Ciara's Lack of 'Motherly Instincts'
While Ciara and her family were on a trip in China in 2017, they went riding on toboggans at the Mutianyu Great Wall of China. A video she posted on Instagram showed that her husband, Russell Wilson, held Ciara's then-3-year-old son and Ciara held the couple's infant in a baby carrier while they were on the ride. Of course, people lost it over this. Ciara was told she has "no motherly instincts" by one follower. Another said she was "so dumb" and "risked" endangering her baby.
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Jessica Simpson's Sexy Photos
Jessica Simpson constantly gets scolded for the sexy pictures she shares online. When she posted this photo, one commenter said: "Is this how a mother really wants to act? Get it together, Jessica. Those days should be behind you." Another person wrote: "No offense, but you have young children. Put your tits away."
Really? So once someone becomes a mom she's never allowed to look sexy again?
Chrissy Teigen's Shirtless Baby
When Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, and their then-1-year-old daughter, Luna, went on a family trip to Bali, Indonesia, people got mad at one of the photos Chrissy posted (but what else is new?). This particular snapshot featured Luna shirtless, and followers just had to point it out. One person said, "Okay where are her clothes?" and another person wrote, "Cute pic but don't like that she's not wearing a shirt."
Hilary Duff Kissing Her Son
Hilary Duff unintentionally caused a huge internet debate over the fact she kissed her young son on the lips. Seriously, people lost it. One person called it "disgusting" and another called it "incest." Those are some pretty intense criticisms over something that many parents do!
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How Emily Ratajkowski Holds Her Baby
After Emily Ratajkowski shared a photo of herself holding her baby in 2021, her critics couldn't comment enough about how she was doing it wrong. Things got so bad that she eventually deleted the original Instagram post — and for the record, her baby boy seems to be just fine.
Coco Austin Being 'White Trash'
Coco Austin got shamed for taking her 2-year-old daughter, Chanel, to get a mani-pedi. People in the comments of her Instagram video said she was "white trash" and called the trip to the nail salon "ridiculous."
We're not really sure how getting a little girl's nails painted makes someone white trash, but OK?
Pink Giving 'Shallow' Advice
Pink gets mom-shamed pretty much every time she posts a new photo on social media, but this one is pretty absurd. In an interview with Cosmopolitan, the singer said that the advice she gives her daughter on guys is: "They have to be kind, respectful. They have to be chivalrous, they have to be good to their moms. They have to be good-looking, they have to be funny." Typical stuff, right?
Well, the "good-looking" part got Pink in hot water. Fans called her advice to her daughter "shallow" and "superficial."
How Kate Gosselin Parents Her Boys
Kate Gosselin has always gotten plenty of comments that fall into the shaming category — it's no wonder that she's since walked away from social media. The former Kate Plus 8 star got an especially large amount of criticism over the fact that her son Collin was sent to a school for special needs. No, it probably wasn't the right place for him (his dad, Jon Gosselin, eventually got custody of him), but plenty of people once used the opportunity to claim that she was "heartless" and "doesn't care" about her sons as much as she does her daughters.
How Much Mila Kunis Bathes Her Kids
During an appearance on Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast, Mila Kunis and husband Ashton Kutcher revealed that they don't bathe their kids very often, which led to a huge uproar online. "Now here's the thing: If you can see the dirt on them, clean them. Otherwise, there's no point," Ashton said of his and Mila's philosophy.
Needless to say, people weren't impressed.
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Audrey Roloff 'Putting Pressure' on Her Infant
Former Little People, Big World star Audrey Roloff is almost always positive and enjoys updating her followers on her family. But even a heartfelt, uplifting message to her daughter can cause the internet to criticize her. After Audrey shared on social media that she wants her daughter, who was her only child at the time, to always believe in herself and to "glow in all she does," followers insisted she was "putting pressure on an infant." Another person even called Audrey's post "judgmental." Huh?
Nikki Reed's Breastfeeding Brag
Not long after Nikki Reed had her first child, she posted this photo on Instagram with the caption: "On my way to present at @variety's #powerofwomen luncheon and this is my hot date. Kidding. I have another hot date. But this thing is definitely our third wheel."
Cute and harmless, right? Well, someone in her comments actually decided to go off on her, writing: "Another celeb setting unhealthy ideals for motherhood. Snapping back to a ridiculous size in a ridiculous time and bragging about breastfeeding and making it look easy when it's literally the hardest thing. But you're a feminist aren't you."
How on earth did we get here?!
Coco Austin's Sexy Wardrobe
It's no surprise that Coco Austin makes this list more than once — it seems like people are constantly finding issues with the way she raises her daughter. In fact, she was forced to defend her sexy wardrobe during an interview with Tamron Hall, since people apparently expected her to totally change the way she dresses after she became a mom.
"I'm underneath a microscope all the time, and you don't hear what good you do," she said. "You just hear a lot of bad. And I know I'm a good mother."
How Much Khloé Kardashian Holds Her Child
After Khloé Kardashian's daughter, True Thompson, accompanied her mom to a red carpet premiere, the haters were out in full force, accusing Khloé of holding her toddler too much. Of course, parents want to hold their children — Khloé included!
"For the people who comment that I hold True too much … No. 1 I'm gonna hold my baby until I can't hold her anymore," Khloé fired back. "No. 2 when there's tons of cameras around, flashing lights, [paparazzi] yelling things, I want my baby to feel safe."
Megan Fox's 'Gay Agenda'
After Megan Fox posted a rare photo of her kids, many angry people decided to hate on her little boy for wearing an Elsa dress. People said tons of ridiculous things, including: "People are so brainwashed by the gay agenda" and "[She's] going to hell for doing that to [her] son." REALLY?!
Kelly Clarkson's Unhealthy Snack
When Kelly Clarkson's daughter, River, tried Nutella for the first time, Kelly captured it in a cute video and posted it on Instagram. Mom-shamers couldn't even let this one slide. One person said: "Nutella is packed with sugar. Don't make your kids blow up too." Dang! Another wrote: "Nutella is hella bad for you." Can they chill on Kelly, please?
