As much as certain celebrity moms might want their pregnancies to stay as private as possible, that's no easy task when they're living in the spotlight and paparazzi are everywhere. But this past year and a half presented them with a totally different set of circumstances. Thanks to the fact that we've spent so much time in quarantine due to the ongoing health crisis, celebrity pregnancies are easier than ever to keep under wraps, and so many new parents have taken full advantage of one of the few silver linings that 2020 and 2021 have offered.
Not only are people spending more time at home these days, but movie and TV sets are only recently back open for business, meaning that these stars have had more time off of work than usual — and the perfect built-in excuse for not showing their faces publicly. That means it's been super easy for many of them to hide their pregnancies and new babies from the world, and some of them have even managed to keep the fact that they were ever pregnant at all a total secret until after their babies were born.
A number of celebrities hid their pregnancies during quarantine, and wow, it's pretty impressive to see how many secret babies have been born or are on the way! Read on to find out all the moms who were able to keep their pregnancies under cover — from Scarlett Johansson to Jessica Biel.
Scarlett Johansson
Pregnancy rumors dogged Scarlett Johansson beginning in July 2021 when she skipped a number of promotional events and interviews ahead of the premiere of her much-anticipated Black Widow movie, which she not only stars in but directed. Then she added even more fuel to the fire when she did several Zoom appearances where she curiously made sure that the camera showed her only from the shoulders up.
Finally, her husband, comedian Colin Jost, confirmed the widespread speculation, sharing the exciting baby news while performing a stand-up set in Connecticut in mid-August. "We're having a baby. It's exciting," he oh-so-casually told the audience, according to a source. Then, just days later, surprise — the baby had arrived! Scarlett's rep confirmed that she and Colin had welcomed a son, named Cosmo.
Gigi Hadid
Model Gigi Hadid kept her pregnancy quiet all summer long while she prepared to become a mom for the first time with singer Zayn Malik last year. But toward the end of her pregnancy, Gigi finally shared a few bump photos — that were gorgeous, obvs — leading up to her daughter Khai's birth.
Sophie Turner
Not only did Sophie Turner never officially confirm her pregnancy with her and Joe Jonas' first child, she also held off on sharing bump photos after news had broken that her daughter had arrived in July 2020. So far, she has yet to share a picture of her new baby girl, but she has shared a few baby bump throwback pics on Instagram, letting fans in on that sweet period of her life.
Mindy Kaling
Nobody knew that Mindy Kaling was pregnant, let alone that she had already given birth to a baby boy, until she appeared on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and announced the news for the first time. There, she shared that she now has a son named Spencer, joining his big sister, Katherine, 2. So far, she hasn't shared any bump photos or baby pics.
Amanda Seyfried
Amanda Seyfried blew us all away when she revealed that she and husband Thomas Sadoski welcomed a baby boy in September, when nobody even knew that she was pregnant! Since then, she's also shared a couple of throwback bump photos, filling us in on what the last few months of her life have been like. So exciting!
Katharine McPhee
Though this American Idol singer had been keeping it all a secret, eventually, news broke that Katharine McPhee was pregnant with her first child with husband David Foster. Their son, Rennie, was born in February 2021, and since then, Katharine has been keeping her fans updated on her adventures as a new mom.
Jessica Biel
Rumors were out there that Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake had welcomed their second child together, joining big brother Silas, and even though they never confirmed it, they didn't have to. During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Justin's former NSYNC band mate Lance Bass confirmed the news, sharing that he had seen pictures and yes, the baby is cute — duh.
Rachel McAdams
Though she never announced it herself, news broke in August 2020 that Rachel McAdams was pregnant with her second child with Jamie Linden. The super private Notebook star also never announced the baby's arrival, but it's safe to say she is officially a mom of two by now.
Lily Rabe
Lily Rabe gave birth to her second baby in June 2020 with boyfriend Hamish Linklater, but didn't share the news — or the fact that she had even been pregnant — until August, when she took to Instagram to share a bump photo with her followers. This baby joins their 3-year-old big sister, whose name has never been shared publicly.
Emma Roberts
Emma Roberts didn't reveal her pregnancy until she was already sporting a visible bump. It would be her first child with boyfriend Garrett Hedlund, and she announced by sharing her first belly photo and revealing that she's expecting a baby boy all in one fell swoop. Little Rhodes Robert Hedlund arrived just after Christmas 2020.
Rooney Mara
Though they managed to keep it private for a while, the news that Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix were expecting their first child together first broke in May. Then, in late September, director Viktor Kossakovsky confirmed that they'd welcomed a baby boy, and that they'd named him after Joaquin's late brother, River Phoenix.
Meghan McCain
Meghan McCain chose to hide as much of her pregnancy as possible, given the kind of troll comments she receives on social media about her and her late dad, Senator John McCain. Since then, she's revealed that she welcomed a daughter, Liberty Sage, and finally shared a photo of her baby girl in her arms a few weeks after her birth.
April Love Geary
It wasn't until late in her pregnancy that April Love Geary announced that she and fiancé Robin Thicke were expecting their third child together — which she did by showing off her pretty sizeable bump on Instagram. This baby joins big sisters Lola, 1, and Mia, 2, as well as Robin's son, Julian, 10, from his marriage to Paula Patton.
Cherry Seaborn
When it comes to their personal lives, Ed Sheeran and Cherry Seaborn are usually private people, so it's no surprise that they kept Cherry's pregnancy as quiet as possible, not announcing that she'd given birth to a baby girl until after their daughter — who they named Lyra Antarctica Seaborn Sheeran — had finally arrived.
Karla Souza
Actress Karla Souza kept her pregnancy a secret for as long as possible, announcing that she was pregnant less than a month before she gave birth. When her son, Luka, arrived, she wrote: "There's so much heaviness and injustice in the world and as a mother it makes me wonder what world my children are growing up into. Looking into Luka's eyes and watching Gianna as a big sister brings me so much hope and commitment to being a part of the change. Welcome to the world Luka."
Nicki Minaj
Though Nicki Minaj hinted here and there that she was pregnant, the rapper didn't fully reveal the news until she shared some dreamy bump photos on Instagram. Though Nicki has since given birth, it was only when she shared a sweet note congratulating her on becoming a mom from Beyoncé that she revealed her baby is a boy.
