How Did Your Favorite TV Show Work Around A Star Pregnancy?
It’s pretty common for television shows to face a star becoming pregnant in the middle of a season, meaning plans for characters and production become tricky. Luckily, the savvy producers and writers who populate the industry always find a solution to potential challenges like this.
Phylicia Rashad On The Cosby Show
Phylicia Rashad in the third season of The Cosby Show was maybe the textbook example of hiding a star’s pregnancy on a show. It almost set the template, one could say.
NBC, The Cosby Show (1984-1992)
Phylicia Rashad On The Cosby Show
The solution to hiding the actress’ pregnancy became, well, about, hiding. Her character was framed throughout the season behind objects or simply wearing baggy clothes.
NBC, The Cosby Show (1984-1992)
Ellen Pompeo On Grey’s Anatomy
During the sixth season of Grey’s Anatomy, show star Ellen Pompeo became pregnant. The writers had to come up with a solution to work around it.
Ellen Pompeo On Grey’s Anatomy
The medical drama thus had her character go through a liver transplant to her father, which forced her to be on bed rest. A good solution that matched the subject of the show.
Jessica Capshaw On Grey’s Anatomy
Speaking of Grey’s Anatomy, Pompeo’s co-star Jessica Capshaw’s pregnancy also needed a workaround from the show’s writers in the seventh season.
Jessica Capshaw On Grey’s Anatomy
Capshaw’s character took a leave of absence, by heading to Africa. The writers also used it as an excuse for the character to break up with her partner on the show, fueling even more drama.
Julie Bowen On Modern Family
You might not believe Modern Family star Julie Bowen was eight-and-a-half months pregnant while filming the long-running sitcom’s pilot episode in 2009.
ABC, Modern Family (2009-2020)
Julie Bowen On Modern Family
Run the tape back and you’ll notice how often Bowen is shot behind either pillows or blankets. They made the most of the suburban home setting.
ABC, Modern Family (2009-2020)
Melissa Benoist On Supergirl
She may have been the titular character on the show, but when star Melissa Benoist became pregnant in 2020, The CW’s Supergirl had to devise a solution.
Melissa Benoist On Supergirl
Thankfully, being based on decades worth of comic books, it wasn’t too hard for the writers of Supergirl to find a solution. Instead, the titular superhero spent multiple episodes trapped in an interdimensional prison called The Phantom Zone.
Melissa Fumero On Brooklyn Nine-Nine
The writers of Brooklyn Nine-Nine largely chose to work around star Melissa Fumero’s pregnancy in the fourth season. For one episode, they made a notable exception, though.
NBC, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013-2021)
Melissa Fumero On Brooklyn Nine Nine
During a season 4 episode, Fumero revealed her real-life baby bump when the character went undercover as pregnant during a sting operation.
NBC, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013-2021)
Gillian Anderson On The X Files
Gillian Anderson, who so memorably portrayed Agent Scully on The X Files, became pregnant early in the show’s run, forcing the writers to be creative.
Gillian Anderson On The X Files
The solution the writers came up with was of course pertinent to the show’s extraterrestrial themes. Scully would be abducted by aliens!
Zooey Deschanel On New Girl
Zooey Deschanel’s charming performance on the Fox sitcom New Girl helped coin the term “adorkable”. That being said, when she fell pregnant during the fifth season, her character, Jess, still needed to take a bit of a break.
Zooey Deschanel On New Girl
The writers of New Girl turned to a realistic explanation for Jess to take a brief absence from the show. What was it? Jury duty!
Amy Poehler On Parks And Recreation
Few can imagine the popular NBC sitcom Parks And Recreation without its star Amy Poehler, so when she became pregnant near the end of the second season, writing her character off the show briefly wasn’t an option for the showrunners.
NBC, Parks And Recreation (2009-2015)
Amy Poehler On Parks And Recreation
Thus, to accommodate Poehler and the third season’s required September 2010 start date, the production had to acquire an unconventional method. Six episodes of the third season were instantly filmed after the second had finished instead of the usual quarterly break between.
NBC, Parks And Recreation (2009-2015)
Debra Messing On Will And Grace
Debra Messing was one of the most beloved television stars in America during the height of Will And Grace’s popularity. So the show had to be delicate around the star’s pregnancy during the sixth season.
Debra Messing On Will And Grace
The writers eventually had to devise an excuse for her character to be bedridden when Messing was far along. In turn, the writers gave Grace food poisoning.
Lauren Lane On The Nanny
When Lauren Lane became pregnant during the fifth season of The Nanny, the show employed the usual methods of hiding her body throughout. One moment was particularly clever, though.
Lauren Lane On The Nanny
How did they cleverly hide the pregnancy in one scene? By having Lane hold a giant sign that said “baby” over her bump.
Kristen Bell On House of Lies
The Don Cheadle-starring House of Lies was one of those shows that could run for up to five seasons without much publicity or fanfare. But a method to conceal Cheadle’s co-star’s pregnancy was worth attention.
Showtime, House Of Lies (2012-2016)
Kristen Bell On House of Lies
In what seems like a first, at least in terms of public record, show star Kristen Bell had her baby bump digitally removed in the show’s second season. That would probably be the easiest solution for all shows going forward.
Showtime, House Of Lies (2012-2016)
Jane Leeves On Frasier
One of the most popular characters on Frasier was Daphne, as portrayed by Jane Leeves. Fans were happy to see her and Niles finally start dating in the show’s seventh season, but soon the arc turned sour.
Jane Leeves On Frasier
Due to Leeves’ real-life pregnancy, the writers devised a weight gain plotline where the stress of the relationship leads to Daphne becoming a compulsive over-eater. The increasingly large fat suits they put her in are pretty regrettable.
Sarah Jessica Parker On Sex And The City
Nobody can imagine Sex And The City without the show’s lead character Carrie, so a workaround had to be found for star Sarah Jessica Parker when she became pregnant during the fifth season.
HBO, Sex And The City (1998-2004)
Sarah Jessica Parker On Sex And The City
Being that Sex And The City was such an important show for fashion, how Carrie was dressed was taken into very heavy consideration. For one, she made babydoll tops fashionable again!
HBO, Sex And The City (1998-2004)
Marcia Cross On Desperate Housewives
When Desperate Housewives star Marcia Cross became pregnant with twins during the hit show’s third season, pretty conventional methods of shooting were employed to hide it, but things came to a point where there had to be more workaround.
ABC, Desperate Housewives (2004-2012)
Marcia Cross On Desperate Housewives
To accommodate Cross in the late stages of her pregnancy, the show moved production to the actress’ actual house as she was put under bed rest.
ABC, Desperate Housewives (2004-2012)
Alyson Hannigan On How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother star Alyson Hannigan had two pregnancies during the show’s nine-season run. The second time it happened, it was integrated into the show, but the first had an amusing way of being hidden.
CBS, How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014)
Alyson Hannigan On How I Met Your Mother
During a season four episode, Hannigan showed off her pregnant stomach under the justification of a “food baby” from a hot dog eating contest.
CBS, How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014)
Charisma Carpenter On Angel
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel star Charisma Carpenter’s pregnancy was reportedly a source of tension between her and tyrannical showrunner Joss Whedon. Allegedly, she was fired from the show due to it.
Charisma Carpenter On Angel
How was it integrated into the show before her departure? Her character Cordelia became pregnant with a demon and then died.
Hunter Tylo On Melrose Place
One of the most highly publicized examples of how pregnant actresses are mistreated was Hunter Tylo, who was cast on the popular melodrama Melrose Place, but fired before even getting to shoot a single episode.
Frantogian, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Hunter Tylo On Melrose Place
As soon as Tylo had publicly announced her pregnancy, she was swiftly replaced by actress Lisa Rinna. The producers cited she wouldn’t be able to play the “sexy” character. Tylor successfully sued the producers of the show over the unjust firing.
FOX, Melrose Place (1992-1999)
Lisa Bonet On The Cosby Show
Lisa Bonet became a notable star based on her performance as Denise Huxtable on The Cosby Show, which led to her landing saucy roles in films like Angel Heart. That being said, her pregnancy in season six of the show caused some drama behind the scenes.
NBC, The Cosby Show (1984-1992)
Lisa Bonet On The Cosby Show
Unfortunately for Bonet, conservative show creator Bill Cosby was none too pleased with her pregnancy, because it meant that the character would have to be portrayed as an unwed mother. She was written to be away at college in the fifth season until being outright fired in the sixth.
NBC, The Cosby Show (1984-1992)
January Jones On Mad Men
January Jones was considered one of the breakout stars of Mad Men’s first season, due to the actress delivering an exceptionally subtle performance as a model turned bored housewife in 1960s America.
January Jones On Mad Men
When Jones became pregnant, though, the writers devised a controversial storyline where her character Betty gained considerable weight. Jones still had to don a fatsuit for the storyline, which she reportedly cried upon first seeing herself in.
