“It is a bit different of an experience.”
When Rebel Wilson announced the birth of her first child, Royce Lillian, in November, fans were quick to express their excitement. Up until the news, Wilson had largely been making headlines for her health and fitness transformation, which was kickstarted mainly due to her own health concerns and struggles with fertility. It was apparent that for Wilson, children were something she wanted in her life, and she would do anything to make such a thing happen.
For Wilson and her partner, that meant welcoming a baby girl into the world via surrogate. But as the actor has since revealed, the process was one that left her feeling somewhat disconnected. The 42-year-old took to Instagram to reveal the news, captioning a post of the adorable newborn in a pastel pink onesie and unicorn socks: “Beyond proud to announce the birth of my first child, Royce Lillian, born this past week via surrogate. I can’t even describe the love I have for her, she’s a beautiful miracle!”
Wilson added, “I am forever grateful to everyone who has been involved, (you know who you are), this has been years in the making…but particularly wanted to thank my gorgeous surrogate who carried her and birthed her with such grace and care. Thank you for helping me start my own family, it’s an amazing gift. The BEST gift!!”
Now, more than a month later, Wilson is reflecting on the whole experience and revealed in an interview with TODAY that the process actually began years earlier, in 2020. “I was getting to 40, and I was like, ‘I really do want to become a mother,’” explained Wilson. “But at the time, I didn’t have a partner, and so I went to the fertility doctor,” she added, going on to say that she began trying IVF only for the process to fail her.
Soon after exhausting her options, Wilson turned to surrogacy. “I was still young enough to try a few more times, and then luckily got my gorgeous baby girl. Having a baby via a surrogate is a bit different of an experience because in a way, you feel a little disconnected,” said Wilson.
Even so, Wilson was quick to express the joys of motherhood and how profoundly it has changed her life since welcoming her baby girl. “You hold the baby and cut the umbilical cord and literally from – from that moment on, you’re just like – it was just, like, amazing and so emotional,” she said.
For Wilson, juggling her acting career and parenthood has brought with it a number of challenges, but ultimately it’s something she would never trade. “It’s really challenging. I have this big international career and – you know, I’m like, the breadwinner of my family – I like to think. So it’s really challenging too, like, ‘Well, now how do I do all the things be a great mother and great partner and all of that?’”
Despite navigating motherhood and the challenges that arise, Wilson admits that getting healthy has only made her a more present parent and helped her in the long run. In 2019, she expressed to PEOPLE that her desire to become a mother was prompted after a visit to a fertility doctor, who told her she would see better results if she was healthier.
“I was taken aback. I thought, ‘Oh, God. This guy’s so rude.’ He was right,” said Wilson. “I was carrying around a lot of excess weight. It’s almost like I didn’t think of my own needs. I thought of a future child’s needs that really inspired me to get healthier.”
