11 surprising ways celebrities announced they were pregnant

rihanna super bowl 2023
Rihanna performs at the 2023 Super Bowl.Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
  • Some celebrities announce their pregnancy on Instagram, while others go the extra mile.

  • Emily Ratajkowski announced her baby news in a short film directed by Lena Dunham.

  • Beyoncé, Cardi B, and Rihanna revealed their baby bumps during live performances.

Emily Ratajkowski announced her baby news in a short film directed by Lena Dunham.

Emily Ratajkowski walking down the street with pregnant belly showing.
Emily Ratajkowski.Robert Kamau/Getty Images

In 2020, Ratajkowski partnered with Vogue to release an essay and a short film titled "Who Will You Be?" to announce her pregnancy. The film is directed by Lena Dunham and is narrated by Ratajkowski herself.

"One day soon, so very soon, your presence will be real," Ratajkowski said in the film. "I cannot wait to see who you will be."

The video also splices together intimate moments of Ratajkowski in the early days of her pregnancy.

"I wanted to see Emily doing mundane things and focus more on her daily life than on her belly, and more on her inner monologue than on the way the world reacts to a newly pregnant mom," Dunham told Vogue.

Ratajkowski gave birth in March 2021 to Sylvester Apollo Bear.

Comedian Jenny Slate showed off her baby bump for the first time on "Late Night with Seth Meyers" by joking she ate too much bread while in quarantine.

Seth Meyers on the left and Jenny Slate's pregnant belly on the right.
Jenny Slate announcing she is pregnant.NBC

During an appearance on "Late Night with Seth Meyers" in 2020, Meyers asked the comedian how her last nine months have been during the pandemic.

"I kind of hunkered down and I baked a lot of bread," Slate said in the interview. "I think I might have baked too much bread, or eaten too much bread — you tell me."

Slate proceeded to stand up and show off her baby bump.

"How have the exact last nine months been?" Slate joked.  "They've been very pregnant for me."

She and her fiance, Ben Shattuck, welcomed their baby girl in February 2021.

Katy Perry announced her pregnancy in her music video for "Never Worn White."

Katy Perry wears a white dress in her music video for "Never Worn White" announcing her pregnancy
Katy Perry.Capitol Records

In March 2020, Katy Perry dropped her whimsical music video for "Never Worn White." In the video, you can see the musician cradling her bump, announcing her pregnancy with Orlando Bloom's baby. After dropping the video, Perry confirmed the news in an Instagram Live video.

"I am excited. We're excited and happy and it's probably the longest secret I've ever had to keep," she said in the video, according to E! News. "And I like to tell you guys everything but I knew I would tell you in the best way, which is through a piece of music because that's ... I guess that's how I speak to you. That's how we speak together to each other."

Perry gave birth to her daughter, Daisy, in 2020.

After months of speculation, Kylie Jenner officially announced her pregnancy in a short film titled "To Our Daughter."

kylie jenner pregnancy announcement video, waving at camera with baby bump
Kylie Jenner.Kylie Jenner/YouTube

Kylie Jenner dropped a nearly 12-minute video back in February 2018 after stepping out of the spotlight to hide her pregnancy from the world. The video titled "To Our Daughter" contains shots of the mogul celebrating and preparing for her pregnancy, picking out baby clothes, and finally giving birth to her daughter, Stormi, on February 1, 2018.

The video has now been viewed over 92 million times.

Cardi B surprised the world with a baby bump during her "Saturday Night Live" performance.

Cardi B on stage at SNL wearing a white dress with baby bump.
Cardi B.NBC/Getty Images

In 2018, Cardi B was the musical guest on "Saturday Night Live." During her second performance, the camera held tight on the singer's upper body as she sing "Be Careful." Slowly, the camera pulled out, revealing Cardi B's baby bump.

Cardi B gave birth to her daughter, Kulture, on July 10, 2018. Fellow rapper Offset is her father.

Cardi B announced her second pregnancy during another performance.

A pregnant Cardi B stands next to Offset on stage at BET Awards.
Cardi B and Offset.Johnny Nunez / Getty

During the BET Awards in June 2021, Cardi B showed off her baby bump for the first time in a full-body suit, announcing she's pregnant with her second baby with her husband, Offset.

After the performance, Cardi B posted a series of maternity photos to her Instagram, writing,  "We listened to each other, communicated, prayed, and then God blessed us and our family with another little blessing. Our home feels so blissful and very busy, but we are ready and so happy!! Thank you soo much everyone for the congrats and well wishes."

The child, a baby boy, was born in September 2021.

Serena Williams accidentally announced she was pregnant on Snapchat.

Serena Williams in a yellow swimsuit showing off her baby bump in the mirror.
Serena Williams.Snapchat

In 2017, Serena Williams was tracking her pregnancy by taking pictures of herself every week. On week 20, the tennis star accidentally posted the photo to her Snapchat story. Realizing her mistake, she quickly took it down, but fans took it as an official pregnancy announcement.

"I've been just saving it, but you know how social media is – you press the wrong button and … My phone doesn't ring that much, and 30 minutes later, I'd missed four calls. So I picked it up and realized, 'Oh no,'" Williams told Gayle King.

Williams gave birth to her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr., on September 1, 2017. She is her first child with husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.

Liam Payne's then-girlfriend Cheryl Cole revealed her pregnancy in a L'Oreal campaign.

cheryl cole and liam payne on the red carpet.
Cheryl Cole and Liam Payne.Francois Mori, File/AP

After months of speculation, singer Cheryl Cole quietly confirmed her pregnancy with Liam Payne in 2017 by cradling her baby bump in a campaign photo shoot for L'Oreal and The Prince's Trust. In the pictures, Cole stands with her baby bump next to notables like Helen Mirren.

Cole gave birth to a son, Bear Grey Payne, in 2017.

Ellie Kemper of "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" made the big announcement on "The Tonight Show."

Ellie Kemper pointing to her baby bump on the set of Jimmy Fallon's show.
Ellie Kemper and Jimmy Fallon.NBC/Getty Images

Back in 2016, Ellie Kemper told Jimmy Fallon on his late-night show that she was pregnant, announcing the news to the world for the first time. During her interview segment, Kemper said that one of the first people she told was Tina Fey.

"We had a table read and I saw that my character had to be on a roller coaster. ... I felt like a pregnant lady on a roller coaster was not ideal so I did tell have to tell my boss, Tiny Fey, maybe you have heard of her," she said, jokingly. "I told her before I told my mom."

Kemper gave birth to a son, James Miller, in July 2016. He was her first child with husband Michael Koman. Their second child, Matthew, was born in 2019.

During her performance at MTV's Video Music Awards, Beyoncé revealed she was pregnant.

Beyonce on stage at the VMAs showing off baby bump.
Beyoncé at the VMAs.Kristian Dowling/Getty Images

In 2011, Beyoncé opened her performance of "Love on Top" at the MTV's Video Music Awards by saying, "I want you to feel the love that is growing inside of me." By the end of the performance, the audience learned exactly what she meant.

After her song, Beyoncé dropped the mic, unbuttoned her sparkled jacket, and revealed her baby bump for the first time. The camera then cut to her husband, Jay Z, and Kanye West celebrating in the audience.

Blue Ivy was born on January 7, 2012. The couple also has two other children, twins Sir and Rumi, who were born in 2017.

Rihanna revealed that she's expecting her second child during her Super Bowl halftime performance.

rihanna super bowl 2023
Rihanna.Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Rihanna wore an all-red ensemble while performing hits like "Umbrella" and "Diamonds" at the Super Bowl halftime show in 2023. Her jumpsuit was unzipped below her belly button, accentuating a baby bump, which the singer appeared to caress throughout the performance, Insider's Callie Ahlgrim reported.

A representative for Rihanna confirmed her pregnancy to The Hollywood Reporter. She welcomed her first child, a baby boy, in May 2022.

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