Vanessa Hudgens confirms birth of child, slams photo leak: 'Disrespected and exploited'

LOS ANGELES, CALIF. -- SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2019: Actress Vanessa Hudgens sits for portraits at the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, Calif., on Nov. 17, 2019. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Vanessa Hudgens confirmed she gave birth to her first child with husband Cole Tucker. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times )

Vanessa Hudgens confirmed she gave birth to her first child a day after paparazzi photos of her leaving the hospital were circulated online.

Hudgens, who shares the baby with her husband, professional baseball player Cole Tucker, slammed the leaked images on her Instagram story Thursday. TMZ and Page Six published the photos on Wednesday.

"We're disappointed that our family's privacy was disrespected and exploited during this very special time due to the greed of a long lens camera feeding the media," Hudgens wrote. "Despite all of that, mom dad and baby are happy and healthy."

Tucker, who turned 28 on Wednesday, reposted the statement on his Instagram story.

Hudgens announced her pregnancy news at the 2024 Oscars in March, where she debuted her baby bump on the red carpet.

Read more: Who you gonna call? Vanessa Hudgens, who talks to ghosts

In May, the same month she was crowned the winner of Season 11 of "The Masked Singer," Hudgens told E! News about her plans for motherhood.

"I'll show my kids all my work," the 35-year-old actor-singer, a former Disney Channel star, said. "That's why I chose things along the way in my career. I wanted to make sure that when I did have kids, there would be something for them to watch at every age."

“The Princess Switch” star and the baseball player met at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in the most COVID-19 way: over Zoom. Hudgens made the first move and “fully just slid into his DMs.”

The couple announced their engagement in February 2023 with a joint Instagram post. In December, they tied the knot in a Mexico wedding.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.