--- title: "\"Women are judged, but men aren't\": Hilary Swank shows her baby bump for the first time and hits back at critics of late motherhood" description: "Hilary Swank showed off her growing baby bump for the first time since announcing her third pregnancy and, on Drew Barrymore's show, answered critics who judge women giving birth after 40 and 50." date: 2026-10-16T08:39:44.859Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/hilary-swank-hits-back-late-motherhood-critics tags: [hilary-swank, pregnancy, late-motherhood, drew-barrymore-show, hollywood] author: "Marina Slivenko" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # "Women are judged, but men aren't": Hilary Swank shows her baby bump for the first time and hits back at critics of late motherhood ![American actress Hilary Swank wearing a blue dress outdoors](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/16/hilari-svonk-otvetila-kritike-pozdnego-materinstva/hilari-svonk-otvetila-kritike-pozdnego-materinstva-1.webp) ## Key Points - Hilary Swank publicly showed her baby bump for the first time since announcing her third pregnancy during a visit to Drew Barrymore's show in New York on October 15. - During the broadcast, the actress pointed out double standards: women who give birth at an older age face harsher criticism than male parents. - Responding to a stranger's harsh comment about being "too old" for motherhood, Swank recalled her close bond with her late father. - The actress announced her pregnancy on October 14 via an Instagram video, calling her future child "the best Christmas gift". 52-year-old American actress and two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank has stepped out publicly with a rounded belly for the first time since announcing her third pregnancy. On October 15, the star visited the studio of The Drew Barrymore Show in New York, and after recording the show, she was photographed wearing a cropped top that revealed her baby bump. This marked her first public appearance since announcing she is expecting her third child, and it was on the show's broadcast that Swank spoke candidly about the criticism faced by women who decide to have children after 40 and 50. ### Double standards in parenthood In a conversation with host Drew Barrymore, the actress raised the topic of society's unequal attitude toward older parents. "Women who have children later in life face a lot of criticism. But men don't. And that's interesting," Swank noted. Barrymore supported her guest, remarking that men can become parents even in their 80s, while society reacts far less harshly to this than to similar decisions made by women. ### A personal story: the loss of her father as an argument A special place in the conversation was occupied by a comment from a woman that Swank said particularly stuck with her. The unknown author reproached the actress for allegedly being too old for motherhood and potentially not living to see her children grow up. The commenter also shared that she lost her father in her twenties and still struggles with his death. Swank confessed that this story touched her personally, as she also lost a father with whom she shared a very close relationship. "My dad passed away too, but he was one of my favorite people in the world. And I thought it's better to be born, have that person by your side and go through this experience, than not have that opportunity at all," the actress explained, making it clear that for her, the relationship between parents and children matters more than the age at which a person becomes a mother or father. ### How Swank announced her pregnancy The actress announced the addition to her family on October 14 with an unusual Instagram video. In the clip, she danced in the dark alongside her husband, Philip Schneider, and their children with glow sticks attached to their clothes, while a small figure symbolizing the future baby could be seen on Swank's stomach. "A lot of people have been asking what project I'm working on. This one drops in December," the celebrity joked. In a conversation with People magazine, she confessed that she feels great and called the future baby the best Christmas gift. ### Family and career: why Swank became a mom at 50 Hilary Swank and Philip Schneider married in 2018. In April 2023, the actress became a mother for the first time, giving birth to twins—daughter Aya and son Ohm; she was 48 years old at the time. Previously, the star explained that she had dreamed of having children at a younger age, but life circumstances turned out differently. Now, having a successful career, she says she can devote more time to her family and determine her own work schedule, making the decision to have a third child conscious and well-considered. ## Fact-Check & Sources - ["Женщин осуждают, а мужчин - нет": Хиллари Свонк ответила на критику позднего материнства](https://wave.rbc.ua/ukr/stars/zhinok-zasudzhuyut-cholovikiv-ni-gilari-svonk-1792136864.html) - Primary source: contains all key facts — the studio visit on October 15, the pregnancy announcement via Instagram video on October 14, Swank and Barrymore's quotes, and family background (marriage to Philip Schneider in 2018, twins in April 2023). ## FAQ ### When did Hilary Swank first show her baby bump after announcing her pregnancy? On October 15, after recording The Drew Barrymore Show in New York, she was photographed in a cropped top revealing her stomach. ### What did Swank say about the criticism of women giving birth at an older age? She noted that women face much more criticism than men who become parents later in life, calling it an "interesting" double standard. ### How did the actress announce her third pregnancy? On October 14, she posted an Instagram video dancing in the dark with glow sticks alongside her husband Philip Schneider and their children, with a baby figurine on her stomach. ### How many children did Hilary Swank have before this pregnancy? Two: daughter Aya and son Ohm, born as twins in April 2023 when the actress was 48 years old.