8 Stars Who Showed Off Their Pregnancies While Filming, And 8 Who Basically Hid Them Under Oversized Clothes For A Season

Editor's note: This station contains a notation of miscarriage that whitethorn beryllium distressing to immoderate readers.

Have you ever wondered what happens erstwhile moving actors privation to commencement a family? Once contracts are signed and the occupation is underway, the large question becomes: Do they enactment the gestation into the character’s storyline, oregon bash they effort to fell it and support the archetypal crippled moving?

TV magic is wild. There are immoderate beauteous clever tricks actors and showrunners usage to fell a real-life gestation connected surface — oversized bags, escaped layers, well-placed props, you sanction it. But sometimes, a babe bump fits the crippled perfectly, truthful they simply clasp it and incorporated it into the story. That got maine thinking: Which on-screen pregnancies were really real? And adjacent juicier — which ones were existent and wholly hidden from the audience?

Let’s excavation in...starting with those who had their pregnancies written into their shows:

1. Remember erstwhile Phoebe was a surrogate for her member and gave commencement to triplets connected Friends? That storyline wasn’t conscionable for the drama. Lisa Kudrow was actually pregnant during Season 4. Honestly, if you've seen the show, it couldn't person gone immoderate different way. Phoebe wasn’t successful a presumption to person kids of her own. But stepping up to transportation a babe (or three!) for a household subordinate was soooo her.

Before each taping of Friends, the formed had a contented of huddling up, wishing each different bully luck, and saying, “I emotion you.” So, erstwhile Lisa Kudrow was pregnant, they included her babe successful the ritual too. Since they already knew the sanction and gender, they’d say, “Love you, small Julian!” It’s chaotic to deliberation that Julian is astir 30 now. TBH, what’s the cooler flex — saying your ma starred connected Friends, oregon that you were technically connected it too, with your full prenatal travel documented connected 1 of the biggest shows of each time? Either way, I'd enactment that connected my dating profile.

2. Pam’s archetypal gestation with Cece connected The Office was each TV magic...just a fake bump. But by Season 8, Jenna Fischer was large IRL, truthful the writers decided to reflector that and person Jim and Pam invited babe No. 2 — Phillip. It was 1 of those cleanable moments wherever existent beingness and the show’s storyline aligned naturally.

That’s besides erstwhile The Office introduced the dreaded storyline wherever Pam’s impermanent replacement, Kathy, tries to tempt Jim into cheating. Luckily, Jim ne'er gave her the clip of day...because, obviously, he’s Jim. But the crushed for Kathy’s beingness was that Jenna Fischer was connected maternity leave successful existent life, truthful the amusement needed idiosyncratic to capable successful portion Pam was away.

3. Fans were amazed erstwhile Sookie St. James had a 3rd babe connected Gilmore Girls truthful soon aft her and Jackson’s second. But the abrupt storyline wasn’t random. It was really written successful to accommodate Melissa McCarthy’s real-life pregnancy. The chaotic portion — and thing fans inactive statement — is that Sookie asked Jackson to get a vasectomy.

We ne'er really saw it confirmed; there’s conscionable the country wherever she tells him to bash it and a doc leads him away, implying it happened. But to marque consciousness of Melissa McCarthy’s real-life pregnancy, the writers wrote that Jackson lied astir going done with the surgery. And honestly, what’s worse? Scheduling your husband’s vasectomy without a existent conversation, oregon lying to your woman astir being “snipped”? Definitely the 2nd one. That prevarication sparked a season-long combat successful the last play that fans inactive can't get over.

4. Melissa Rauch didn’t conscionable amusement her real-life gestation connected The Big Bang Theory — she besides experienced a heartbreaking nonaccomplishment portion playing a quality who was continuing a pregnancy. During her archetypal on-screen pregnancy, Melissa wore a fake babe bump just months after having a miscarriage successful existent life. Filming those scenes portion privately grieving couldn’t person been easy, but she showed up with truthful overmuch grace — some arsenic herself and arsenic Bernadette.

After Melissa’s miscarriage, she soon became large again — and the showrunners utilized the accidental to constitute a 2nd gestation for Bernadette into The Big Bang Theory. Out of caution, some Melissa’s doc and the show’s squad agreed she should beryllium connected bed rest. So, they incorporated that into the amusement arsenic good — resulting successful a harmless filming situation and immoderate genuinely hilarious couch-bound scenes that gave Melissa a accidental to radiance without pushing her limits.

5. Melissa Fumero was really large during Season 3 of Brooklyn Nine-Nine — successful fact, her lad was calved five days after they wrapped the play — but since it didn’t acceptable Amy’s storyline astatine the time, the amusement hid it with classical tricks. But by Season 7, erstwhile Melissa was large again, the timing felt right. So the writers leaned successful and gave Amy and Jake a babe storyline that made cleanable consciousness for wherever their characters were headed.

In fact, due to the fact that Melissa was specified a badass connected the acceptable of play three, it ended up inspiring her character's future. The writers saw however hard Melissa worked portion large and realized that Amy could wholly bash the aforesaid astatine the Nine-Nine. So by the clip Melissa was large again successful existent life, they already had the cleanable storyline acceptable to go.

6. Lucille Ball was really large portion filming I Love Lucy, making her the archetypal pistillate to look visibly large connected a large American TV network. In a chaotic twist of timing, she gave commencement to her real-life lad conscionable 12 hours before the occurrence wherever Lucy goes to the infirmary to springiness commencement aired.

Back successful the ’50s, showing a gestation connected TV was considered beauteous scandalous — immoderate adjacent saw it arsenic inappropriate. At the time, the connection pregnant was banned from broadcast due to the fact that it implied sex, and sexually suggestive connection was off-limits. But Lucille’s hubby (and the show’s co-creator), Desi Arnaz, pushed back. He argued that childbirth is simply a earthy portion of beingness and should beryllium treated arsenic specified successful storytelling. So they worked astir the rules, utilizing coded presumption similar “expecting,” “with child,” oregon adjacent the French connection "enceinte" to get the constituent across.

7. When America Ferrera announced her archetypal gestation to the Superstore crew, the writers decided to enactment it into the show. At first, fans thought Amy’s babe mightiness beryllium the effect of her budding romance with Jonah. But successful a twist, it was revealed to beryllium from a one-night basal with her ex-husband.

By the clip America Ferrera was large with her 2nd child, they chose not to constitute it into Superstore. Instead, America decided it was the close infinitesimal to wrapper up her clip connected the amusement — focusing connected her family and pursuing caller projects beyond Cloud 9.

8. Alyson Hannigan’s archetypal gestation successful Season 4 of How I Met Your Mother was mostly covered up — with lone a cheeky motion to it during a hot canine eating contest flashback. But by Season 7, erstwhile Alyson was large again, the timing lined up perfectly. That’s erstwhile the writers decided it was clip for Marshall and Lily to commencement their household on-screen, too.

Since Alyson Hannigan’s pregnancies acceptable into some categories — hidden and written successful — it makes consciousness to blend them unneurotic here. During her archetypal pregnancy, erstwhile Alyson went connected maternity leave, the amusement explained Lily’s lack with a gag: Barney told specified an inappropriate joke that Lily avoided the radical for weeks. In reality, Alyson was location with her newborn, which is wherefore Lily disappeared from a fewer episodes.

Speaking of pregnancies that didn't marque it into the plot, let's spot which ones were hidden from fans...

9. When Mandy Moore was large during the 5th play of This Is Us, adjacent though flashbacks allowed for antithetic stages of the character's parenting, for astir scenes, they had to fell the pregnancy. Mandy kept moving close up until she was 38 weeks large — and successful an unthinkable spot of timing, she gave commencement to her real-life lad just 36 hours earlier the occurrence wherever her quality gives commencement aired.

Because of the mode This Is Us utilized changeless flashbacks, Mandy Moore’s gestation benignant of falls into some categories — hidden and written in. For the astir part, though, the amusement covered up her real-life bump with the usual tricks: oversized laundry baskets, layered clothing, baggy shirts, and elephantine purses.

10. Robin Scherbatsky was ne'er large connected How I Met Your Mother — but Cobie Smulders, the histrion down her, was during Season 4 (at the aforesaid clip Alyson Hannigan was pregnant, too). The amusement hid it with oversized jackets, blocking her tummy from the camera, and by perpetually giving Robin big things to carry.

Honestly, immoderate of these cover-ups are truthful impressive. Look! With that camera angle, you would person nary idea.

11. When Zooey Deschanel got large during Season 5 of New Girl, the writers handled it successful the astir amusive mode possible. Instead of penning gestation into Jess's plot, they wrote her disconnected for jury duty. But not conscionable immoderate assemblage duty. It was a ace top-secret lawsuit wherever the assemblage had to beryllium wholly sequestered from the extracurricular satellite to debar bias.

Before Zooey’s mini-exit successful Season 5, the amusement pulled each the classical tricks to fell her pregnancy. This is 1 of my faves: a super-long formal layered with a baggy cardigan and an oversized tote. It someway acceptable Jess’s aesthetic perfectly — you don’t question it for a second.

12. You cognize the full Angela-and-Andy “love story” arc successful Season 4 of The Office? In existent life, Angela Kinsey was large during that time. The infinitesimal it’s astir noticeable is astir apt Andy’s connection astatine Toby’s going-away enactment — erstwhile you know, you can’t unsee it.

I person to say, the grant for astir originative gestation cover-up connected TV goes to this one: an elaborate, double-swan crystal sculpture. The Office unit truly nailed the funniest imaginable mode to support Angela Kinsey’s gestation nether wraps — and I person to say, bravo!

13. It’s benignant of chaotic to deliberation that portion Courteney Cox was large successful existent life, her Friends character, Monica Geller, was successful the mediate of adopting a baby. Since her pregnancy came excessively precocious successful the play to realistically constitute into the show, adoption made consciousness for the storyline — particularly due to the fact that it was the last play of Friends.

They pulled retired each the classical tricks to fell her gestation — oversized bags, strategically held coats, and, sometimes, adjacent Phoebe’s head.

14. I honestly couldn’t judge it erstwhile I recovered retired Sarah Jessica Parker was large during Season 5 of Sex and the City. Her gestation really led to the play being cut short — with lone 10 episodes. Considering Season 4 had 18 and Season 6 had 20, that was a beauteous large trim.

Before the play was chopped short, Carrie was inactive serving standout looks — conscionable styled to disguise a babe bump. With a premix of clever camera angles, strategical props, and astute blocking, the amusement pulled disconnected the cleanable cover-up without missing a beat.

15. Julia Louis-Dreyfus was large during some Seasons 3 and 8 of Seinfeld — but you’d ne'er cognize it. And honestly, it would’ve made zero consciousness for Elaine to abruptly beryllium pregnant, truthful the writers kept it retired of the storyline and got originative with hiding her bump instead. Can you imagine? Seinfeild having a crippled through-line? Yeah, right.

That’s really wherefore Elaine doesn’t look successful the first 2 episodes of Season 4 — Julia Louis-Dreyfus was connected maternity leave. And honestly, looking backmost astatine the episodes she was successful portion pregnant, the amusement did an unthinkable occupation concealing it. Even successful stills, it's intolerable to archer from the antithetic camera angles.

16. This 1 shook me. I’m a immense Parks and Rec fan, and I had NO IDEA Amy Poehler was large during Season 3. Since Leslie had conscionable started dating Ben, it wouldn’t person made consciousness to constitute her into a gestation storyline — truthful the amusement kept it hidden.

They really filmed a batch of Amy’s episodes right aft Season 2 wrapped, truthful accumulation could support rolling portion she was connected maternity leave. And erstwhile her bump did commencement to show, the squad hid it seamlessly with each the classical TV tricks for disguising a pregnancy.

What astir you? Did you drawback immoderate of these hidden pregnancies portion watching? Or were you amazed to larn that immoderate on-screen pregnancies were really real-life babe bumps? Let maine cognize your thoughts successful the comments — I had no thought Amy Poehler was large during Season 3 of Parks and Rec, and I’ve seen that amusement astatine slightest six times!

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