The actor said that his response was “a very natural follow-up” to their conversation, adding, “That’s all it was.”

Jason Bateman addresses backlash over telling Charli XCX she may change her mind about not wanting kids

The actor said that his response was "a very natural follow-up" to their conversation, adding, "That's all it was."

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and *NME*.

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February 18, 2026 3:09 p.m. ET

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Jason Bateman attends the world premiere of 'Zootopia' 2 on Nov. 13, 2025; Charli XCX attends 'The Moment' UK premiere on Feb. 17, 2026. Credit:

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty; Karwai Tang/WireImage

Jason Bateman is addressing the backlash that he received for telling Charli XCX that she may one day change her mind about not wanting to have children.

The *Arrested Development *actor, 57, came under fire earlier this month after he told the “Chains of Love” singer, 33, that her perspective on starting a family could change in the future. His comment drew swift ire on the internet, with many criticizing Bateman for suggesting that Charli might want kids despite her stating the opposite. **

When asked about the incident in a recent *Hollywood Reporter* interview, Bateman said, “We were having a great conversation about her life growing up as an only child. It seemed like a very natural follow-up to that. That’s all it was.”

ason Bateman attends the 16th Governors Awards at the Ray Dolby Ballroom on Nov. 16, 2025 in Hollywood, Calif.

Amy Sussman/Getty

He continued, “I don’t really have much [else] to say about it, except that it is always interesting and valuable and educational to hear people’s thoughts, reactions and feelings to anything I say or do.”

Bateman and Charli found themselves discussing children on a recent episode of the *SmartLess* podcast, which he cohosts alongside longtime pals Sean Hayes and Will Arnett.

"I actually don't really want to have kids,” Charli said at the time. When asked why, she replied, “You know, who knows? That could change.”

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The three-time Grammy winner explained that she loved “the fantasy of having a child,” which she said was “exactly a sign to me as to why I should not have one.” She added, “The fact that that feels like the coolest part about it? Maybe I'm not ready."**

It was then that Bateman chimed in to share that “all that could change” for Charli, noting that his wife, Amanda Anka, didn’t want children prior to them getting together.

"I mean, I guess I'm backing into giving myself a half-assed compliment here, but my wife did not want to have kids, so the story goes,” he explained. “She said once we started going out, she thought, 'OK, I think I can have a kid with this guy.' So you might find somebody.’”

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Charli, in response, informed Bateman that she is married to the 1975 drummer and record producer George Daniel. The chart-topping couple tied the knot in July 2025 after three years of dating.

A laughing Bateman owned up to the error, adding, “I’ve got to read a newspaper one of these days.”

George Daniel and Charli XCX attend the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party on March 12, 2023 in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Kevin Mazur/VF23/WireImage

But Charli wasn’t offended. "That's okay," she replied. "I knew immediately where you were going to go and how I was going to respond, so I was looking forward to it."

To which Bateman quipped back, “Maybe your next husband, you're gonna want to have kids with him."

Still, his comments rubbed some social media users the wrong way, with one writing on X: “btw, if a woman says she doesn’t wanna have kids, THEN THATS THE END OF THE STORY. saying ‘maybe you’ll change your mind when you get married…’ is GROSS.”

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