20 Actresses Who Had To Hide Their Pregnancies To Keep Their Job

In Hollywood, there is a trend when actresses hide their pregnancy to continue a project they have been assigned. It is not necessarily a great way to work, but yes for some it is necessary as otherwise they would be dropped from the project. When it comes to a series, there is a great challenge as the actress has worked a long way to gain recognition in the industry while fitting that particular role. When the actress is in the initial months of pregnancy, they never reveal it as they feel they could be dropped from the project. Usually, the actresses never make an official announcement of their pregnancy. The directors and producers have to alter some scenes to hide their baby bump. The creative team places the camera at such an angle that the baby bump is barely visible.

Well, in some cases like a long series, the producers either shorten the role of the actress or rush through filming so that they have a smaller belly to work with. Replacements are sometimes used, a cameo of a new celeb to fill the role but that does not always work with fans. It is no doubt a great challenge for any actress to act normally on the sets and tactically hide their bumps. We have studied certain cases where the actress didn’t reveal her pregnancy but concealed it in a smart way, thereby not letting the public know that she is pregnant.

It’s interesting to know the stories how their pregnancy was actually hidden from the public. Let’s go through such interesting tales and know about the experience of the actors.

ALYSON HANNIGAN HIDING PREGNANCY THROUGH HER ROLES

Alyson Hannigan is a popular American actress who is best known for her role as Willow Rosenberg on the TV series ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer.’ When she became pregnant, she didn’t stop working. Instead of getting behind the screens, she accepted her roles, worked with full vigor and her directors changed the scenes so that it suited her health conditions. According to a source from Business Insider, she became pregnant twice while she was doing her part in ‘How I met your mother.’

The first time her pregnancy was hidden, and the second time the directors decided about taking a humorous stand. The first time, she was shown hidden behind the globes and basketballs. Next time, the directors decided that she should be shown full height. There was a sequence where Alyson was going for a hot dog eating competition. Her baby bump was shown, and that of course took a hilarious angle. Viewers thought that it was a part of the scene. Whenever she was shown full height, she used to be given loose clothing and also bags.

Alyson is definitely one heck of an actress. She has the guts to pose in a humorous way and take up challenging things in life. (Source: Businessinsider.com)

AMY POEHLER SAT BEHIND DESKS AND BENCHES

Amy Poehler is an American actress, voice artist, director, writer and producer who became a part of Chicago’s troupe, ‘Upright Citizen’s Brigade.’ She worked for the ‘Parks and Recreation’ shooting where this funny shows actually adapted due to her pregnancy. The third season of the serial actually got a nice wrap up so that she could get a good break from her work. Amy was mostly found dressed in suits and loose fitting dresses. Something was worth noticing that she always sat behind the desks and benches so that her baby bump could be kept out of sight of the public easily. Might be Amy worked with the directors this way so that her pregnancy would not affect her show.

She never spoke about her pregnancy but preferred to keep it a secret. Later on, after giving birth she talked openly about being a parent. She joked about being a working mom, and saying that staying at home with her kids was a great job. We don't blame her, there is nothing more annoying than going to work, even if you are an actor. It must be nice to kick back and relax with your kids and get to do whatever you want. (Source: Closerweekly.com, Businessinsider.com)

CLAIRE DANES HID HER PREGNANCY DURING THE FILMING OF HOMELANd

While Claire was working for the Howard Stern Show, she dropped the surprise news that she was expecting a second child soon. Claire was already a mom to 5-year-old Cyrus Michael Christopher, with her husband, Hugh Dancy. The actress didn’t only keep her pregnancy a secret, but also tried to hide it from her Homeland co-stars. When she appeared on ‘The Tonight Show,’ she mentioned that she intentionally kept the cast and crew of the show in the dark.

She admitted that being secretive was not an easy job. She told Jimmy Fallon that the days she was filming for the show, she used to feel rotten and was not allowed to say why she felt so. This means that she definitely had some tough days where she couldn't say how she really felt, even though she probably felt terrible.

The life of a celebrity tends to be full of sacrifices. They are bound by contractual rules that do not allow them to have normal pregnancies. And in case they become pregnant, they try to keep it a secret for fear of being thrown away from the project. (Source: People.com, Businessinsider.com)

COURTENEY COX PREGNANT at the end of friends

Courteney Cox is an American actress-director popularly known for her character played in "Friends" and also horror series "Scream." When she got pregnant on the series of Friends, the writers landed up in a problem as the storyline could not be altered. Monica and Chandler as per the story could not conceive, and the characters had already opted for adoption. In this time, Cox became pregnant with her daughter Coco. Just to hide her pregnancy Monica had to wear loose clothes until the end of the show.

The directors had a number of techniques that they used to show she was not pregnant on the show. They definitely used good camera angles in order to film her from the spot that would not show. Alongside that and her loose clothes, she was often seen in the back of something or carrying something that would block her stomach. Although Courteney’s baby bump was clearly visible at the end of the series, the directors still tried their best to ensure that it would not be seen.

Well, we understand that she preferred hiding her belly as she could be barred from featuring in the projects she signed for. But we appreciate the fact that she still played Monica as brilliantly as ever, even though she may not have been feeling her absoulte best.(Source: Reelrundown.com, Businessinsidr.com)

DEBRA MESSING's mess

Debra Messing had been pregnant with her son, Roman Walker Zelman during the Season-6 of the hit show 'Will and Grace'. The fans actually criticized the director as he couldn’t entirely hide the pregnancy of Debra. The scenes used to be planned in a way as if the actress started wearing loose-fitting dresses instead of chic tight-fitting outfits. During the last days of her pregnancy, she had to quit the series "Will and Grace."

Initially, she had to hide her pregnancy, but later the directors covered her pregnancy in the script, and she was expected to play in the same way. Also, there was a rumor reading her pregnancy in the series, but then fans came to know that she was pregnant in reality. Debra became an Emmy winner and said that she wants to spend more and more time with her son.

It is unfortunate that the show got some backlash due to all of this, but what matters to everyone is just the fact that she managed to keep her cool as long as she could. It wasn't her fault that it didn't end up working out, it was definitely the directors. (Source: Closerweekly.com, Businessinsider.com)

ELLEN POMPEO'S HALF BODY SHOWN TO HIDE PREGNANCY

Ellen Pompeo is the American actress, producer, and director who is also the highest paid TV actress. She was working on the series ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ which was the beginning of Season Six. The show shot her from her neck, back, or using angles that suited them so as not to show the bump. Then there was the plot point in which her character Meredith actually donated her liver to her father Thatcher. This plot actually gave her some time so that she could cope up with maternity leave.

Now, when she started, she didn’t have any plans of getting pregnant. But as she approached the mega project of Grey’s Anatomy, her character became very significant. In fact, there were several techniques employed to deal with her pregnancy which the director did not intend to show to the public. The camera was kept at various angles, or might be the character is shown only half from the face. Avoiding full structure was the best thing done.

The directors might have worked day and night to figure these things out, and the actress was pretty much never showing her whole body. (Source: Nypost.com, Businessinsider.com)

GILLIAN ANDERSON'S PREGNANCY WAS full of air

Gillian Anderson is a British born American actress, writer, and activist. She is known for her roles in X-Files as FBI special agent Dana Scully. While she was shooting for X-files, she became pregnant unexpectedly from her first husband. The assistant art director Clyde Koltz was not sure if she was going to continue with the show. Then he decided to include her pregnancy into the scripts of X-files. Gillian said that she faced difficult times as her feet swelled and she became exhausted in between the scenes. Although they did their best to hide it all at the beginning, people were still able to tell that her face had rounded out.

In fact, there was a sequence when Scully was abducted by aliens and performed various tests on her. Then her baby bump was shown in a real sequence when her belly was supposed to be swollen with air before her abduction. So there you go, that was the one time that she didn't have to try and hide it, and that was how the pregnancy was written into the story.

Thankfully, her directors cooperated with her fully so that she could be in the show, as they never wanted to look for another actress. Lucky for Gillian, her role in X-Files was just irreplaceable. (Source: Thelist.com;Businessinsider.com)

GINNIFER GOODWIN'S PREGNANCY WAS HIDDEN underneath HER COATS

She is an American actress who’s known for her role in drama series Big Love as Margene Heffman. She got pregnant with her fiancée and co-star Josh Dallas on the set of Once Upon A Time. So how did she manage to conceal it? When she was shooting in Canada, she was seen wearing a loose-fitting swing coat which actually covered her body without the single trace of her baby bump.

The baggy style oversized coats could actually hide her pregnancy. The directors were not ready to get a replacement for her, that’s why managed to hide her pregnancy with some chosen costumes. But the directors never emphasized on changing the script suiting her pregnancy. A teal sweater helped in concealing a baby bump, and Ginnifer preferred that during her shoot.

Choosing winter clothes for hiding pregnancy is a cool idea. The selection of venue is also important. The directors went through every detail to hide her pregnancy in order to make people believe that Ginnifer looked as normal as ever. Surprisingly, her fans couldn’t figure the real truth but still continued to like her role in the entire series. (Source: Eonline.com, Businessinsider.com)

JANE LEEVES' attempt to hide her bump was mindblowing

She started working in ‘Fraiser’ and then all of a sudden, she got pregnant. Her character was named Daphne Crane and she had eating disorder after having a falling out with her husband. The scriptwriters did take note of her pregnancy and actually molded the script as per requirement. While this happened, she was sent to a spa where she would lose weight, effectively giving her enough time to shed the baby weight and then return.

When an actor signs a legal contract for a show, he or she is supposed to abide by certain rules. But, if something else occurs and there is a visible physical change in her, she will either be asked to quit the show or the show be stopped. Most of the time, however, in cases like this for example, the writers and directors take the actress into consideration, and so they write the pregnancy into the script somehow.

Jane Leeves did well to hide her pregnancy and carried on with her role to keep the viewers mesmerized. Might be the fans came to know about her pregnancy from some other sources, but her performance on screen was simply mind-blowing. (Source: Nypost.com, Babygaga.com)

JANUARY JONES GAINED WEIGHT on the show MAD MEN

January Jones is an American actress and is known for portraying the character of Betty Draper in the serial Mad Men. She was the proud recipient of Golden Globe Award for best actress that was in the TV show category. While she was working on Mad Men, the script was deliberately changed as she had started gaining weight all of a sudden. The dramatic part of the story was this weight gain issue, and it was depicted naturally.

January was asked to don a fat suit and used some makeup tricks which were used on other actresses for the same issues. The fact that Betty was gaining weight was quite obvious as there was a thyroid issue. Well, the rumor spread like wildfire that she was suffering from thyroid related problems in her real life. She never ended up clarifying anything to her fans.

Be it a change in the script or her performance, January performed well, and the show continued to be a favorite for the viewers. In fact, the directors worked hard to hide January's pregnancy. Surprisingly, the changed script matched her requirement exactly and she was just a right fit for this character. (Source: Hollywoodlife.com, Businessinsider.com)

JULIA LOUIS DREYFUS HID HER stomach BEHIND BOXES

Julia Louis Dreyfus is an American actress, comedian and also producer. She was known to be a regular cast member of Saturday Night Live. Her performance in ‘Seinfeld’ won her a Golden Globe Award. She got pregnant during the third season of 'Seinfeld.' Her director wanted her to be shown as fat during the show. Louis admits that the idea that she will be shown as a fat lady was far better than to hide her baby bump behind boxes and winter coats. She concluded the season successfully.

When she got pregnant, there was nothing that the directors could do apart from changing the script or introducing another actress on her part. Since the previous one was not possible, the directors had to change the script, and it suited them fantastically. The directors could have asked to take a shot from her neck upwards or might be the actress could have been asked to wear waist tops with baggy overcoats.

They could have even asked the actress to stand behind huge furniture for certain shots. But the director did nothing like that and instead made her fat in the episode. It looks like the script was realistic and went along with the storyline. (Source: Eonline.com, Businessinsider.com)

JULIE BOWEN GOT PREGNANT WHILE SHOOTING FOR "MODERN FAMILY"

Julie Bowen is a well-known American actress and model. She’s known for playing the character of Carol Vessey on Ed, and the comedy-play, Modern Family and many more. When she was shooting for the show Modern Family, she spent most of her time hiding behind boxes, banisters and also laundry baskets. The Director of Modern Family, Adam Shankman had actually thought of hiding the pregnancy of Julie instead of taking her out of the show with an excuse.

Bowen was pregnant with twins while she was shooting for Modern Family. She did have a lot of tension when she had to tell the directors, as she did not know what would happen, but it all worked out. Julie has been nominated for the outstanding supporting actress, and she said that she’s grateful to the entire team of Modern Family. She added that’s she’s even interested in being behind the camera as a director to see how she likes that part of the job.

There are times when an actor faces challenges in their careers. So even though Bowen may have started out with this thing pregnant, she managed to win the hearts of the directors and allowed them to find ways in order to make her acting and pregnancy workout and stay hand in hand. (Source:People.com;Zimbio.com)

KERRY WASHINGTON HID HER BELLY ON THE SET of scandal

Kerry Washington is the American actress who gained wide popularity and recognition while starring in the drama Scandal. She is a winner of the Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding actress. When she got selected for Scandal, Kerry became pregnant all of a sudden. While Kerry was being interviewed by ‘Good Morning America,’ she was actually joking about her second pregnancy. Kerry said that viewers could play a game about finding her baby bump in the episode.

Kerry played the role of a political fixer, Olivia Pope and used to depend on various props and costumes for hiding her pregnancy. She even clarified that she was hiding her pregnancy behind capes and coats. Her directors tried their best to conceal her pregnancy. The director reported that they shot for five episodes before Kerry gave birth to her child. Initially, the baby bump was not clearly visible, but later might be the baby bump was attempting to be hidden behind objects and other big things. Kerry even tried to hide her pregnancy behind flowers and also purses.

Well, there are various techniques to hide the pregnancy including putting objects in front or going behind furniture. The best technique though is to set the camera at such an angle that the pregnancy is not visible at all. (Source: Usmagazine.com;Businessinsider.com)

KRISTEN BELL HID HER PREGNANCY WITH PROPS

Kristen Bell is the popular American actress, who gained wide popularity after starring in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Spartan, and also in the television series Veronica Mars. She became pregnant when she was shooting for House of Lies. Camera tricks are good, but these are not necessary when a bag can be used to conceal her tummy. Kristen was playing the role of a ‘go-getter’ type of business management consultant who was filming in Los Angeles. She knows how to use her props wisely.

Kristen tried hiding her baby bump by putting her bag in front of her tummy. Camera techniques would only come later. Originally, she was suffering from morning sickness in the initial days of her pregnancy, but when she started shooting for ‘House of Lies,’ she started feeling great.

Considering the fact that she had proved over and over just how good she was in the role, there was no point in considering someone else. Hence, it's better that she hides her pregnancy to the best of her ability in order to make the best of the situation. (Source: Dailymail.co.uk, Businessinsider.com)

SARAH jessica parker wore big shirts

Sarah Jessica Parker is a popular American actress, designer and also a producer. She’s known for starring in ‘S*x and the City.’ She was the winner of four Golden Globe Awards for the Best Comedy Actress category. During the fifth season, Sarah found out that she was pregnant with her husband Matthew Broderick. Now, when the producers and directors got to know the fact, they first decided to modify the script according to Carrie’s pregnancy. But then they went against it and instructed Sarah to go with long robes to suit the character. While the season generally goes longer, they shortened it to just thirteen episodes.

The costume designers made sure that she wore long robes that would cover her entire body and hide the baby bump. The idea was a hit, and Sarah’s pregnancy was not visible, but despite that, some rumors were still going on. The fans guessed that Sarah might be pregnant and that something was definitely not right as per the costumes she sported.

Sarah was one of the leading and popular characters of the series the producers clearly thought that hiding her bump was better than writing it in, or excusing her from the show. This was way more acceptable. (Source: Thetalko.com, Businessinsider.com)

TINA HID HER PREGNANCY DURING "30 ROCK"

Tina Fey is an American actress, producer, writer and also comedian. She’s best known for her work in the series Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock and many more. While she was working for the 30 Rock, she got pregnant with her husband Jeff Richmond, who is a composer.

She revealed her pregnancy while she was doing a taping of ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show.’ According to a source from the Hollywood Reporter, her pregnancy would have no impact on the show. Well, the viewers didn’t expect to see Liz Lemon with a baby bump. Another source from People.com said that Tina’s pregnancy wouldn’t be written in the script of 30 Rock. Fey expressed her fear of getting dropped from the sets of 30 Rock in her book, Bossypants.

She doesn’t believe in dropping her career for the sake of motherhood but let it go side by side. She even mentioned that she is kind of afraid of not having any job offers once she crosses above forty. That might have played a part with the fact that she did not want to show her pregnancy, as she might have feared that it would play a part in losing her job. Thankfully, it did not. (Source: Hollywoodreporter.com, Businessinsider.com)

ZOE SALDANA, THE "AVATAR" STAR HAD TO HIDE HER PREGNANCY BEHIND HER DRESS

Zoe Saldana is an American actress and dancer as well. She starred in Centre Stage, Star Trek, and James Cameron’s Avatar. The Avatar star was known for having a very flat tummy. But photographers noticed that she was wearing some loose fitting clothes, looking like she wanted to hide something. She was married to Marco Perego, but she never publicized her wedding.

When she was engaged to Keith Britton, her ex-beau, she wanted to be pregnant and have a large family; but she couldn’t because of certain issues. She was selected for 'Middle of Nowhere' but was pulled off by star Emayatzy Corinealdi. She managed to hide her pregnancy for the couple of shootings that she had left, hiding it behind loose-fitting costumes or objects.

She definitely did her best, in a business where women are meant to constantly be skinny and beautiful. It is definitely hard to try and have a baby when you are in the middle of shooting, but Saldana made everything work out for her in the end. We are seriously glad, because we don't know how good any of it would be without her. (Source: Madamenoire.com;Businessinsider.com)

ZOOEY DESCHANEL HID HER 30 WEEK OLD PREGNANCY

Zooey Deschanel is a talented American singer-songwriter, model, and actress. She’s known for her work in Mumford, Almost Famous, The Good Girl and many more. She received the nomination for Emmy Award and three times for Golden Globe Award. When she was preparing for the fifth season premiere of New Girl, seemed like she was trying to hide her real-life pregnancy.

While she was shooting for New Girl, she had to hide her pregnancy with the help of a long blouse or standing behind the island in the kitchen. She was even found to dress in simple long T-shirts, and the director also used a sequence of her hiding from behind the doors. Her full-length photos were hidden in the smartest possible way. However, for the biggest portion, they had her do court duty, in which she was able to sit down, allow her stomach not to be seen, and get some maternity leave.

It’s a nice gesture to hide one’s pregnancy for the sake of a big project. Megan Fox ended up filling in the role for a bit as a roommate until Jess came back, but it just wasn't the same without her. (Source: Pajiba.com, Businessinsider.com)

MINDY KALING HID HER PREGNANCY ON THE SETS OF "OCEAN'S 8"

Mindy Kaling is a famous American actress, writer, and comedian. She’s known for writing, producing and starring in ‘The Mindy Project.’ When she was working on the set of Ocean’s 8, she became pregnant but tried to hide it from different angles. It was a tough job to hide the secret pregnancy, especially when she was hanging with Sarah Paulson, who wanted to buy her a drink and have some fun.

When she was offered a drink, she said that she was on antibiotics. But Paulson was after her asking what kind of antibiotic it was which disallowed her from having a drink. When Mindy was unable to answer, she said that the antibiotics were antipsychotics. She said that she had to spin a web of lies in order to avoid having a drink at that time.

We don't know why Mindy was being so secretive, but we do know that she wished she could have had a drink with her fun co-stars. We know that a lot of moms choose to hide their pregnancy until they are absolutely sure everything is okay with the baby, so maybe this is the same case here. (Source: Vulture.com)

MEGAN FOX TRIED HIDING HER PREGNANCY WITH HER SENSE OF STYLE

Megan Fox is a famous American model and actress. She’s known for her role in ‘Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen,’ ‘Hope and Faith’ and many more. She’s also known for her blockbuster role in the film ‘Transformers.’ She was married to Brian Austin Green and then she became pregnant. The marriage lasted for just five years, and then they decided to file a divorce but then tried to work it out. She didn’t want to reveal her baby bump and preferred to hide it with bags and other props. When she arrived at the premiere of ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,’ and she was on the red carpet, she revealed her baby bump.

While she was screening for the teenage mutant, she covered her pregnancy with long robes and stood behind objects. Camera tricks were also involved in hiding her pregnancy. The directors had to make specific changes which were minute and didn’t affect the credibility of the movie. It definitely helped, as fans were too excited to see Megan in the role, which meant that she couldn't have dropped out even if the directors had wanted her to do so. (Source: Screenrant.com)

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