This Is Why Scarlett Johansson Kept Her Pregnancy a Secret

Scarlett Johansson is opening up about why she kept her pregnancy a secret. The actress and her partner Colin Jost welcomed their first child together, a son named Cosmo, in August 2021.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, the actress revealed she was so protective of both her pregnancies because she didn’t want “to feel scrutinized in the public eye” and hear other people’s perspective on her changing body.

“I wanted to be able to have my own feelings about my changing body without other people also telling me how they saw me, whether it was positive or negative,” Johansson told the outlet. “I realized when I was pregnant with my son, it’s funny how much stuff people put on you when you’re pregnant—their hopes or their judgment or their desire, a lot of that is put on pregnant women.”

Johansson said that many people immediately responded to her pregnancy news with comments like “that’s wonderful,” and—while she was thrilled to be pregnant—she also had some “not-great feelings” about the experience. The actress said she felt “scrutinized” for those feelings by other women that were close to her.

“You expect it from men, but from women, it’s like, ‘Come on, girl, you’ve been through it.’ One friend, when I told her that I was pregnant—she knew I was trying to get pregnant—she was just like, ‘Oh sh*t. Great, but not great.’ And I was like, ‘You’re a true friend,’” the actress said. “I feel like a lot of things have moved forward in the past five years in terms of women’s empowerment, but that thing remains sort of in the Dark Ages. So much judgment, it’s crazy.”

The Couple’s Birth Announcement

Jost announced his son’s birth through an Instagram post on Wednesday, August 18, 2021. The images are simply black frames that read, “Ok ok we had a baby. His name is Cosmo. We love him very much. Privacy would be greatly appreciated.”

Johansson first sparked pregnancy rumors in June when she opted to skip many “Black Widow” events, and the interviews she did were done via Zoom and shot from the shoulders up. Page Six broke the pregnancy news a month later in July. “Scarlett is actually due soon," a source told the outlet at the time. “I know she and Colin are thrilled.”

Another source also told the outlet, “Scarlett is pregnant but has been keeping it very quiet. She has been keeping a very low profile…She hasn’t been doing many interviews or events to promote ‘Black Widow,’ which is surprising since it is a huge Marvel/Disney release and she is both the star and an executive producer.”

Jost confirmed the pregnancy in August 2021 during a stand-up performance in Connecticut. “We’re having a baby, it’s exciting,” he reportedly said.

This is the second child for Johansson, who also shares a 6-year-old daughter with ex-husband Romain Dauriac, and Jost’s first child. The couple first met on the set of SNL in 2006 and have been together since 2017. They quietly married in a minimony in October 2020.

Congratulations to the growing family!