What to Know
I’m not sure what the circumstances were that led to Charli XCX being a guest in the SmartLess podcast that Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes host. But when she appeared on the show and spoke with Bateman about relationships and children, the actor came under fire for his questions and comments about Charli’s decision not to have kids, at least where she is concerned now.
If that’s how she feels then that should be the end of it, right? Not if Bateman has anything to say about it, because in the podcast episode, he presses her further about having kids and finding a partner. When she gently tells him she is already married, he admits that he should have done his due diligence in reading up on her before the interview. Uh, ya think?
Jason Bateman did not let go of the kid conversation with Charli XCX.
i had to go listen to see for myself and it’s worse than i thought it would be …. disgusting . https://t.co/3xi5HJ9uPG pic.twitter.com/5zrnjLUHgM
— #1 xcx defender (@lipglossgrinss) February 3, 2026
During the podcast episode, when Bateman talks about what it’s like to raise his two kids, and she mentions being an only child, he asks Charli how many kids she would like to have, as though it is a given that she will have any kids at all. Strike one. Bateman also asks the singer why she doesn’t want kids when she notes that she doesn’t presently plan to have children. Strike two.
“You know, who knows? That could change,” Charli admits during the SmartLess episode. Bateman presses on, however.
He says that, like Charli, his wife Amanda Anka did not want kids.
Then, she met Bateman and it changed for her. Bateman says it could change for Charli if she meets the right man. The only problem? She already did. Charli married 1975 drummer George Daniel in 2025.
“I love the fantasy of having a child, like naming it, it sounds so fun, but I’m like, that is exactly a sign to me as to why I should not have one,” Charli tells the SmartLess hosts. “The fact that that feels like the coolest part about it? Maybe I’m not ready.”
Bateman could have left it at that, but he also says during the episode, as a joke, “Maybe your next husband, you’re gonna want to have kids with him.”
After the episode was released, Bateman received some backlash on social media.
One user posted on X (formerly Twitter), “The Charli XCX / Jason Bateman interview was so cringe and embarrassing. I can’t believe his people didn’t just shelve it or at least cut that part about kids out.”
Someone else posted, “Jason Bateman telling Charli XCX that she might change her mind about not wanting kids when she meets the right person, even though she’s literally married, is not only incredibly sexist but also a perfect example of what happens when you give a microphone to an actor to start a podcast.” Ouch.
The biggest issue people have is with Bateman grilling Charli and continuously pressing on about the topic of having kids. Once she said she doesn’t think she wants them, and even admits that her thoughts on the idea of kids could change later, that should have been the end of it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t.
