When Jennifer Aniston did press day for her new film, The Switch, she probably got a million questions about motherhood and basters and being single and babies. Those quotes have been flying around all week, notably her quotes on single motherhood: “Women are realizing it more and more knowing that they don’t have to settle with a man just to have that child. Times have changed and that is also what is amazing… that we do have so many options these days, as opposed to our parents’ days when you can’t have children because you have waited too long. The point of the movie is what is it that defines family? It isn’t necessarily the traditional mother, father, two children and a dog named Spot. Love is love and family is what is around you and who is in your immediate sphere. That is what I love about this movie. It is saying it is not the traditional sort of stereotype of what we have been taught as a society of what family is.”
Most people have been reading this as a defense of single motherhood, an embrace on “non-traditional” families, and just a simple agreement with the basic plot of her film. But Bill O’Reilly got his panties in a twist about it:
While promoting her movie ‘The Switch’ earlier this week, Jennifer Aniston told reporters that women don’t need men to start a family or be good mothers. When Bill O’Reilly caught wind of her bold statements, he debated the topic of single motherhood on ‘The O’Reilly Factor’ and called out the 41-year-old actress. “She’s throwing a message out to 12-year-olds and 13-year-olds that, ‘Hey you don’t need a guy. You don’t need a dad.’ That is destructive to our society,” O’Reilly railed.
FOX News contributor Margaret Hoover and FOX News anchor Gretchen Carlson debated the topic with O’Reilly, admitting young teens wouldn’t be able to comprehend the vast differences between a 40-year-old woman and a teenager raising a child as a single mother. “She is glamorizing single parenthood,” Carlson said.
In ‘Switch,’ Aniston plays a woman who elects to take on life as a single parent through artificial insemination. During the movie’s press conference in LA, the actress admitted “times have changed” and women don’t need to rely on men to be good mothers.
“Women are realizing more and more that you don’t have to settle, they don’t have to fiddle with a man to have that child,” Aniston said. “They are realizing if it’s that time in their life and they want this part they can do it with or without that.”
O’Reilly called out the actress, deeming her message inappropriate. “Jennifer Aniston can hire a battery of people to help her. But she can’t hire a dad. Dads bring a psychology to children that in this society is under emphasized. Men get hosed all day long in the parental arena,” he ranted.
“Any man who leaves their children is not a man. Let’s make that perfectly clear. But the fathers that do try hard are under appreciated and diminished by people like Jennifer Aniston,” he continued.
Finally, O’Reilly challenged Aniston to come on his show and defend her statement. “If she wants to explain, she can get her butt right in here.”
[From PopEater]
Don’t hate me, but I understand where O’Reilly is coming from, even though I don’t agree with him in general. I think one part of O’Reilly’s point does stand up: it’s very easy for Jennifer Aniston to stand up for single motherhood and the idea of women doing it by themselves because of where she is in her life, being 41 years old and rich. That isn’t the experience of most single mothers, and maybe the rah-rah single mother thing isn’t the best message for young girls. That being said, I think O’Reilly is full of it because Aniston dared to suggest that anything other than the perfect nuclear family was acceptable, and that is bullsh-t. And being raised by single mothers, or in non-traditional families, doesn’t f-ck your children up, for the love of God.
Also: At first I thought this was some kind of twisted cross-promotion between Fox News and some Fox-owned movie studio, but Miramax is putting this film out, so there. Bill is just being a blowhard, per usual.
God I was so ready to jump all over O’Reilly and I still hate him with a passion but he actually brings up some good points here and I respect the way he delivers his argument. I still think that single mothers can raise fantastically well-adjusted children. I also wonder how this factors into the idea of same-sex marriage. I’m assuming he would say that the kids will be missing out if it is a 2 mother or 2 father parenting situation. Not sure I agree with this. I guess ideally if it was a son being raised by 2 mothers then there would be an uncle or close male figure involved as a role model (and vice-versa)? I dunno…just speculating here….
I agree with O’Reilly’s point. It’s easy to be a parent in Hollywood with a giant income and the ability to hire any help you could possibly need. I also agree that having a father or strong father figure is important for children! Though, that does assume the father is a POSITIVE role model. There are so many bad parents out there….but that’s a whole different issue.
god i cant believe idiots like that still exist in this world.
its not the 18th century.
poor jenny anistopololosulouspolus!
Look I don’t like her. But yeah women can be single mothers. This is not news. My niece is 22 years old and is a single mother raising her son and trying to go to school and getting little child support. That is the reality for most women. When we see celebrities having children alone the difference is they do have money to get the help they need. MY thing against Aniston is she is NOT A FREAKING single mother. Has not had a child and just because your friends are doing it and talking to you does not mean you have experience in the matter. Her friends are rich. And are not in need of child support to help them. Some women are single parents by choice and they have a different experience then women that are raising a child or children because of circumstance. She is making these statements because of the film. She said other stuff when she was promoting The Bounty Hunter (something about keeping things of you ex) I remember because it was something she said about keeping answering machine messages from her ex husband. So this is par for the course. I don’t see Jennifer Aniston as the best spokes person for this issue. She does not seem to be on the PATH of motherhood. Cheryl Crow could talk, Sharon Stone, Meg Ryan, Halle Berry, Brittany Spears, Sandra Bullock, Reese Witherspoon lots of others that are single by choice, break ups, divorce or something. They have experience Jennifer Aniston does not. And making a film did not give it to her.
Fun fact: bill loves la Jolie and Jon voight, hmmm
I don’t think Aniston’s statement was meant to be picked by teens. They still have a chance at relationships and marriages. However in the film Aniston is playing a woman who is getting older and she wants a child but can’t find a man. The character is successful and well equipped to raise a child on her own.
I hate to break it to Bill o’Reilly but a good man is hard to find nowadays, hell most divorced women are single mothers. Picking a kid up on the weekends doesn’t really say parenting to me but since half of our country is divorced thats the way it is for kids who see their dad on the weekends. Most women would love nothing more than to have a father who is there everyday for their children, and I am sure many children wish the same thing (me included *sad face*) however we don’t live in that world.
Teens having kids pisses me off more than anything, so I can see if he believes thats what Aniston is saying to teens you can have kids and still be ok or whatever without the dad, but that is not all where her comments were directed. This movie isn’t marketed toward kids/young adults why the hell is he making a big deal about this?
I’m of two minds about it, too–but I don’t really envision many teenage girls going to see this movie.
I guess I’m “old-fashioned” enough to think that fathers make a big difference in kids’ lives–but, realistically, there is no perfect situation in which to raise a child. There will always be challenges of one kind or another, but being absolutely loved and made first priority by at least one parent overcomes most of them. (My opinion only, of course.)
Bill Oreilly is so full of himself, and hatred. Anything he says is automatically stupid and wrong and bigoted.
I do think that men are important in the raising of children. It doesn’t have to be a father, but they do contribute in an important way. And most kids of single parents are probably not as well off emotionally as kids with more family in the house.
I think it’s great that this culture is starting to see ‘family’ in a different way. Of course some idiots will stay in the 1950s (yes, you, Bill) but I’m hoping we’re making some progress.
Marriage Equality!!!!!!
Another sound bite from one of the giant talking heads.
News Flash: I bet Jennifer Aniston could give a damn what this dude says.
Soooo, she is supposed to say she believes the exact opposite of what the movie that just paid her a cool $8 million is about. That’s not good promotion….
For some (let’s face it a lot)of women, no man IS better than a deadbeat man.
For the upstanding men, please continue to do so and encourage the scum to pick up the slack!
For rich single women, if you feel you want a child, but don’t need a man…more power to you!
I agree with Bill O’Reilly on this one.
Yes, I get it, there are exceptions to everything, However, when you look at the statistics of crime, etc, society as a whole has not benefitted from the increase in fatherless homes.
Bill, 12 and 13 year old girls shouldn’t be having babies, PERIOD, regardless of whether or not an involved father is in the mix.
I see what he’s saying, but he’s twisting the situation to fit his agenda. anyone who read her quote knows damn well she wasn’t referring to all women, all over the world. and CLEARLY she wasn’t speaking to teenage girls. he just wants to rant about the idea of a mom/dad/2.5 kids/white-picket-fence-family being the ONLY kind of family that’s normal.
Love Angelina, agreed. Unfortunately we don’t live in an ideal world where families are as happy as in a Julie Andrews/Walt Disney’s movie. Most families in western countries (where divorce is allowed) consist of mothers and children and estranged fathers. Where divorce isn’t an option to consider, well, the household is a mess.
As for the same-sex parents, in some european northern countries (Sweden or Norway?) children can be adopted by homosexual people and those kids grew up as safe and sound as in a traditional family, especially because people there do not consider them as outcasts.
I agree with you, Kaiser and would add that O’Reilly is dead on when he talks about dads being underemphasized in our society. And you have no idea how hard it was to type the words O’Reilly was dead on. But have you ever paid attention to how fathers are portrayed on many series, movies and commercials? They are either absent all together or just another child that needs to be managed by the female. Dads are important to children but certainly there are a myriad of ways to have a family and the kids can be more than just fine.
““Any man who leaves their children is not a man. Let’s make that perfectly clear. But the fathers that do try hard are under appreciated and diminished by people like Jennifer Aniston,” he continued. ”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And this statement comes from a married man, who made numerous lurid nasty sex calls, to a female employee. The employee who lost her job over his nasty behavior.
As far as I am concern this is the last man on earth who should be bashing any female about anything.
Since he is a father of two pre-teen children, he is setting great example on how to be a responsible father. *eyeroll*
When AREN’T Bill’s panties in a twist? I’d hate to be that angry and smug all the time. Though I don’t think he’s stupid – in general I disagree with just about everything he says and his ways of saying it, but he’s an intelligent guy.
I get a couple of his points here – it’s true this doesn’t apply to everyone, it’s easier for the wealthy, and that dads are important. But saying it’s directed at teenagers is a stretch (not surprised since Carlson is involved, her whole schtick is playing dumb and exaggerating things to the point of ridiculousness) – Aniston clearly said “women”, and she never said “all women”.
Considering the talking heads implode any time a politician talks about something other than jobs and the economy, why is Bill wasting time talking about an actress promoting a film?
Sound opinions or not, he is still a giant d-bag, who Jon Stewart continually wipes the floor with when he is invited to come onto the Daily Show. End of story.
Here’s the one time I agree with Bill O.
I was raised by a single mom and honestly, it sucks. She did her best but it leaves a huge void in your life to know a parent is missing.
Unless you’ve been the child in such a situation, there’s no way you can disagree with what Bill is saying. It IS irresponsible to make single parenthood sound like a lifestyle choice, like picking out this purse or that purse.
As if teens give a damn what Jennifer Aniston and that tool O’Reilly say. They’re into Beiber and Twatlight or whatever kids are into these days. I don’t think they’ll be rushing out to get pregnant just cos Jennifer Aniston has done yet another romantic comedy.
Anyway Aniston has got answer all those “When are you going to have a baby?” questions she always gets somehow.
Bill O’Reilly is a moron and he’s only proving it here.
She is not telling 12 and 13 year olds anything. This film is about a 40-ish woman who decides to have a child on her own because she’s not yet found a man to have one with. How is that at all like a teen mom? It’s not.
And let’s please stop acting like she was talking about how easy it is to be a single mom because she’s rich. She’s not a single mom. She doesn’t personally know how easy or difficult it is to be a single mother.
And no, being a single mom is not an easy road but for some women it’s the desirable road. My mom was willfully single throughout my childhood after my father left. She just didn’t want to bother with men or trying to find a decent one to stick around. I grew up quite happily with my little family of women and anyone who says I needed a dad and because I didn’t have one am therefore emotionally stunted or some other nonsense really annoys the heck out of me.
Most of my friend’s mothers are single parents. And they come from an affluent community. In all of their experiences, being single with children was difficult but much less emotionally draining than being with a toxic man. They didn’t find good men but they are out there. Somewhere.
The point she’s trying to make, which everyone knows but are constantly trying to turn around so that she seems even more worthy of hatred, is that having a traditional family is not a reality for everyone.
EDIT: mm, I’ve been in the situation, and I definitely disagree. Good fathers are hard to come by and I’d rather be missing a bad father than having to deal with his bs all the time.
bill o. is an epic asshole and moron. i dont really think many 12 year olds pay that much attention to jennifer aniston, first of all. second, men get bashed a lot these days b/c there is a legitimate problem in many cultures with men being “men”. the men that do try hard are not getting hosed by aniston’s comments AT ALL – she’s not putting down the concept of fatherhood – she’s simply saying there are many perfectly healthy ways of “being” and defining family. i think bill’s carrying on about traditional nuclear family has more to do with being against same-sex couples having children b/c he’s a giant bigoted ass.
Bill’s 100% right.
What about Rick Martin and other men who select to have a child by surrogate. What about the soccer player who it was recently alleged to have paid off the mother of his child to beome a single and probably absentee father? Bill O’Reilly just wants to rave about something. He is a blowhard JERK.
I don’t think she’s telling every woman to go out there and become a single parent. In many ways, I agree it can be done successfully. However, I still think boys must have a strong male bond, preferably with a good dad.
Bill O’Reilly is for gay adoption and same sex couples raising children btw.
What Jen had to say was a generic platitude to sell her movie. It is true to an extent if you have the resources and motivation to be a single mother why not, but I also see where Bill is coming from(and I am not by any means a fan). In the context of same-sex couples I don’t believe that children born into those situations have a lack of love.
The O’Reilly Factor’ and called out the 41-year-old actress. “She’s throwing a message out to 12-year-olds and 13-year-olds that, ‘Hey you don’t need a guy. You don’t need a dad.’ That is destructive to our society,” O’Reilly railed.
Wow I actually agree with something Bill O’Reilly said.
In many situations single parenthood is not a choice. However, a number of women have made educated choices in adoption, or an arrangement with a male friend to become parents. In each case the women were usually in the mid to late 30’s and had not met “the one” (if there indeed is such a thing for many people) their children are bright adorable little people..no fathers but have a large network of supports. On the other hand I’ve worked with women who have had five or six children with various men – they were often left or violence had forced them and their children to leave. I’ve seen the damage done to children who have witnessed violence or rage against their mothers or themselves..it is not a one answer question. As with all deeply personal decisions not for everyone to pick and ponder over unless you happen to making this decision for yourself.
denise: How is a 41-year old actress talking about a 40-something character having a child without a man sending a message to 12 and 13 year olds that they don’t need a man or a father?
And how about those 12 and 13 year old’s who already don’t have fathers? Isn’t Bill O’Reilly kinda being a dick to them?
All I know is one of my best friends from my childhood had two moms and he would often come over to my house after swim meets and hang out. He and my dad got along really well and one day he admitted to me that he felt like half of him was missing and because his mom used a donor, he would never know that other side of him and wondered what his life would have been like with a dad. He really struggled with his identity and he said being around my family made him feel “normal”. Thats why I agree with Bill O’Reilly on this one.
O’Reilly is a piece of dung who only tailors his comments to get himself in the news. If Jen had said babies need both parents, he’d have said single moms and dads are doing fine.
I wrote a lot more about single moms, but had to delete it because I’m one and my baby’s going to college next week and I’m blubbering and I lost my point in the middle of a blubber-fest. I have no idea what I was saying. :
@The Hamm is my Dream Man
I don’t think Jen’s comment is targeting 12, 13 year olds per say. However I do believe the message she is sending is an irresponsible one. Dads are being short changed on their importance and they are vital to a child’s emotional development. It’s kind of hard agreeing with such an a-hole like Bill, I know, but I do agree with his stance on this topic. I still give props to all single parents, male and female.
Bill O’Reilly is destructive to our society.
I agree completely with @Jazz. And anyway, it’s clear that Anniston’s comments weren’t directed to teens, and in any case… she’s talking about HER movie, which she has to promote.
billy is so upset about a few women who decide to become single parents? why isn’t he ranting about the millions of husbands who walk out leaving their wives to raise the kids alone?
at the company i work at, there’s not a single woman who decided to have her children without a man. but women who were deserted by husbands and forced to be single parents? they’re everywhere, sacrificing, working hard, and loving their children. and doing a great job of it. many of them are now grandmothers and remarried, but they still remember those years when they were the only one keeping a roof over their childrens’ heads and putting groceries in the fridge.
Bill is right but I don’t agree with his using JA’s comments to make his point.
I’m not promoting single motherhood (god, it’s so incredibly hard with a good husband/dad let alone doing it alone) but O’Reilly should really STFU. I know he can’t help himself but really?! Maybe he should concentrate on the reasons some women may feel compelled to go down that route, maybe look into the country’s, nay, western world’s problem that is deadbeat dads.
Anyone who say Aniston’s statement as defending single parenthood is stupid. Not to mention, Popeater, wherever they took that quote from, actually messed up the beginning sentence of her statement.
I understand what Bill is saying in regards to having a dads, and good fathers are aren’t appreciated in this country, but a traditional two-parent household can be just as destructive. Think about it, Mel Gibson, Michael Jackson and Lindsey Lohan came from two parent households. Growing up with one or two parents who are toxic is way more damaging than a single parent, male or female, that can provide a loving environment.
In a perfect world, most kids would be raised in stable, loving, two parent homes.
She didn’t say anything was /wrong/ with a traditional family, though. She just said that wasn’t the only option! Nowhere in there does she say ‘Dad’s suck’ or ‘traditional families are stooopid.’ She just says that they aren’t the only option. I love my dad and my traditional, happy family, but that’s just not the only way anymore. Lord, people! Let’s move into the 21st century, shall we?
Why isn’t bill taking a stab at something teens and young adults actually pay attention to, like MTV’s ’15 and Pregnant’ bullshit excuse for entertainment. No 15 year old is keeping up with Jennifer Anniston’s interview in Harper’s or wherever. Bill should point his foul mouth in a more useful direction. I would love to go to his funeral so I could poop somehwere in his vicinty.
Why is this even being discussed? She is promoting a movie and will say anything she is told to say by the publicity people. Who knows what she really thinks. If the movie was about aliens or ghosts she would say she believes in them, had an experience with them, anything to get you to think the movie is more real than it is. It’s like when a famous person is on an ad. It lends credibility to the product if the consumer thinks the celebrity uses it. As well, how irresponsible of her to be putting ideas in the heads of impressionable people just to sell a movie. Children of single parents are just as capable of turning into great adults as those with multiple parents. It’s the parenting that matters not the quantity of parents. However, it is also difficult to raise a child alone if you are struggling for money, housing and food. She and her Hollywood cronies would never have to do that.
Woah, woah, woah. WOAH. Is that Larry David sitting next to Bill O’Reilly in the pic? Who would have guessed?
Anyone else love the episode where Larry got a free pass for a one-night stand for his 10 year wedding anniversary, but couldn’t go through with it when the woman turned out to be a Republican? 🙂
I am no huge Jennifer fan but Bill must be pretty desperate to generate some buzz for his show if he’s going after J. Aniston. I guess he’s being a little more selective since the time he went after Clooney (after Hurricane Katrina) and attempted the verbal dueling and got his ass handed to him by George. Pathetic man B.O.
Every time this man speaks, I lose more faith in humanity and our ability to survive as a species. That being said, it is EASY to attack a few sentences that a celebrity gives in an interview. It’s gotten to the point that if you don’t put conditions on every single word that comes out of your mouth, SOMEONE is going to bash on you for SOMETHING they find personally offensive. Seriously, she would have had to say “Ok, so if you are at least 40 years old, professional, stable, non-violent, drug/alcohol free, not gay/lesbian, happy adult who has not yet found the right person – but not for lack of trying, it’s not like you would purposely set out to do this kind of thing, it’s only if you happen to be in this situation – then you should be able to have a child if you desire. But only if you plan to carry the child yourself, not use a surrogate unless medically necessary, and can only adopt a baby from the US.
Uhm, yeah, get real. The fact that we delve into the teeny tiny minutae of every f’ing word that comes out of these peoples mouth – honestly, there will come a day when no one with a brain will step in front of a camera or microphone anymore, lest they be burned at the stake for making what is truly an innocuous statement based on their own reality and opinion – which, by the way, they are wholly entitled to.
this is such a non-story. leave it to faux news to treat it like a real story.
Who is Bill O’Rielly?? And when are the Americans going to learn to spell?????????? Maybe if they could read and write fluently in English they would also understand that Ms. Aniston was not making any reference whatsoever to juveniles starting families, that is up to the parents & adults, teachers etc. around them to educate and prepare them for their future, maybe if persons of political standing were less ignorant, took a few extra seconds to listen and read more thouroughly he/they may encourage less ignorance throughout the country. Who cares what Aniston says anyway, she’s rather flaky and what is she basing her comments on, certainly not on reality, she’s atrociously rich and wouldn’t know anything about the true struggles of an impoverished single parent.
@ mm
Kudos for your heartfelt comment.
Anniston’s remarks provided O’Reilly with a perfect opening for more conversation about a very important subject.
Total agreement with so many of the comments here, starting with Kaiser’s. O’Reilly is doing a good thing to raise this issue.
You know…it’s not just about what works for women, it’s about children and their father’s, too.
@MM
I too was raised by a single mother and I dont agree with him at all.
Im not just glad, Im grateful to my mother for putting us and our well being before anything and everyone, including a father that was no good and abusive towards her. She never received a dime of support for either one of us and yes, it was hard as a kid but now as an adult living on my own, Im more grateful and admire her more than ever.
I cant stand to see women stick with men that are no good/abusive and absolutely miserable to be around just b/c society thinks its better to have a mom and dad in the house, without any regards to the type of person they are.
I have 3 nephews who grew up in a house of hatred, constant yelling and violent outbursts from their father all b/c my sister didnt want them being without a dad, like us. It makes me sick to think of the violent fights they have witnessed and the one has already shown signs of the same behavior. Kids learn by what they see. I grew up seeing my mom work her ass off to keep a roof over our heads, which she successfully did. But my nephews grew up thinking yelling/screaming/hitting is the norm and will more than likely carry that into their relationships.
I say I was raised better all by my single mom.
Bill O’Reilly is a jerk. I think Aniston was speaking against the stigma single mothers face, which is positive.
However, even a broken clock is right twice a day. Bill’s right about fathers being under valued. We should strive to have healthy families because all parties benefit from this arrangement: mom, dad, and especially kids. And we should recognize that two parents raising children is ideal.
I am a child of divorce, raised by my mom. Growing up my dad had every other weekend. I understand why my parents weren’t together, and wouldn’t wish it any other way. However, when I have kids I would prefer to be married and have a intact family. There’s nothing wrong with being a single parent. But can’t we also acknowledge having a healthy two parent family is for the best? Two incomes and more emotional support.
Now there are plenty of dysfunctional two parents families out there — where being a single parent is way healthier for the kids than a horrible father. (In my life, that was the case) But even when you know why and accept the fact that you’re parents aren’t together, as a kid you still feel the pain of not having your dad around more. That’s why if it’s between raising kids with a healthy parent relationship and raising kids alone, I’d choose two parents.
she’ll never have a kid. i fuggin’ dare her.
my money says she ain’t got the chops to tough in out as a single mom. help or no help it’s hard as hell.
ask bridget moynihan.
f%ck. ask me!
🙁
@ Love Angelina, Teens having kids pisses me off too. And it’s getting out of control.
RHONYC – I agree. Aniston strikes me as a little bit too selfish. She probably is a good aunt, but wouldn’t have kids of her own — unless she had an unplanned pregnancy. Either then, it’s still a choice so who knows.
God, I can’t abide that twat O’Reilly.
I’m almost convinced that he has a job for the sole reason that Rupert Murdoch can point to him and say “At least I’m not as bad as Bill O’Reilly!”
Most single mothers I know are not single mothers by choice. Either the guy took off, or the marriage fell apart. Those “single mothers,” unlike the fathers, chose to stick around and raise the child. For every single mother there is an absent father who isn’t as involved in the kids’ lives (if at all). So why put any stigma on the mothers? And to me, the “single” part isn’t the worst thing that can happen to teenagers — it’s the “mother” part that makes their lives so hard (with or without marriage). THAT’S what we need to minimize.
I’m a Canadian and 26 yrs ago married an American, he left me after smacking me around some @ 8 months pregnant, he only did it once though, he also denied being the father and ran away back to California, Canada has a reciprocal agreement with California and after 10 yrs I caught up with him and sued him for support. He’s never met the awesome young man that grew from our union, yes at times he’s wished he had a Dad, but he fully understands what a LOSER my ex is ( by his own findings, not from me). My son has more skills, talent and backbone than a lot of men twice his age. He’s not on drugs, alcohol, doesn’t even smoke cigarettes and NO people we are NOT religious so don’t start thinking I am a preaching catholic or whatever other baloney religion, I just worked hard, very hard, sometimes 4-5 jobs at a time, yes I paid for it with my health, but I have the most awesome son and wouldn’t trade any of it for an extra second with my loser ex who lives in a very big house with his “new” family, however I will share that they spent upwards of $40,000.00 on in-vitro gobbledy goop before her sister finally carried the babe. Its interesting how the universe delivers karma. To all you single parents, male or female, talk to your kids, love ’em and don’t worry about material stuff, focus on whats really important and you will be rewarded with love and money simply cannot buy that. We cannot focus on the wrongs and right of it, we can only deal with what is and someone has to stick to it for the kids. To ALL single parents, keep your chins up and keep on trucking and NEVER just accept a guy just because he’s willing, make sure he’s the right guy for your kids too, they matter more than you right now as they the kids are all of our future, world round. Kids are not stupid, they are sponges and will learn what ever we adults are willing to teach them, for better or worse. Peace to all. A Canadian single Mum. I’m guessing this O’Reilly dude is a politician ?? Is someone willing to confirm, sorry I am broke, I raised my kid on my own and do not have cable so I really don’t know who he is. Anybody?
Bill is an ass! Jennifer gave her opinion, not her “expert” opinion, because she doesn’t have any children..just her opinion in general…
@ 55 fyn
o’reilly’s a right wing pundit, fox ‘news’. the problem w/ this douchebag, is that intellectually, he’s somethimes actually a smart libertarian, but more often than not, a right wing hypocrite [that’s redundant, actually] because he, in the great tradition of right wing ‘personal responsibility’, chooses to be a coward, many think because the money’s so good. which makes him even worse.
btw, i’m not in your situation, but have for many years have helped someone who was, and your courage is amazing. thank you for posting.
…just to point this out, Bill O’Reilly has been married three times. He’s not one to preach about the sanctity of the family unit.
@ wordsMatter 57
Thanx so much for answering and a big thanx for your comment, I didn’t work hard for others approval but after all these years it still feels nice that a stranger can appreciate my (and other single parents) effort to make a decent contribution to the world, I wish I had had a helpful and supportive friend throughout. All the best to you and your “friend”. I love your “name” wordsMatter” it’s great, I’m a writer what can I say.
Agree with pookie. 150 percent!
I don’t like Aniston at all. She feeds her insecurity by famewhoring. I honestly have seen her do some very ugly things, cause she’s so insecure and when things don’t go her way she lashes out. I think she’s an ugly person
That being said, anyone with a brain can she she’s just saying women have options. Women who aren’t rich just go into debt for fertility treatments. She shouldve pointed out that have good male role models around is very important. You can have a good father do so. I’ll say one thing about Halle with all her male problems she picked a good dad for her daughter. Around physically and financially secure. Not a druggie or an alchy. Oreilly is searching for ratings. Of course Aniston didn’t give a well rounded answer. She’s not bright, but folks with since get it.
Teen girls don’t use men to get babies, they use babies to keep the man. So no worries there, really.
What about kids who are adopted by a single mother? Are they losers for doing good? A 2 parent household isnt always best case scenario. A child is better without an abusive or neglectful father in the picture. There are many scenarios why a child might not have a father. Bill needs to get with the 21st century. We are not My 3 sons generation and havent been for a long time.
The only part of that statement Bill O. really believes in is “she can get her butt right in [to his show]”.
Bill O’Reilly is garbage. And he’s using this as yet another reason to get up on his rediculous soap box.
He can take just about ANYTHING positive and twist it into a negative to serve as the subject of his next self-righteous crusade. He’s bullsh*t, plain and simple.
ugh, this guy.
while i do understand that many people who a raised in non-traditional families look at people in traditional families and long for what they have. however, there are many people living the traditional family life that are not happy, even unhappy. a mom and dad and son and daughter do not necessarily a happy house make, unless they all love and work with each other to be happy. to say that lacking one of these components can fuck up our society is blowing things far, far out of proportion.
re: the story about the son whose father was a donor. if we stopped clinging to this traditional family set-up, and people like bill o’reilly stopped acting so pious and all-knowing about traditional families, they wouldn’t be so traditional anymore, would they!?
we keep telling our families and friends and children that TRADITIONAL families are the only ones that work. maybe if we stopped placing such an emphasis on this hard to obtain structure, we’d find that there are TONS of different family structures and the ones that don’t get cosntantly talked about in mainstream media can work, and do so happily.
in a nutshell, traditional families won’t be so traditional if we start defining families as parents and children in a loving relationship, rather than sticking to this rigid structure. we certainly are working towards that in different arenas, seeing as since the mid 1900s women have denied that their only purpose is to make babies and serve their husbands, and as far as i can see, the apocalyse is not on the horizon.
I agree with pookie too. Although I don’t even think Aniston knows what a disclaimer is.
Bill is a devil.
The message should read, no guarantee a relationship will last. Be prepared to provide for and raise the kids you give birth to alone if need be.
Everything in this world is evolving & families are too. Whether you agree or disagree, “the times, they are achanging…”
@ 59 fyn
sure. and thank you, too.
@ 59 fyn
btw, it actually is a friend i was referring to, no quotes necessary here as she totally deserves the credit.
she’s a great person to me because she actually managed to get past the anger of a miserable situation, and raise some fabulous kids out of love. she chose not to let anyone else’s meanness and bitterness get in the way and that’s what i saw in your post. i totally respect that sort of courage to move on, and i remind myself of her sense of responsibility when i’m having a douchebag kind of day.
Isn’t this the movie that was originally named after a turkey baster? Puh-lease. If JA and her rich friends haven’t submerged into marital bliss and had babies at the ripe old age of 40, then their choice to adopt to use a sperm donor are theirs, like it’s been for years. For crying out loud, Joan Crawford did it as a publicity stunt and raised two beautiful children despite herself.
Bill O’Reilly is making a point about nuclear families being more stable and fathers being undervalued, but the 12-13 year old bunch aren’t going to this movie. He’s using it as an excuse to get on his soapbox, which is what he does for a living. So of course he’ll go on being a tool and she’ll be perceived as either empowered by technology or too pitiful to keep a man, depending on what the reader thinks of her anyway.
It’s a nonissue and she was only making the statement because of her movie, which provides the income for a great lifestyle with whomever she chooses to share it.
She makes it sound like a lifestyle choice, though? She said “women don’t need to fiddle with a man to have a child.” Her language choice here is really odd. Fiddle with a man?
Maybe, that’s not how she meant it, but I read that statement as kind of insulting. Overall, I don’t think ppl should overlook the importance of fathers in order to empower women. And, I would feel the same way if a man said, “I don’t need to fiddle with a woman to have a child. I can just hire a surrogate and raise a child by myself.”
Sure, you may not need a man, but a child might want to have two parents. Raising a child can be overwhelming and stressful for one person, esp if money is an issue. Two people in a relationship can help each other out.
That being said, many women are not single moms by choice. If you have Mel Gibson screaming at you for a blow job and threatening to burn down the house, then single parenting would be best. 🙂 And, I feel one sane, loving parent is better than two insane, dysfunctional parents–Lindsay Lohan proves that point really well.
Oh, and I know this is mean, but it’s funny. On Jezebel, someone said, “And, Brad Pitt didn’t need to fiddle with Jennifer Aniston to have that family he’s always wanted.” Oooo-burn. 🙂
I seriously doubt that 12, 13 year olds care about Jennifer Aniston. I don’t know if it’s others or myself who are misunderstanding Jennifer’s quote. I think Jennifer is saying men aren’t needed to be a parent. Twenty, thirty years ago a woman would have/want to get married to have kids and would settle with just anybody to make it happen. Now single parents are able to adopt and can have kids through egg and sperm donation. She’s not talking about single parenthood because of divorce or dads who dump pregnant girlfriends. She’s talking about being a single parent by choice. That’s what the movie is about.
The problem with Jen’s comment is that she talks about those opportunities to have a child without a man like those opportunities are available to everyone. If you have the means to actually take care of the child and provide it a good life then that’s fine. If you don’t have the means, you should still try to partner up with someone with like goals. It’s not anything to get into a tizzy over. We have to raise our kids to think for themselves. So then when they hear comments like Jen’s they can use those critical thinking skills to realize that one snippet of something someone says doesn’t take everything into account. Having said that, Bill O’Reilly should just shut his fear/ragemongering mouth. He’s just trying to get people mad about something.
I understand both sides of the fence. I mean, kids DO need a dad or at any rate another parent. It’s dangerous to pass the message that one parent is “enough”.
However, it’s also true that one good parent is better than 2 bad ones and that a person shouldn’t settle for somebody they don’t love just because they want kids. Personally, I love what Clay Aiken did… he had a kid with a person he loved and respected a lot. Now the kids has TWO parents, who love him AND love and respect the other parent. I wish there were more people who would take the kids’ needs in consideration without resorting to settle and marry somebody they aren’t in love with just so to have kids.
off topic but I love how this entire forum hates on Fox News. Watch it every once in a while (especially when they talk about the economy) and in 5 years you will realize a lot thats on there is coming true. Fox News is the ONLY station to call out Obama on anything. ABC, MSNBC,CBS etc are drunk on Obama Kool Aid but like Bill O’Reilly, my health insurance went up 27% this year due to the Obamacare laws. O’Reilly is rude and obnoxious but he does occasionally have very valid points.
O’Reilly is a chump. Big time. Aniston, however, is clueless. Big time. You don’t need to “fiddle” with that man if you have money for adoption, fertility treatment, then nannies, housekeepers, etc. Otherwise, you are a single mom working a job, being a Mom and a Dad, no time to oneself, exhausted, overwhelmed, underpaid. Aniston needs to preface her comments by stating that IF you have money, it’s easy not to fiddle with a man or a partner, but if you don’t, good luck, it’s hard as sh*&
Good one OC Lady :)I agree 100% with Bill. Bill can be uptight but he has an extremely valid point. Dad’s ARE a must!
Anyone who takes advice from either of these two performing monkeys deserves everything they get.
Bill is right. I did not have a father figure in my home and that could have something to do with my sisters and my relationships with men being disastrous. I would love to hear a woman celebrity talk about the importance of choosing the right mate — and that ultimately is more important than career, looks, money, etc. This is coming from a 71 year old.
Fuck off, BOR.
Didn’t we go through all this shit with “Murphy Brown” in the early 90’s?
Pissed me off then, pisses me off now.
Right, so Jen Aniston is going to head over to Fox & “defend” her views? I’m pretty sure that’s on the top of her ‘to do’ list.
Oh, and I was raised by a single dad, if that’s even relevant
hey casey, I read your post and not to belittle your friend’s search for part of his identity, but maybe he should’ve also considered that if his mother didn’t choose that avenue, he wouldn’t even be alive. I understand his sadness but also I believe that as he matures he will probably understand the nature of his existence and that he wouldn’t be alive if his mother hadn’t done that. Adolescent/teenage years are fragile and there is doubt in every aspect of the self, whether in a 2 parent home or not. A lot of doubt is also caused by society that defines what should be normal.
*raising my cup to all single moms who work hard to raise their kids*
@snowball, congrats to your child who is graduating, he/she mustve had a great mom!
I don’t believe for a second that Aniston’s comments were sending a message to teens. She was speaking of women without a partner who’s bio clock is ticking, that are in the financial position to have other options, like her character in the movie.
She is on record saying that she wouldn’t want to do it alone, so there’s no reason for that to be taken out of context. There’s nothing in there to indicate that she’s not a fan of the traditional family, only that family doesn’t always fit that perfect stereotype. Her only message was woman in that situation have options. Period.
@ 50.RHONYC
Bridget Moynahan is poor, single mother?
In what world?
Did I miss the post where Tom Brady isn’t involved with John and doesn’t pay child support?
Did I miss the post where Bridget doesn’t have the ability to have a career, relationship, or pay her bills?
The same Bridget Moynahan whose son was photographed with 2 nannies at a park.
I’m sorry a celebrity single mother is going to be different from a regular single mother.
When I think of poor, single mother I think of the a woman who is struggling to pay her bills, keep up with her child(ren), and has no help in the form of family or friends.
Someone who is living paycheck to paycheck or by the seat of their pants. A woman who will go without so her child(ren) can have everything they need.
Bridget Moynahan, Denise Richards and the rest of the celebrity one note samba queens who beat the Poor Single Mother Anthem don’t fit the criteria for poor, single mother in any shape way or form.
They aren’t biting their fingernails with worry lines sketched in their forehead over how to take care of themselves and their child(ren).
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