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We haven’t heard from Jennifer Carpenter, 37, much since she stopped working on Dexter and since she got a divorce from her costar, Michael C. Hall. There was some gossip around her hookup with her now husband, musician Seth Avett (of the Avett brothers) because he was married when she met him in 2013 and she used to travel to see his band. Follow-up stories from official sources claimed he was separated by the time they got together, and Avett’s estranged wife even sort-of confirmed that, but Carpenter had been around his band for quite some time at that point. Plus they were described as friends for years before their romance, which sounds suspicious enough. I guess it does happen though.
Anyway Carpenter has worked steadily since Dexter, if not on high profile projects. She was on the TV show Limitless and she’s done some lesser-known films. She has a film coming out called Brawl in Cell Block 99, with Vince Vaughn and Don Johnson, and she spoke to US at the premiere about her life now and how great it is. She also talked about the guilt she had at having to be apart from her son for ten days, which she says didn’t faze him at all.
“The longest time I spent away from [my son] was 10 days, which was painful for me but he was none the wiser. I feel like a lot of moms feel this pressure that they can’t mess up. This is the most important job they’ve ever had. But I realize that he’s the teacher, I’m the student. I can mess up.
[Carpenter] touched upon the guilt she experienced while adjusting to the responsibilities attached to motherhood. “It’s so easy to feel guilt as a new mom,” Carpenter said. “I was away for 10 days and I was just packing it on, and I’m like, ‘He’s teaching me. He’s teaching me what love is.’ How to really invest!”
The Kentucky native also discussed the possibility of more children in the future. “I’ve never had the inclination to go again,” she affirmed. “I’m with the right man. I have an incredible son. Every fraction of myself is totally invested, you know, and I’m satisfied. Everything’s aligned. This is my best life!”
These are likely some quick throwaway comments she made on a red carpet but I feel like I would be jinxing myself if I said that I was living my best life and that everything was aligned. This was probably in response to a question of whether she was going to have more kids, and my first instinct would be to say “none of your business,” but I understand saying something that amounts to “everything is great thanks, I’m so happy!” It’s those moments when you wonder when the other shoe is going to drop, but that’s just the cynic who has taken over my personality in the last few months. It’s like you’re constantly on guard for the next bad thing that’s going to happen, which you never can predict.
As for guilt at leaving her son I get that. I don’t understand considering a toddler your teacher though. You learn how to adapt to them and their needs but you’re still a parent. She has a bizarre way of seeing the world.
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I think the “child as teacher” thing is possibly part of a Buddhist parenting philosophy where the child and its personality confront the parent with the parts of themselves that need integrating on their path to enlightenment. Something like that. I know my children are teaching me to cultivate no end of patience and self control!
Eh, I just took it as she feels she’s where she’s supposed to be and she’s happy with her life. Not a bad place to be. And of course the mom-guilt thing seems inescapable no matter what. My 4-year-old actually gave me a bit of the cold shoulder this morning when he asked if I had to go to work, and I said yes. Ugh, what a gut punch!
The teaching thing I think is just her way of saying she’s discovered a different kind of love now, not that he’s sitting her down and teaching her things or she is led by a toddler. She’s learning new experiences and she’s considering that being taught.
I think she’s beautiful and has amazing arms! But that dress is not doing her any favors.
I noticed her arms, too. and while I don’t like the dress, either, I LOVE those shoes. so cool.
And I love the dress but not the shoes lollll.
Ehh, I’ve always though she played a shady role in the demise of his marriage, but at least there weren’t kids involved.
I generally distrust people who say their life is perfect up front. I usually take it as a way to mask some problems but maybe I am just a cynic. I feel like I am quite lucky and happy. I have a loving partner and we have a beautiful, healthy son and on the average our quality of life is above the average, we are overworked but that means that we do not have to live a life thinking about how to make ends meet. So I realize how lucky I am but I never ever would go around and brag how everything is aligned.
I left my son’s (age 3 and 15 months) for a week a couple years back to go to a wedding in the UK. I didn’t so much mind leaving my 3 year old, as he was mature and understood what was happening, but my little guy, OH MY GOSH. I cried on the plane. I felt like such a crap mom. But honestly it’s so true. He didn’t mind, he was with his dad and so happy! It’s ok to take time away once in awhile.
I am firmly against being “best friends” with your child. You are the parent. But yes, our children teach us everyday. Patience, limitless love, a new perspective, joy in the little things. Nothing bizarre about that.
Agree!
My older son will tease me by calling me his best friend and I always respond with that Norman Bates gif saying “A boy’s best friend is his mother.” We have the same goofy sense of humor.
She’s BFF with January Jones, right? I’d love to be a fly on wall during their brunches.
I love her. She was so awesome as Debra on Dexter. She looks happy!
Good for her. I was obsessed with Dexter and she was great. She took of Michael Hall when he had cancer and promised her they would have kids when he got better and then he started his on set affair with Julia Styles and then their breakup, you could see she was sooo skinny and sad on the show.
That is not at all how it happened. There were stories about her clubbing in NY with her girlfriends when he was sick in CA. And the Julia Styles affair story was because people didn’t know Michael and Jennifer had already broken up. They both seem happy now, they clearly weren’t right for each other.
I love her style. Her skirt at the latest premiere is gorgeous.