I almost always love Queen Latifah in whatever endeavor she undertakes. I think she’s a really cool lady, and a talented actress with a great voice, and I think she’s been very smart about her career and how she manages her image. All of that being said, I think the Queen came across as a little vapid in a recent interview where she was discussing the situation in Haiti. Apparently, this happened on the Today Show. The Queen was asked about the situation in Haiti, and she said wanted to adopt “some of those babies.” Here’s more:
The multi-talented Queen Latifah stopped by The Today Show yesterday to chat about her current projects on and off the big screen.
The Chicago star discussed the latest cause that is near and dear to her: Working with Pure, a company that helps to provide clean drinking water for people who need it around the world.
When talk turned to Hollywood’s efforts to aid Haiti in the wake of the devastating earthquake that hit earlier this month, Queen Latifah revealed that her thoughts are with the country’s kids.
“I wanna just go down there and get some of those babies,” she said. “If you got a hook up, please get me a couple of Haitian kids. It’s time. I’m ready. I got two arms, I can handle at least two. I can take a third in a backpack, and one in the front, we could just wrap it in some swaddling cloth…give me four.”
This isn’t the first time that Latifah, 39, has talked about adopting. In 2007 she told Ellen DeGeneres, “I want to have and adopt [kids]. I always have, ever since I was 18 I wanted a baby and I wanted to have and adopt because there are a lot of kids.”
[From Celebrity Baby Scoop]
Now, I think it would be a great idea for Queen Latifah to adopt, and God knows how many orphans are now in Haiti. Someone needs to help those kids, and I do hope that many of the orphans will end up being adopted through international adoptions. But the Queen comes across as rather cavalier about the whole thing, doesn’t she? I mean, was she just like “give me some babies!” for laughs, or is she trying to be serious? If she’s serious, she needs to get on it with some lawyers and adoption agencies and a helicopter, you know?
Queen Latifah at the BET Honors in Washington, DC on January 16, 2010. Credit: WENN.
lets see what kind of tone this thread will have, wheres my popcorn
I think she has a very flippant personality in interviews but I think she is being serious about adopting. The rumour that she’s going to adopt keeps popping up – which could just be fueled by her sexuality. I’ve just read so many reports that it’s going to be hard to adopt the kids out of Haiti… makes my heart break.
If she’s serious she will likely have to disclose her sexual orientation… this should be interesting.
Ah, come on, seriously? She was obviously kidding with the “gimme some babies! just stick another one in my purse! there’s plenty of room!” schtick!
Serious about adopting, I’m sure, but exaggerating her eagerness for comic effect. I sometimes think people are so primed to read celebrity interviews as dumb, vapid or braindead that they just can’t tell when someone’s kidding…
I know when I see those pictures of all the physically and emotionally devastated children in Haiti, it breaks my heart and I just want to hold and cuddle as many of them as I can fit in my arms. I’m pretty sure they’ve touched Latifah’s heart as well (not everyone can be as vapid and self-centered as Brat Momsen), and I think that’s probably where she’s coming from when she commented.
Why shouldn’t she be able to adopt a child or two from Haiti? Lord knows, they certainly could do worse for a mother, and she’s definitely got the means to support them. Not all the orphans in the world need to be adopted by Brangelina, and Haiti is too close to the U.S. for their taste in children anyway. (Yeah, yeah, save me the comments; I said it, and I stand by it.)
I’ve always been a fan of Latifah, and I can’t think of any reason why, provided she qualifies, she shouldn’t be able to adopt.
”I think she’s a really cool lady, and a talented actress with a great voice, and I think she’s been very smart about her career and how she manages her image.”
Bless u on this one-my thoughts really.
I hope she does adopt from Haiti. I think she would make a great mom. Her sexual orientation should have no bearing on adoption, especially now with those poor babies needing mamas.
So far about 150 Haitian children have arrived in Canada.
I think sometimes speech doesn’t translate to print so well – especially when people are just being real. She was just talking.
I don’t think it means any less or that the sentiment is any less sincere just because she wasn’t talking in precise soundbites.
My mom wants to smuggle a bunch of Haitian orphans home too. And believe me, she’s genuine.
I’m going to try to say this the easisest I can think of. Its nice that she wants to adopt Haitian orphans, but the desire for childern should be there before the disaster hit, not because of it. do you get it? I never heard of her wanting kids until now and I know she’s prolly waited for the ‘right time’ in her career but, has she contacted a lawyer yet? Thought it out? I’m sure she has the resources to expedite the process. Its just, I’m sure no one knows this but, there were a ton of orphaned children BEFORE the earthquake hit.
lilred, I read about the orphans coming to Canada too. I think only 25 or so have arrived but the others will be coming soon. I think it’s amazing that Canada’s trying to get as many orphans as possible to the embassy so they can be flown here; for once, it makes me really proud of our government.
The article says that she talked about having AND adopting kids in 2007.
@mollination, I agree this is probably one of those times where talking doesn’t translate well into print. And I think she’s just saying what a lot of people are feeling. If she is truly serious, which I think would be great, she’ll go through the proper channels.
I’ve always really liked her. She can make even a bad or generic movie fun to watch, which is a hard thing to accomplish.
@lilred, her sexual orientation could certainly have bearing on whether she could adopt from Haiti or not. The West Indies continues to be one of the most homophobic areas of the world, and I could easily see the Haitian government denying homosexuals adoptions; even if they can’t take care of the children themselves. There are plenty of places in the U.S. that won’t adopt to gay and lesbian couples.
I don’t see the problem here – she would like a family – the orphans need a family.
I agree with Lenore.
Queen Latifah has enough money to adopt as much kids she wants and I hope she does.
Hundreds and more orphans are arriving into the U.S everyday. They are also relaxing a lot of the restrictions on adoptions for the Hatian orphans, so if people really want to adopt them they will be able to. As far as her being single, sexual orientation aside, it will be up to the government,which is corrupt anyway,to decide who get to adopt the orphans. However, I do have a feeling that it will be easier since they are already in the U.S.
How, how, how is that vapid? Even I who cannot afford to do this have been saying to my friends, I just want to go help one of those kids, I wish they could hand one over to me. Is there a politically correct way for me to have expressed my desire to adopt one of them?
I just love how we take these snippets of statements that these celebrities make and RUN with it.
Queen always expresses herself in this laid back, cool, chill kind of way. I could totally imagine her saying, “yeah man, I want to make this happen, scoop up some of those babies.” That is how she speaks even in her movies. Even in Beauty Shop, she still had her “tough, tomboyishness’ way of speaking.
The problem with adopting orphans out of Haiti is compounded by determining how many of those abandoned kids are really orphans. Probably thousands of families were disrupted by the earthquake and there could be parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles who are desperately searching for their children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Reuniting these children with their relatives will take priority over adoption.
I think Queen Latifah is one of those people you just can’t help but like…a lot!
But SAYING you want to adopt children from Haiti and actually DOING IT are two COMPLETELY different things. Maybe her actions should speak louder than her words. I think she has good intentions though.
@Cheyenne, you make a good point, and I think I heard that no new adoptions will be happening any time soon. A lot of the kids who were brought out of Haiti were kids who had adoptions pending already.
@ Lucy, I think those were the ONLY kids that were brought out of Haiti, beside those who had birth parents already in this country.
I just hope all the children still in Haiti have somebody to take care of them. That country is literally and figuratively falling apart.
Vapid….. Bland and flavourless, I don’t think Queen could ever be called that,
maybe you mean vacuous….empty headed, still don’t think that description fits her.
If I was a Hatian orphan, I would pray for someone like QL to adopt me, not forgetting I might have brothers and sisters who survived without parents, someone like Queen seems to be happy to take on the whole family. Give her a break Celebitchy she was just saying how willing she is to care for more than one needy child in her own comedic style.
Karen, only Florida.. every where else they realize having two moms can be a huge benefit for a child. I know several families that have 2 moms and they have such loving close families with incredible kids. It is def very commom nowadays.
Her comments were not vapid, as stated before on many previous comments, she was just trying to be funny with her exaggerations of how much she wanted to (genuinely) adopt those poor babies. I believe she would make a great mother and hope she’s granted the opportunity.