Halle Bailey addresses talks discreetion while pregnant: ‘I had no obligation'

Halle Bailey, who previously made headlines for hiding her pregnancy has recently opened up about what led her to the decision of putting son Halo out of the public’s sight.

Speaking on stage while at the ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards, the six-time Grammy award nominee, who was honoured at the event for her contributions to the industry, opened up about the perils of spotlight and said, “I've learned from that spotlight over the past eight years. I've also, if I'm being honest, been burned by it, too, as we all have.”

The actress also emphasized the struggles of Black women and referenced the backlash she received for her role in The Little Mermaid live-action adaptation, she remarked, “It can be unfair and it can expose you to criticism just for being you.”

Further addressing her biggest gift and challenges of life, she mentioned, “There was no way in hell I was going to share the biggest joy of my world with anyone.”

“Halo was my gift. He is the greatest blessing, and I had no obligation to expose him, me, or my family to that”, she called out the invasive attention towards her pregnancy.

“With the state of the world, and men trying to force their will on women’s bodies, no one on social media was going to tell me what to share with the world”, she explained.

The Color Purple actress attributed her resilience and ability to protect her peace to the guidance of ‘strong women’ as she explained, “Remember when Zion David Marley, who came from a queen named Lauryn Hill, entered the world? Do you remember how private Beyoncé was about her pregnancy? Every woman in the world has the right to choose what to do with their bodies.”

For those unfamiliar, actress and singer Halle Bailey quietly welcomed her son Halo in January with boyfriend DDG. The actress remained tight-lipped about her pregnancy until she announced his arrival through an Instagram post.

However, the 23-year-old singer faced criticism for keeping her pregnancy private and previously turned to Twitter to shut down haters who accused her of ‘lying’ and ‘gaslighting’.

She wrote, “I never lied or even said anything about it honey, making a joke about my nose was the farthest i went. I'll never understand why you are mad i protected my own peace, wouldn’t you do the same?