The Early Show Normalizes Illegitimate Births
It's just as socially acceptable for an unmarried couple or even an unmarried 16-year-old to have a baby, as a married couple.
That's the message CBS's The Early Show sent today as co-anchor Lara Spencer cooed equally over the births of a son to lovers Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves, a daughter to teen idol Jamie Lynn Spears, and a daughter to married celebs Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban.
Spencer exuberantly addressed her fellow anchors, Russ Mitchell and Chris Wragge, with the news of the birth of Spears's daughter, saying, “Alright Jamie Lynn Spears is a mommy as you guys probably know.”
Wragge laughingly replied, “Hot topic this morning.” Spencer replied, “It is….Well it's on the cover of Ok magazine. She had a little girl on June 19th, our birthday...little Maddie.” As she announced the birth, the front cover of the magazine flashed on the screen featuring Spears holding Maddie and a quote from Spears, “Being a mom is the best feeling in the world!”
When Wragge asked whether even a young celebrity like Spears would get millions for the birth of her baby, Spencer playfully retorted: “Stop that! She's fabulous.”
Later in the show, Spencer lumped Kidman and Urban in with two new parents who haven't bothered to tie the knot. “Two celebrity couples have new babies. Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban welcomed their daughter on Monday. And yesterday, Matthew McConaughey and longtime girlfriend, Camila Alves, became the proud parents of a son. Of course, fans couldn't wait to hear the names of
Julia Seward is an intern at the Culture and Media Institute, a division of the
