It’s that time of the month again, when pop star Chappell Roan voices an opinion and the internet goes wild. Roan’s latest claim sparked anger among many internet parents, particularly moms, who feel the artist is attacking their life choices.
During an appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, host Alex Cooper asked 27-year-old Roan if she wanted to have kids one day. Based on what Roan has observed in her friends’ lives, the likelihood of her having children is slim.
“All of my friends who have kids are in hell,” the artist candidly said. “I actually don’t know anyone who’s like, happy and has children at this age.” She added that those in her personal life who have younger children “don’t have any light in their eyes” and are running on little to no sleep.
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Roan merely shared her opinion based on her experience. She never said that all parents are miserable and that no one should have kids. Yet many people online were greatly offended, which seems to happen every time the singer publicly shares an opinion.
“What a sad way to look at parenthood,” one TikTok user wrote. “I was overjoyed with twins at 25, literally couldn’t believe how lucky I was.”
“Motherhood is the best. I pity people who don’t want or will never know this love,” another parent commented.
“She seems so miserable with her life and secretly jealous of all her friends,” a third user theorized of Roan.
Still, some people online came to Roan’s defense, noting that the issue is not Chappell Roan’s opinion on parenthood — it’s the unspoken struggles that many parents refuse to talk about.
Sarah Ashley Nelsona 23-year-old who is expecting her first child shortly, is not part of the mom cult organizing a witch hunt against Roan. In fact, she believes that Roan raised a valid point about the reality of parenthood.
Nelson admitted that she is sick of mothers telling childless women that having kids is the best decision they’ll ever make. Some of these moms advertise parenthood as a fantasyland, deceiving many people who are on the fence about having kids. The truth is that parenthood is not easy and comes with its fair share of struggles, yet this fact is often left out of the conversation.
“They are the reason why women are not getting the help and support that they need,” Nelson said of moms who disagreed with Roan’s comments. “It’s 2025. Everyone’s different. Let’s stop shaming women (who) are just trying to have a genuine discourse in conversation about, ‘I don’t think I’m into (parenthood).'”
When people are given a false idea that parenthood is full of sunshine and rainbows, with chubby babies and happy toddlers, it’s easy to feel miserable and lonely when the reality of how difficult it truly is hits. This causes many parents to feel guilty for feeling miserable, falsely believing that they are the only parents who do.
Yet, research from Baylor University shows that parents in the United States generally are not as happy as those who aren’t parents. Additionally, the U.S. has the largest “happiness gap” among parents compared to non-parents in 22 industrialized countries.
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Two things can be true at the same time — you can absolutely love your children and view them as a gift, and you can also feel like you’re in hell some days. Parenthood is not for the weak, and it is not anyone’s place to tell you that you should want it or that you won’t be miserable.
Instead of posting video after video of your kids to prove to Chappell Roan (who likely won’t even see your videos) that you are happy, ask yourself, who are you really trying to convince?
It is time we start having honest conversations about why parenthood can be an absolute nightmare, and how we can help each other survive it. No matter how you slice it, being a parent is hard, and while you may love it, it’s not for everyone.
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Megan Quinn is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Creative Writing. She covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on justice in the workplace, personal relationships, parenting debates, and the human experience.