Katherine Schwarzenegger reveals why she and Chris Pratt won’t share photos of their daughter’s face

Author says she ‘had a really normal and magical childhood’ despite being raised by two famous parents

Katherine Schwarzenegger has revealed why she and Chris Pratt will not be sharing photos of their daughter Lyla’s face on social media, explaining that the decision stems from the privacy she was afforded by her own parents growing up.

Schwarzenegger, the daughter of actor and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and journalist Maria Shriver, who gave birth to her first child in August 2020, discussed her decision during an interview with Today’s Hoda Kotb on Wednesday, where she said that privacy was one of the “greatest gifts” that her parents gave her.

“I didn’t grow up with social media being a thing at all, so it’s a little bit different in that way just because I feel like we share so much in today’s world,” she said. “But I think one of the greatest gifts that my parents ever gave me and my siblings is the gift of privacy and having a really normal upbringing, or as normal of an upbringing as possible.”

According to the 31-year-old, having a “really normal and magical childhood,” despite being born to two famous parents, allowed her and her three siblings to “be our own people”.

“We had a really normal and magical childhood, and we were allowed to kind of be our own people and have our own identity and kind of choose to step into whatever form of being public we wanted to when we felt comfortable. That was such an incredible gift to have given us kids,” she told Kotb.

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The experience has shaped how Schwarzenegger plans to raise her own children, with the author acknowledging how important privacy is to her and Pratt. 

“It’s something that’s really important to my husband and I to be able to give to our kids and to be able to have that privacy, and not necessarily show as much of them on social media,” she continued. “All four of us kids would say that it has been such an amazing thing that our parents gave us, and so I want to be able to give that to our baby, too.”

Schwarzenegger and Pratt, who is also father to son Jack from his previous marriage to Anna Faris, announced the birth of their daughter on 10 August with an Instagram photo of the couple holding the baby’s hand.

“We are beyond thrilled to announce the birth of our daughter Lyla Maria Schwarzenegger Pratt,” the couple captioned the photo. “We couldn’t be happier and we feel extremely blessed! Love, Katherine and Chris.”

In the months since,Schwarzenegger has shared a few photos of their daughter in which the baby’s face has always been covered. 

However, her explanation for her and her husband’s dedication to maintaining their daughter’s privacy comes as fans have continuously urged Schwarzenegger to share pictures of the child’s face in the comments under her Instagram photos.

Schwarzenegger is not the only celebrity to limit her child’s exposure on social media, as Eva Mendes has also revealed that she will not post photos of her and Ryan Gosling’s children until they’re “old enough to give consent,” while Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden revealed that they would not be sharing additional details about their daughter when they announced her arrival in January because they “feel a strong instinct to protect our little one’s privacy”.