Tara Reid says her decision not to get married or have children hurt her acting career

‘If you don’t have kids or you’re not married, you’re judged,’ actor says

Tara Reid has opened up about not getting married or having children and how its impacted her career.

The 47-year-old spoke candidly about the pressures to start a family as a woman in Hollywood during a recent interview with Derek Warburton for Mr. Warburton Magazine.

During the conversation, shared by Page Six, Reid said that she thought her career would have been “bigger” if she got married and had children.

As she proceeded to address these two decisions, she also described how scrutinised she felt for making them.

“I’m not married, I don’t have kids … and I think, in Hollywood, if you don’t have kids or you’re not married, you’re judged,” Reid explained. “So they still think you’re that party girl from 40 years ago.”

The American Pie star went on to claim that when women in Hollywood choose to start a family, people view them differently.

“But all of a sudden, if you have a kid and you get married, ‘Oh she grew up, she’s great,’” she added, before noting that she’s stil viewed through a “bad girl” persona because she didn’t have children.

Reid hit back at societal pressures placed on women to have children, as she noted that some people could have issues with getting pregnant.

“What if you can’t have kids or what if you don’t want to get married?” she asked. “You can’t judge people on that anymore. And it’s the one thing that I think is really unfair about our society.”

While the actor said that she’s open to the possibility of getting married and having children, she doesn’t necessarily want people to keep asking her about it.

“If it’s meant to happen, it will happen but you can’t keep dragging people’s face in it,” she added. “Like get over it, there are other things to talk about. I think people need to leave privacy alone when it comes to that degree of personal stuff.”

This isn’t the first time that the Sharknado star has shared her honest thoughts about having a baby. During an interview with columnist Allison Kugel in June 2021, Reid revealed that she froze her eggs, since she wasn’t against the idea of having children one day.

“Will I have kids? Let’s see what is in store for me. It’s not a no, and it’s not a yes,” she explained. “I have gotten my eggs frozen, so there is definitely the potential of that. If it is meant to be, it will happen. If not, I’m very comfortable where I’m at.”

When asked where she’d see herself in five years, she said, at the time, that she could see herself “maybe” getting married. Aside from the marriage possibility, she said she also could “definitely” see herself in a place where she’s “happy about producing and acting”.

Meanwhile, multiple celebrities have spoken candidly about their decision not to have children. Earlier this year, Chelsea Handler hit back at societal standards in Hollywood, as addressed the constant pressure that women face to have a baby.

“[There are] some overtures to women and men out there, and anyone who doesn’t identify as either, that you are not defined by the children that you bring into the world [and] that you’re not defined by your relationships or being married,” she explained on an episode of the Today show in January.

Handler, who’s been vocal about her life as a child-free adult, also noted that she’s “been so sick” of people asking her when she’s having kids, “when [she’s] made [her] views so clear”.