13 celebrities who don't have children explain their reasons – from Jennifer Aniston to Oprah

The world seems perturbed by celebrities who don't have children.

As if women didn't have enough to contend with, people also think it's their place to pass judgement on what they choose to do with their reproductive organs.

Many women, famous and not famous, are choosing not to have children (Credit: Getty)

Celebrities who don't have children

A number of influential female celebrities have chosen to remain childless. And have faced hostile backlash as a result.

READ MORE: 12 women who had abortions explain their reasons why

So, if you were curious, here are 13 female celebrities who don't have children...

1. Jennifer Aniston

Tabloids have always been speculating about whether the Friends star is pregnant, and she's clearly fed up with it.

"The sheer amount of resources being spent right now by press trying to simply uncover whether or not I am pregnant (for the bajillionth time… but who’s counting) points to the perpetuation of this notion that women are somehow incomplete, unsuccessful, or unhappy if they’re not married with children," the 49-year-old said in op-ed piece.

Jennifer Aniston has opened up about choosing not to have children (Credit: Getty Images)

2. Renée Zellweger 

Despite having recently starred in Bridget Jones' Baby, Zellweger has always made her opinion on the subject clear.

"I never have expectations like, ‘When I’m 19, I’m going to do this, and by the time I’ve hit 25, I’m going to do that," she said in 2004. "I just take things as they come, each day at a time, and if things happen, all well and good. Anything else is just gravy."

3. Oprah Winfrey 

And the iconic talk show host has also been candid about why she has chosen to remain childless...
"If I had kids, my kids would hate me," the talk show host told The Hollywood Reporter in 2013. "They would have ended up on the equivalent of the Oprah show talking about me, because something [in my life] would have had to suffer, and it would've probably been them."

4. Sarah Paulson

Paulson, 43, has reportedly had her eggs frozen. However, she did tell The Sunday Times Style magazine, "I love kids but I’m very impulsive and I was afraid that I would have children and then regret it."

Sarah Paulson has previously spoken about why she didn't want to have children (Credit: PA Images)

5. Alison Brie

Brie, 35, has asserted that she doesn't want to have children.

If you're wondering why, she told The Sunday Times:

"But I don't really want to have kids. It's great because I don't worry about when I should get pregnant - between seasons, while we're shooting the show [Glow] - I don't think about it every day.

6.Tracee Ellis Ross

Another celebrity that doesn't have children is Tracee Ellis Ross.

READ MORE: Is it safe to skip your period on the pill? 

"I’m constantly asking myself questions, reminding myself, ‘Are you making that decision for you or someone else?" the Black-ish star told The Times.

"The husband and the babies are the expectation of what's supposed to happen at a certain point, and people fall back on, 'Well, that’s the point of the human species, procreation.'"

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7. Helen Mirren

Mirren has said that not having a family was never "an absolute conscious decision".

And the actress continued to Peter Travers, "I was always too engaged in my life as an actress."

8. Kim Cattrall

Comparably, Cattrall, known for starring in Sex and the City, has said "being a biological mother isn't going to be part of my experience this time around".

9. Ashley Judd

Judd's 2011 memoir All That Is Bitter and Sweet touched on her decision not to have children.

"The fact is that I have chosen not to have children because I believe the children who are already here are really mine, too," she said.

10. Winona Ryder

If you were wondering why the Stranger Things actress doesn't have children, she opened up to The Telegraph.

"This is a little personal but I’m 42 and… Well, I was talking to my dad last year and saying, 'What if I can’t have a kid?' and he said, 'There are other ways to have children in your life'".

11. Marisa Tomei

Similarly, Tomei told Manhattan Magzine back in 2009, "I don't know why women need to have children to be seen as complete human beings."

12. Gloria Steinem

Steinem, the feminist icon, told Chelsea Handler, "I'm completely happy not having children. I mean, everybody does not have to live in the same way. And as somebody said, 'Everybody with a womb doesn't have to have a child any more than everybody with vocal cords has to be an opera singer."

13. Stevie Nicks

Likewise, Fleetwood Mac singer, Stevie Nicks, feels no different.

She has long been open about the fact that her career was always her focus, telling InStyle:

"It's like, Do you want to be an artist and a writer, or a wife and a lover? With kids, your focus changes. I don't want to go to PTA meetings."

Well, good on these celebrities who don't have children for choosing the life that best fits them!