Pilates queen Bernadette Sukkar (née Fahey) was forced to promptly take down an April Fool’s Day post on Wednesday after it sparked backlash from followers.
The Sydney socialite, 36, was called out for being ‘insensitive’ after she pretended to be pregnant to promote prenatal classes at her Body by Berner business.
She uploaded a video to her personal and company’s Instagram account which, as seen by Daily Mail, showed her wearing what appeared to be a fake baby bump under her top.
‘I’ve been cooking something up,’ she captioned the clip, before then revealing that ‘something’ was a pregnancy class.
At the end of the post, Bernadette told her followers it was an April Fool’s joke, but that she was manifesting a pregnancy for 2026.
While some laughed off the joke and shared their support for Bernadette, others were not so forgiving.
Pilates queen Bernadette Sukkar (née Fahey) was forced to promptly take down an April Fool’s Day post on Wednesday after it sparked backlash from followers
The prominent Sydney socialite, 36, was called out for being ‘insensitive’ after she pretended to be pregnant to promote prenatal classes at her Body by Berner business
‘People are still doing April Fool’s pregnancy jokes in 2026? Wow. How insensitive,’ one person wrote.
A handful of others voiced their agreement and said it was ‘tone deaf’ making a joke about being pregnant.
Bernadette appeared to quickly delete most of the comments before subsequently taking down the post altogether.
Red Nose Australia shared a cautionary post on Tuesday warning people against making pregnancy jokes on April Fool’s Day.
The national charity, which is dedicated to supporting families impacted by the death of a child, shared a post saying almost a quarter of pregnancies ‘end in miscarriage’.
Communications and Marketing Manager Fiona Jordan also penned an article discussing the issue.
‘I thought these things were supposed to be funny. That comedy should be about punching up, not down,’ she wrote.
‘And aside from that, how basic is a pregnancy announcement, it’s not clever, it’s not funny, and for loss parents it dismisses their loss, their feelings and makes a pain, they are so often hiding, a punchline.’
The prominent Sydney socialite was called out for being ‘insensitive’ after she faked a pregnancy to promote classes for her Body by Berner business
Bernadette is married to Buildcorp COO Jordan Sukkar, whom she wed at The Scots College in Bellevue Hill in November 2024
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‘Miscarriage isn’t rare. It isn’t an anomaly. So many of us carry this silent grief, feeling like we have to tiptoe around it because the world finds it uncomfortable. But it’s real. Our babies were real. Our pain is real,’ she added.
Fiona went on to point out that ‘3,000 babies and children die every year in Australia from causes like stillbirth, SIDS, SUDI and accidents’.
‘So this April Fool’s Day, please think before you post. Pregnancy is not a joke. For so many of us, it was our greatest joy, our deepest sorrow, and the thing we wanted more than anything in the world,’ she added.
Daily Mail has reached out to Bernadette for comment.
Bernadette is married to Buildcorp COO Jordan Sukkar, whom she wed at The Scots College in Bellevue Hill in November 2024.
Red Nose provide support to anyone affected by the loss of a pregnancy, stillbirth, the death of a baby or child.
Reach out to their 24/7 Grief and Loss Support Line on 1300 308 307 or visit rednose.org.au/support.
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