Boy, so confusing.
Jason Bateman grilled Charli XCX on not wanting children — and insisted the married singer would “find someone” to change her mind — in an awkward interview moment.
The topic came up on Monday’s “Smartless” podcast episode when the Grammy winner said she “miss[ed] out on a lot of conflict” as an only child.
Bateman, who co-hosts the show with Will Arnett and Sean Hayes, asked, “Does that mean you would love to have more than one kid or would you like to have a kid that has the same sort of experience as you?”
Charli, 33, replied, “I actually don’t really want to have kids.”
When asked “why,” she clarified, “You know, who knows? That could change.”‘
However, the songwriter agreed with Hayes, 55, when he said, “I’d rather regret not having kids than have them and regret it later.”
Charli explained that she “love[s] the fantasy of having a child” — but “naming it sounds” like the most “fun” aspect of parenthood.
“That is exactly a sign to me as to why I should not have one,” she quipped. “The fact that that feels like the coolest part about it? Maybe I’m not ready.”
Bateman claimed “all that could change,” sharing a story about his own wife Amanda Anka’s shifting mindset.
“[She] did not want to have kids, so the story goes,” the “Ozark” alum recalled. “And she said once we started going out, she was like, ‘OK, I think I can have a kid with this guy.’ So you might find somebody.”
When Charli quickly pointed out, “Well, I’m married,” Bateman joked, “I’ve got to read a newspaper one of these days.”
Charli, who wed husband George Daniel in July 2025, said, “That’s OK. I knew immediately where you were going to go and how I was going to respond, so I was looking forward to it.”
Bateman insisted Charli hadn’t “let [him] finish,” speculating, “Maybe your next husband, you’re gonna want to have kids with him.”
The episode subsequently cut to a commercial break — and listeners slammed the uncomfortable back-and-forth in YouTube comments.
“The girl has a whole song about her feelings on having kids. Two, actually, if you include the remix version,” one wrote, referencing “I Think About It All the Time.”
Lyrics to the 2024 track off the “Brat” album include, “I’m so scared I’m missin’ out on somethin’.”
Another fan wrote, “She should have been on ‘Good Hang’ with [Arnett’s ex-wife], Amy Poehler, instead of this pod lol.”
Many, however, came to the “Smartless” hosts’ defense, pointing out that not knowing anything about the guest is the conceit of the show.
“One of them brings a surprise guest on,” a social media user noted. “So this was going to be a disaster for the other two 55 year-olds who have NO idea who Charli XCX is.”
Reps for Bateman, Arnett, Hayes and Charli XCX did not immediately respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.
In May 2024, Charli shared with Rolling Stone UK that she doesn’t want to start a family because she “feel[s] like a kid” herself.
The performer was two years into her relationship with Daniel, 35, at the time.
Charli and the 1975 drummer got engaged in November 2023, tying the knot last summer in London and again in Italy.
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