Michelle Williams Opened Up About Having 4th Child Via Surrogate

Six months after becoming a mom of four, Michelle Williams shouted out the surrogate who gave birth to her youngest child. The 44-year-old Dying for Sex star appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Kimmel! on Aug. 18, where she was interviewed by guest host Tiffany Haddish. During their conversation, the usually-private Williams offered a glimpse into her family life.

A Shoutout For Her Surrogate

As Haddish welcomed Williams onstage, the comedian complimented her appearance, telling her she looked like she hadn’t had any kids. That’s when Williams acknowledged her surrogate and even shared her first name.

“Then I got to give a big shoutout to Christine, ’cause this last baby did not come through my body,” Williams said. “But the miracle of our little girl is thanks to Christine. Maybe you’re watching out there. Thank you, Christine.”

The five-time Oscar nominee then shared more about her home life, noting that she and her husband, director Thomas Kail, have three children under age 5. (Her oldest daughter, Matilda, whose father is the late actor Heath Ledger, is now 19.) “Everything’s good and under control,” she said, adding that “it’s just really busy” and she’s still figuring out her ideal “life-work balance.”

Managing Motherhood

Williams and Kail’s youngest daughter was reportedly born in February. A source told People in early April that she’d been born six weeks prior. (The outlet was not able to reach the actor’s rep for comment at the time.) The couple also share a 4-year-old son and another child, who was born in 2022.

With four children, finding time for herself seems to be proving tricky. “A lot of people are talking about self-care, and I’m just wondering, like, ‘When?’” Williams told Haddish. “Because I’m a working mom and so, like, I already have the guilt and I don’t want to take more time away from them, but I understand, like, I need to fill up the tank.”

She quipped that appointments that involve “government bureaucracy,” like getting her children’s social security numbers, have been the secret for her. “They will let you wait in complete silence for at least one hour,” she said. The bonus? At the end of the wait, “you get to have an adult conversation.”

Williams divulged a more serious lesson she learned about motherhood when she spoke to Bustle in November 2022: “to laugh as often as possible.” She also said being a parent had taught her “more about how to love [herself].”

“I have said before that when I had my daughter, I knew how much I would love her and I never imagined what her love for me would feel like in return,” she added.