“Return That Baby to His TRUE MOTHER!” Lily Collins Became a Mom Through Surrogacy and Faced Backlash

Lily Collins and her husband, Charlie McDowell, recently became parents with the help of a surrogate mother. While many fans congratulated the couple on their new journey, their decision also sparked controversy. Some criticized them for choosing surrogacy, while others defended their right to grow their family in their own way. The debate quickly escalated, with passionate opinions on both sides flooding social media.

The Emily in Paris star, Lily Collins, 35, and her husband, film director Charlie McDowell, 41, announced the birth of their daughter, Tove, through a heartfelt post on Collins' official Instagram. The couple expressed their "endless gratitude for our incredible surrogate" and shared a sweet photo of their newborn, wrapped in a soft blanket embroidered with her name.

While the joy of welcoming a new baby is a moment of unparalleled happiness for any parent, the couple's announcement was quickly overshadowed by a storm of online backlash.

Lily and her husband faced a huge wave of hate and criticism. Here’s what some people wrote under Collins' photos with the baby, "You bought a baby.", "Return that baby to his TRUE MOTHER!!!!", "Whatever the reason, there is still that uncomfortable feeling that money can buy a baby. That unease of something distasteful remains.", "If you don’t have time to stop to have a baby how do you have time to stop and be a parent?", "Stop buying babies!".

Others, on the contrary, defended the young parents, sparking a heated debate, "As a surrogate myself (30 weeks now) I love that you are normalising this. The child I am carrying is not mine, it is for the most gorgeous couple who are unable to conceive naturally. I love being pregnant and giving birth but I am very happy with my family and my children and partners children. Enjoy your baby bubble and remember some people don't want to be educated. Even if this post reaches 1 person who thinks surrogacy could be a glimmer of hope for them then that's all that matters."

McDowell, 41, responded to the backlash with a pointed message on Instagram. He wrote, "In regards to the unkind messages about surrogacy and our path to having a baby – it's OK to not be an expert on surrogacy. It's OK to not know why someone might need a surrogate to have a child. It's OK to not know the motivations of a surrogate, regardless of what you assume."

He continued, "And it's OK to spend less time spewing hateful words into the world, especially in regards to a beautiful baby girl who has brought a lot of love into people's lives. That's all for now because she just pooped, and I need to change her diaper."

Another celebrity who faced similar criticism is Priyanka Chopra, who also used a surrogate mother. She gave a candid response to all the critics.