Seth Rogen hits back at criticism over his decision to not have children

Seth Rogen has hit back at the criticism he’s faced for never having children.

The 42-year-old actor opened up about him and his wife, Lauren Miller, being child-free during an interview with Esquire, published on Tuesday. He also acknowledged that since he’s been open about the couple’s choice, people on social media have had negative reactions to it.

“People really had strong takes on it, being like, F*** this f***ing guy,’” he told the publication. “Who the f*** does he think he is not to have kids? Well, if you hate me that much, why do you want more of me?”

He gave the simple reason why he and Miller aren’t parents. “You should only have kids if you really want kids,” Roge said. “And we just don’t really want kids. Time kept going by and the moment where we were like ‘Let’s do it!’ just kept not happening.”

The Neighbors star added that while his loved ones have children, it’s not something he sees for himself.

“I look at my friends with kids and honestly I feel like some of them are incredibly happy and fulfilled, and some of them seem like maybe they wish they had put a little more thought into it,” he added. “I just didn’t want to be one of those people.”

Rogen is unhappy about the reactions to his stance, as he said the “most disturbing comment” he’s heard is: “Who’s going to take care of you when you’re old?”

“Which to me is very telling. Is that why you’re having kids?” he continued. “Because I have two things to say: One, that’s very selfish to create a human so someone can take care of you. And two, just because you have a kid, I hate to break it to you, that doesn’t mean they’re going to do that.”

In 2023, Rogen spoke at length about how fulfilled he and his wife feel without kids, adding that’s partially the reason why he’s had a big career.

“There’s a whole huge thing I’m not doing, which is raising children,” he said during an appearance on the Diary of a CEO podcast at the time. “That has helped me succeed as well. Definitely.”

When asked if children would make him and Miller “happier,” Rogen said no.

“I’ve been around obviously a lot of children, I’m not ignorant to what it’s like. … Everyone I know has kids. I’m 40, you know? I know,” he explained. “Some of my friends have had kids for decades. Some people want kids, some people don’t want kids.”

“A lot of people have kids before they even think about it, from what I’ve seen, honestly,” he continued. “You just are told, ‘You go through life, you get married, you have kids’ — it’s what happens. Me and my wife, neither of us were like that. Honestly, the older we get, the more happy and reaffirmed we are with our choice to not have kids.”

He further confessed that he was grateful that he didn’t have children, since he and his wife “get to do whatever they want,” with no financial or existential burdens in their lives.

The Superbad star reiterated his sentiments during an appearance on The Howard Stern Show in 2021, noting that he and his wife were “psyched all the time.” He also shared that they enjoyed “laying in bed on Saturday mornings, smoking weed, watching movies naked,” which they couldn’t do if they had children.

Those remarks resurfaced on X/Twitter in May 2024, with parents arguing that they couldn’t admire their lives without their children.

“That’s the kind of thing you say publicly, because you think it sounds cool,” one person tweeted. “While privately, when you get older, it eats away at your soul.”

Another person wrote: “Sad, they will wake up at 50 and realize their life has no meaning.”

However, some people stood up for Rogen, with one tweeting: “I love that people want to spend their mornings with the kids they love and chose to have. I also love that people who don’t want kids get to have the mornings they chose to have. Because that man smoking and enjoying his love ain’t about you and your kids. Go be happy. He is!”