BABIES

Jenny Slate Welcomed Her First Child with Ben Shattuck

She was already “basically like four days away” from her due date when she announced her pregnancy in December 2020.

Feb. 4, 2021

There is no doubting that this is officially the year of the quarantine baby. During the pandemic, it seems like countless celebrities, from Halsey to Hilary Duff, have announced their pregnancies. And since spring 2020, even more have given birth, some in secret, while others made accidental public announcements of their births. Now, beloved comedian and actress Jenny Slate officially joins the pandemic parent crew.

Slate and her fiancé, artist Ben Shattuck, had a baby girl named Ida Lupine. The baby’s first name was a mutually agreed upon favorite, and the middle name comes from the couple’s favorite flower.

The actress revealed the news on February 3, in a classic Jenny Slate way. “I’m not pregnant anymore,” she told Entertainment Tonight. “The baby came out!”

For those who are counting, it’s only been about two months since Slate announced that she and her fiancé were having a baby, but according to her interview with ET, when she announced her pregnancy in December, she had already been very close to her due date. Apparently, she was “basically like four days away” from giving birth when she informed everyone that she was carrying a child. “I can say, without a doubt, that motherhood is for sure the most meaningful thing that has ever happened to me,” she told ET. “I feel really lucky and happy.”

Long before the pandemic began, Slate revealed to W that she had been living with Shattuck in the Massachusetts home where he grew up. The two became engaged in September 2019. “He was so sweet and supportive toward me,” she said of her fiancé and their decision to have a child. “We are already very, very close, but I guess you can get closer and closer when your love is healthy and good.”