Lily Allen’s Children Comment Sparks Debate

Singer Lily Allen has stirred debate on social media over stating that her children “ruined” her music career.

Allen, 38, has two daughters—Ethel Mary, 12, and Marnie Rose, 11—from her marriage to ex-husband Sam Cooper. The British musician is now married to Stranger Things star David Harbour.

During an appearance on The Radio Times Podcast, which went live on March 12, Allen spoke with host Kelly-Anne Taylor about her pop career, which was kicked into high gear with the release of her 2006 hit single “Smile.”

When Taylor asked Allen about how having children affected her views on the music industry, the singer responded: “Well, as I said before, I never really had a strategy when it comes to career. But yes, my children ruined my career.”

After delivering the comment with a laugh, Allen went on: “I mean, I love them and they complete me. But in terms of pop stardom, totally ruined it, yeah.”

While Taylor laughed, British TV presenter Miquita Oliver, who was also a guest on the show, responded by saying that she appreciated Allen’s honesty on the matter.

“It does not mix!” Allen said in response. “It really annoys me when people say you can have it all because, quite frankly, you can’t.”

When Allen’s comments were shared on X, formerly Twitter, a number of people on the social media platform reacted by criticizing the star.

“Not everything needs to be said,” wrote one X user, while another commented: “Imagine being her poor kids, growing up, and reading this. Damn that’s cold.”

“Do people not think their children will one day grow up and read this?” asked another.

Allen was also called “selfish” for her statement, while another comment read: “Why would she even publicly say this? So weird and f***** up to say….”

“That sounds like such an excuse,” another opined. “There are loads of singers who have children and still manage to have a successful career!”

“What a disgusting thing to say,” another responded. “She ruined her own career. Britney [Spears] was able to make the best albums of her career after having children, and so have many other stars. Lily fell off because she never had staying power. She wasn’t meant for longevity.”

“Embarrassing of her to say this,” another weighed in. “I feel for her kids.”

Amid the flood of complaints, a number of other X users spoke out in Allen’s defense, with many commending her honesty about her experience.

“It’s refreshing to see honesty about the challenges of balancing career and motherhood,” said one supporter. “Lily Allen’s candidness sheds light on the sacrifices many working parents make.”

“She’s just being honest,” another X user stated. “Everyone that knows Lily Allen (at least listening to her music) knows that she’s always honest, even when it sounds bad. And what she also means is that women are supposed to raise their child while men don’t have this problem [because] of sexism.”

“It’s OK for mothers to feel this way, doesn’t mean there’s no love for their children,” read another comment.

“People hate when women tell the truth,” another stated. “It’s extremely hard to have a career and children, but they will try to sell you a dream about having it all. She’s letting young women know what she probably wish someone told her!”

“It’s brave of Lily Allen to share her perspective,” another wrote. “Balancing motherhood and a career can be incredibly challenging, especially in the entertainment industry where there’s a lot of pressure.”

Sharing an audio clip from the interview, one X user said that “it really feels like people have lost the ability to actually go to the source and understand tone and context.”

Newsweek has contacted a representative of Allen via email for comment.

Elsewhere in her interview, Allen, who is the daughter of actor Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen, spoke about how her own childhood affected her decision to prioritize raising her children over making music.

“Some people choose their career over their children, and that’s their prerogative,” she said. “But my parents were quite absent when I was a kid. And I feel like that really left some nasty scars that I’m not willing to repeat on mine.”

Showing that she does not regret her decision, Allen added that she “chose stepping back and concentrating on them and I’m glad that I’ve done that because I think they’re pretty well-rounded people.”

Pointing out the “self-centered” nature that she believes is embraced today, Allen added: “On Instagram you see quite a lot about this, ‘No negative energy,’ and, ‘I’m just protecting my healthy boundaries,’ and, ‘It’s all about me.’ Blah, blah, blah.

“I think if we were less like that and we were more actually about community and taking care of the community, then maybe you could have it [all]. But I think people just can’t afford childcare in the way that you’re supposed to. It just doesn’t add up.”