Halle Bailey is opening up about one of the biggest decisions she has ever made.
During her speech at the 2024 Essence Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California, The Little Mermaid star revealed the real reason she decided to keep her recent pregnancy a secret.
"There was no way in hell I was going to share the biggest joy of my world with anyone. Halo was my gift," she said while standing on the ceremonial stage. "He is the greatest blessing, and I had no obligation to expose him, me, or my family to that."
Bailey said keeping the news of her pregnancy under wraps was necessary in part because "the state of the world."
"With the state of the world and the place it is in with men trying to force their will on our bodies, no one on social media, and for damn sure, no one on the planet, was going to tell me what to do with my body or what to share with the world," she explained.
Halle Bailey speaks onstage during the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
Bailey told the crowd that even though "Black women in entertainment" have "signed up for the challenges of the spotlight" the "current climate" has a spotlight that "burns brighter, hotter, and uninterrupted."
"I've learned from that spotlight over the past eight years. I've also, if I'm being honest, been burned by it, too, as we all have," she continued.
After landing the role as Ariel in the live action version of The Little Mermaid, Bailey became the target of unrelenting, online racist backlash by those who took issue with a fictional, totally made-up character being played by a Black person.
In early January, Bailey confirmed that she had been pregnant and had welcomed her baby by to the world alongside boyfriend DDG.
"Even though we’re a few days into the new year, the greatest thing that 2023 could have done for me, was bring me my son.. welcome to the world my halo," the actress captioned an Instagram post alongside a picture of her holding her son's infant hand. "The world is desperate to know you."
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