It's not just a funny joke: Pregnancy really does go hand-in-hand with some strange cravings. While the science on exactly why this happens isn't completely concrete, doctors believe that a mix of hormone shifts, nutrient deficiencies, and a heightened sense of taste and smell can result in an expecting mother wanting a very specific food item. It usually consists of a food she hasn't eaten in years, seriously disliked before she got pregnant, or never even thought about before. When it comes to these food cravings, pregnant celebrities really are just like the rest of us.
It's definitely not uncommon for famous expectant mothers to be asked about the weird or interesting foods they've been thinking about the most during their pregnancies, and, lucky for us, most stars aren't shy about sharing their answers. Anyone who has experienced intense cravings of their own can relate to that feeling of wanting—no, needing—to eat something completely random and only feeling satisfied when you get exactly that. Ahead, a look at what a handful of celebrities have craved during their pregnancies.
Chrissy Teigen
Chrissy Teigen's pregnancy cravings were all over the place, but when she got them, she couldn't eat anything except the specific food she wanted. When she was pregnant with her second child with husband John Legend, Teigen told E!, "It changes every hour, truly.
"When I want something, I must have that thing. I am crazy with cravings, I can't tell [the Lip Sync Battle staff] what I want tomorrow, I need to tell them 10 minutes before."
Since Teigen just announced she's pregnant with baby number three, we can only imagine what she'll be craving soon enough.
Cardi B
When Cardi B was pregnant with her first child, her cravings were all about snack foods. In July 2018, she tweeted, "I hate red Doritos but for some reason I want red Doritos with sour cream and cheese and guacamole. OMG I want it soo bad but I already ate my limit of junk food today."
During an appearance on The Ellen Show, the rapper also told Ellen Degeneres that her cravings really depended on her mood. She explained, "Like, this whole week I've been eating ice cream, ice cream, ice cream. And then, like, I like, everything lemon-ish."
Gigi Hadid
In the spring of 2020, Gigi Hadid confirmed that she was expecting her first baby with Zayn Malik, and hasn't been shy when it comes to talking about the experience. During a virtual interview with Jimmy Fallon, Hadid revealed that she's been loving everything bagels lately. The supermodel even had an everything bagel-themed cake for her 25th birthday "breakfast party."
"That's my craving, I eat an everything bagel a day and so I was already like, so excited that my birthday cake was the everything bagel," she explained.
Pregnant or not, who doesn't want an everything bagel cake?
Katy Perry
Katy Perry surprised fans when she revealed her pregnancy with Orlando Bloom in early 2020. The pop singer is loving a lot of spice—something she said she's never been into before. In an Instagram Live video, Perry said that she "literally never cared for spice and now I have to carry Tabasco sauce in my purse."
She also talked a little bit about her food aversions, which she's found to be surprising. "Foods that gross me out now are beef. I'm not really into red meat. Thank God for the Impossible Burger."
Nicki Minaj
Since announcing her pregnancy earlier this year, Nicki Minaj hasn't gotten too in depth about her pregnancy cravings. However, when a fan on Twitter asked her if she's been cooking a lot during quarantine before she announced her pregnancy, Minaj responded, "Absolutely. Steak. Shrimp. Plus my famous cheeseburgers. So good. Been rlly having red meat cravings then salad cravings with extra jalapeños. Ordered Chkn nachos that didn’t come w/jalapeños. Who does that? Wow."
Hilary Duff
While pregnant with her second child in 2018, Hilary Duff told Delish that she was dealing with a serious sweet tooth. "With this one I was like sugar city. The other day I made a grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwich, which I have never done, and it was so, so good."
An Instagram video Duff posted while she was pregnant also shows her sending her husband Matthew Koma out in search of some candy to satisfy her cravings. Koma went to six or seven different stores in order to secure some Good & Plentys for his wife.
Beyoncé
Private as ever about her personal life, Beyoncé has never revealed her own pregnancy cravings to the world, but some of the people in her life have. During Queen Bey's first pregnancy, her mom, Tina Knowles, said that she was craving waffles.
Kylie Jenner
Beyoncé isn't the only celeb to want waffles during their pregnancy. During a Twitter Q&A with fans, Kylie Jenner revealed that she also wanted the breakfast food all the time. In one tweet, Jenner said she craved Eggo waffles. "I never liked them before i was pregnant & haven’t had one since i had her. so strange! Lol."
But that wasn't the only thing Jenner wanted during her pregnancy. During her video about the experience, Jenner is pictured at a doctor's appointment talking about her intense love for In-N-Out. She said, "It’s just In-N-Out these days literally tastes like…It’s the best I’ve ever had."
Mindy Kaling
Mindy Kaling had a not-so-strange craving for doughnuts during her pregnancy. But not just any doughnut: jelly doughnuts. During an appearance on The Ellen Show, Degeneres surprised her with a huge tray of jelly doughnuts.
Kaling was thrilled, saying, “Oh my gosh... because in L.A. every time you try and get a doughnut, it’s full of matcha or bacon or something. This is amazing. Thank you...It’s my favorite thing and not every place has them."
Ellie Kemper
Expectant moms can probably relate to Ellie Kemper's serious craving for ice cream all the time. During an interview with Conan O'Brian, Kemper said, "I've been eating a lot of ice cream. It's gotten to the point where...I feel like an alcoholic, but it's for Ben & Jerry's. Like, I go there every night. And the guy looks at me...and he's so kind. But he knows."
She added that while she tries to eat healthy, ice cream usually wins: "I, like, peruse the avocados, and I'm like, 'Oh maybe I'll get an apple. And then, like, of course I'm going to the freezer. I said on Tuesday, 'I can't get ice cream again until Friday, you have to hold me to it.' And then I came in on Thursday night, and he looked at me and he just slowly shook his head."
Ciara
Although many pregnancy food cravings can veer on the unhealthy side, Ciara found hers to be the opposite. When she was pregnant with her first child, the star spoke to People about conquering her morning sickness and her unusual craving. She said, "I really like water with lemon. I’ve had moments where I’ve eaten water with no lemon."
The singer added that she was just trying to enjoy eating whatever she wanted, saying, "I keep trying to find my rhythm. Honestly, I eat. I love eating. I enjoy it, and I take advantage of it when I’m carrying! I eat all the food I want to at any time."
Carrie Underwood
Although Carrie Underwood is typically a vegan, she seemed to let things slide a bit when she was pregnant. During her first pregnancy, the country music singer told Rachael Ray that she was cutting herself some slack when it came to her diet.
"I think I give myself license to have things I might not normally have. Sometimes I’ll wake up in the middle of the night and I’ll be like ‘man, I’m hungry’ and then I’ll get up and have a midnight snack, which I’ve never done before."
Underwood also admitted to eating Pop-Tarts, saying, "I haven’t done that since college. But I knew they were in the pantry–my husband put them in there and I did. So I guess that was kind of a craving; that was weird."
Alicia Keys
During her second pregnancy in 2014, Alicia Keys also had a sweet tooth, but instead of craving sugary treats, she wanted fruit. And not just a piece of fruit straight of the fridge, but roasted fruit (which actually sounds delicious).
During a radio interview, Keys said, "I've had this strange craving for roasted fruit, like roasted cherries and grilled bananas, and that's sounds crazy, but it's real easy. You put it on the top of the stove, you put it on what you might make a panini on and you just grill the banana and it's amazing." She added that she had also been craving root beer floats. "That came out of nowhere, so that was weird."
Serena Williams
While pregnant with her first child, Serena Williams had the healthiest cravings ever: she wanted vegetables! Her then-fiancé Alexis Ohanian shared an Instagram video of himself shopping for veggies for Williams at a Publix, saying, "It’s Friday night, I’m at Publix, going shopping 'cause my fiancé has cravings. I was told there would be cravings. I was not told they would be these," he held up a bunch of produce.
Ohanian added, "Zucchini, asparagus and…what’s this one called again? Artichoke. There we go. Really? These are her cravings. It’s amazing." It definitely is!
Kourtney Kardashian
After three pregnancies, it's safe to say that Kourtney Kardashian has had her fair share of strange cravings. When she was pregnant with her son, Reign Aston, Kardashian told E! Online that all she wanted was "a bagel with cream cheese and jelly." She explained, "I would get nauseous a lot...so just eating a plain bagel was like my savior."
The reality star told Natural Health that she also reaches for Nilla Wafers whenever she's expecting, saying, "I develop a thing for Nilla Wafer cookies every time [I'm pregnant]. I have no idea why!" She added, "I've also been into cheese and pickle sandwiches. Everyone thinks I'm gross when I order them."
Kardashian's interview with Rachael Ray was proof that her cravings were all over the place. She told Ray during her second pregnancy, "I remember when I first got pregnant with Mason…I wanted fruit and frozen yogurt and all this [healthy] stuff, and this time it’s like cheeseburgers, sour cream and onion chips and double-stuffed Oreos."
Halle Berry
One of the most cliché foods for a pregnant woman to crave is pickles, and, as it turns out, some pregnant women really do want them! When she was pregnant in 2007, Halle Berry's then-husband Gabriel Aubry told People that Berry was craving pickles, adding that she also wanted, "Any bread. Doesn’t matter, as long as it’s salt and pickles."
Hannah Jeter
Remember when Phoebe from Friends was pregnant and wanted to secretly eat meat even though she was a vegetarian? Well, apparently that's a real thing, at least for Hannah Jeter. While pregnant with her first child, the supermodel told Extra, “So I don’t eat meat, but now I crave beef jerky all the time, which is kind of interesting.” Loving sweet and salty treats, she shared, “I like a lot of gummies, like candy and stuff like that…anything salty, sweet.” Though she used to be a picky eater, she added, “Now it’s like… give me everything!”
Ginnifer Goodwin
It's not unusual for women to experience totally different pregnancy cravings with each of their pregnancies. But for some women, those cravings remain almost exactly the same, which was the case for Ginnifer Goodwin.
During her second pregnancy, the actress told E! News, "My biggest craving with this pregnancy is banana peppers. The last pregnancy, I was all about jalapenos, which aren't very far from the banana tree." It looks like she just wanted anything spicy!
Tatyana Ali
In 2016, Tatyana Ali was pregnant and planning a wedding with her then-fiancé Dr. Vaughn Rasberry. The excited mama-to-be told People, "We’re reading the books, imagining, dreaming out loud. A lot of just wondering who this person is going to be, who this person is, and you don’t really know until they’re here. We’re ready for the adventure!"
Ali added that she had been having a sort of unusual craving for salad, saying, "I’m a vegetarian. First I was craving anything with salt and lately I just want salad."
Behati Prinsloo
When Behati Prinsloo was pregnant with her first child, her husband Adam Levine did an interview with Jimmy Fallon where he spilled his wife's pregnancy craving: fruit. "She's eating a lot of watermelon. A lot of watermelon," Levine said. "Because, you know, they get random cravings for stuff and it's just like, so much watermelon!"
Levine also said that Prinsloo had been loving ice cream, and that he was eating a lot along with her. "I eat a lot of stuff," Levine said. "A lot of stuff." We love a supportive husband!
Zoe Saldana
When she was pregnant with her twin boys, Zoe Saldana used the time as an excuse to eat whatever she wanted, and who can blame her?
During an appearance on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson, Saldana said, "You trick yourself, working in Hollywood. You trick yourself, going, 'That burger's disgusting. That burger's awful.' But now that [I'm] pregnant, [I'm] like, 'I can eat all this together, at the same time. Like, I can have the pickle with the donut, and it would probably be life-changing.'"
Saldana also said during an interview with Maria Menounos on E! that she had been eating preserved meats and baked goods together! You find yourself driving around bakeries, over and over, drive-thrus. Like, what am I doing?"
Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi
Like many other expecting mamas, Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi" craved anything sweet, especially fruits. The Jersey Shore star told Us Weekly that she wanted fruit during two of her pregnancies.
"I craved a lot of fruit the first pregnancy, and this time it's strawberries. [During my first pregnancy], I would eat so much pineapple that my tongue would burn from the acid."
Kelly Rowland
During an interview with Elle, Kelly Rowland said that she was trying her best to have the healthiest pregnancy possible, explaining that she was working out and trying to stay fit as much as she could. Still, the singer couldn't deny her cravings.
"I love cherry pie and chocolate ice cream with peanut butter mixed in it. And I had a week straight where I was obsessed with nachos."
Mila Kunis
If weird pregnancy cravings were a contest, Mila Kunis would almost definitely win. During an appearance on The Ellen Show, Kunis revealed that she was eating "sauerkraut all day long."
She said, "Here's the truth: This is the worst craving to have because sauerkraut smells and so every time you open up a jar, it just reeks in the whole kitchen. It's not like ice cream, where everything smells lovely."
But at least Kunis was prepared for the weird cravings. Her husband, Ashton Kutcher, stocked up.
"He assumed that I was gonna have goofy cravings, so he stocked our secondary fridge with weird food," she said. "Just like pickles and sauerkraut, or like anchovies and ice creams, just in case at one point during this pregnancy I'd be like, 'I really want something.' And it happened last week. I was like, 'Oh, my God, I need a pickle!' It was just the weirdest thing, like I needed this pickle. And he was like, 'Hold on a second,' and disappeared in the backyard and came back with the most amazing dill pickle of all time."
Kim Kardashian West
Kim Kardashian West was pregnant twice, and both times her cravings were pretty all over the place. During one fan Q&A, Kardashian West said she craved, "Mostly cheese, chili cheese fries, everything with cheese."
But it wasn't all cheese. The reality star also wanted sweets. During a chat on a Vogue podcast, Kardashian West admitted to flying to Paris just to satisfy a craving for a very specific cheesecake. She said, "I flew in, maybe like a couple months ago, just to have a last hurrah of all the food I’m not going to be able to have for a while. And I get there and they tell me they didn’t have it!"
Porsha Williams
Porsha Williams is another woman who abandoned her vegan diet in order to satisfy her pregnancy cravings. During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, the Real Housewives of Atlanta star said, "Girl, I am not vegan anymore. I am full-blown pregnant, and one of my cravings is ham."
Although Williams had been planning on sticking to a vegan diet, she decided to just do what her body wanted, saying, "So no, I haven't [been sticking to a vegan diet], but I am definitely going to be vegan after the baby."
Jessica Alba
When Jessica Alba was pregnant with her second baby, she told Latina that she really wasn't craving food much different from what she usually eats. She just noted that sometimes her craving for something would be particularly intense.
"Sometimes you can’t get a food out of your mind," she said. "I could always eat watermelon. With Honor, I loved fruit, too. It’s a decent craving. You still eat cheeseburgers and pickles - you just want watermelon really bad. I don’t deprive myself of anything. I eat whatever."
During her third pregnancy, however, her cravings were a bit less healthy. She told Jimmy Fallon that she wanted a lot of Japanese food and sweets, saying, "I actually dream about desserts, but I'm trying not to gain too much weight with this baby, so I just dream about them. I want all the shaved ice with ice cream on the bottom."
Laila Ali
Laila Ali told People that during her first pregnancy, she never had cravings. But her second one was a different story. "This pregnancy I'm a little surprised—I'm having cravings. The first pregnancy I didn't—now I crave sweets, sweets, sweets!" Ali went on to say that although she was letting herself have what her body wanted, she was also working hard to stay fit.
Jessica Simpson
When Jessica Simpson was pregnant in 2011, she had both food cravings and aversions, which is completely normal. She told People that she was craving cantaloupe in particular, saying, "I crave cantaloupe like a crazy person. But I put salt all over it, so I don’t know if it’s that healthy. I crave anything salty and sweet. That mixture to me is so good. I can eat a whole cantaloupe in one morning."
Her weirdest aversion? Pizza! The star said it tasted sour to her, which is kind of a tragedy, honestly.
Amanda Seyfried
For Amanda Seyfried, pregnancy cravings were about a food you probably wouldn't normally eat on its own...but when you're pregnant, well, anything goes.
She told W, "I crave everything that’s made of flour, butter and sugar. Or not even sugar. Just flour and butter. You know what? Not even flour. Just butter. A stick of butter. Butter now. I’m so glad I’m not in Paris right now. It’s actually very unhealthy, the amount of butter they consume."