Jason Bateman called out for grilling Charli XCX on not having children in 'painful' podcast exchange
Charli XCX has appeared on a new podcast ahead of the release of her upcoming film, but host Jason Bateman has been slammed on social media for asking her about having kids.
Bateman hosts SmartLess with comedians Sean Hayes and Will Arnett, with the singer appearing on the latest episode to promote her new movie, The Moment.
Charli XCX is best known for her musical career and hit album Brat, being nominated in 2025 for Album of the Year at the Grammys and winning three other awards, but has kick-started her career in TV and film in the last year.
The Moment is a mockumentary in which the singer plays a heightened version of herself on her recent world tour.
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Few mockumentaries, however, could cook up something as awkward as the exchange between Bateman and Charli in the podcast appearance.
The trio and the singer were discussing her being an only child, leading the Ozark actor to ask: “Does that mean you would love to have more than one kid? Or would you like to have a kid that has the same experience as when you were a child.”
Charli responds: “I actually don’t really want to have kids.”
The discussion briefly moves over to Sean Hayes and his husband having discussed not wanting children, leading Charli to say: “I love the fantasy of having a child. Like, naming it sounds so fun. But I’m like, that is exactly a sign to me as to why I should not have one.
“The fact that that feels like the coolest part about it, I’m like, ‘Maybe I’m not ready’.”
However, Bateman then appears to take things one step further, saying: “My wife did not want to have kids so the story goes… and she said once we started going out she was like ‘I think I can have kids with this guy’.”
Bateman shares two daughters, Francesca, 19, and Maple, 13, with his wife, Amanda Anka.
He went on to suggest that she ‘might find somebody’, with Charli awkwardly responding, simply stating: “Well, I’m married.”
The singer has been married to The 1975 drummer George Daniel since July 2025.
The exchange has made waves on social media, with one fan posting a clip on X and calling it an ‘incredibly rough listening experience’.
Another quoted with the footage itself and said: “I had to go listen to see for myself and it’s worse than I thought it would be …. Disgusting.”
Others have pointed out that the trio opened the podcast asking her the name of her film, with Bateman later admitting he didn’t know what Brat was.
One of the top comments on the episode’s YouTube said: “Jesus this is a painful listening… these guys couldn’t even Google the name of her album or new film…. Yikes.”
Another popular comment read: “Bye why'd they not research anything about her before she came on.... embarrassing and hard to watch.”
However, one fan of the podcast noted: “The point of the podcast is that one host handpicks a guest with the other two not knowing who’ll they be interviewing.”
LADbible Group has contacted representatives of Bateman for comment.
Topics: Podcast, Social Media, TV and Film, Celebrity
Michael Slavin