Jenny Slate’s Disturbing Pregnancy Secrets Revealed: You Won’t Believe What Her Body Went Through!

During the New York premiere of “It Ends With Us” earlier this year, Jenny Slate was quizzed by a reporter about her experience working with actor and director Justin Baldoni. Despite rumors of a united front against Baldoni by the cast including Blake Lively, Slate sidestepped the question, instead stating that she never wants to be in a similar situation.

However, as a writer, actress, and comedian, Slate has faced similar circumstances before. She co-created the animated film “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” and provided the voice for the title character. She also wrote her stand-up specials, the latest of which, “Seasoned Professional,” debuted on Prime Video in February. But Slate doesn’t see it in the same light.

“I don’t really feel at ease giving orders,” she explains, which is why she doesn’t see herself in a directorial role. “I find it hard enough to tell my own daughter what to do! The idea of being in charge doesn’t appeal to me. Strangely, I enjoy being told what to do. … There’s a part of me that is so instinctive that at times I enjoy playing the obedient pet.”

Slate remains tight-lipped about “It Ends With Us,” instead choosing to focus on her recently released book of essays, “Lifeform.” The book is based on her experience of being pregnant with her daughter, who she gave birth to in 2021.

But it’s more than just a pregnancy tale, according to Slate: “You may think this is just one woman’s pregnancy story, but it means so much more to me.

“ ‘Lifeform’ is my attempt to define the shape of my life,” whether that refers to the ups and downs of existence or recognizing oneself as a small part of the cosmos. “Lifeform” includes several animal characters, such as the raccoons that torment Slate and her husband, Ben Shattuck, in their Massachusetts residence, or Storm the dog, a mysterious neighborhood husky whose image adorns the only novelty clothing item Slate possesses.

The fact that she compares herself to a well-behaved dog in our discussion is apt, considering she also describes her transforming body during pregnancy as a “wild-pregnant-mammal-thing” in “Lifeform,” losing clumps of hair that look like fur balls. She highlights the knee problems that resulted from her growing baby bump and the pigmentation on her upper lip that appeared like a mustache from a distance. These are among the less discussed pregnancy symptoms that often go unnoticed until they occur, leading to the question, “Why didn’t anyone warn me about this?” Slate admits she knew about the potential pregnancy complications but didn’t think they would affect her.

“I was taken aback by everything when it happened to me, because it turns out that my ‘normal’ self is just a construct,” she comments. “My ‘normal’ self doesn’t include having a lifeform growing inside me. My ‘normal’ self is the post-pubescent adult body I’ve had since I was 16. This was a series of new experiences that took me by surprise.”

In the book, Slate expresses these bodily changes in increasingly urgent letters to her doctor, a method she says helped her identify “what needs to be nurtured. It’s showing me how I need to look after myself.”

Motherhood has softened Slate towards herself, letting go of unnecessary self-doubts, self-criticisms, and apologies. “I’ve apologized when it wasn’t required and made compromises just for the sake of fitting in, and those things no longer feel like they belong in the only life I have to live,” she reflects.

This extends to her work as well. She believes she’s hitting her peak as an actress, with roles in the 2023 Academy Award-winning film “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” the upcoming “Dying for Sex” alongside Michelle Williams, and the Amy Adams-starring film “At the Sea.” Slate heaps praises on both actresses, revealing that she will be eagerly waiting to watch Adams’ impending film “Nightbitch,” a film that shares themes of postpartum transformation with “Lifeform.”

In the book, Slate writes, “After going through all of this, I’ve become so resilient and capable of handling so much that if I ever get to do my job in the way I truly want to, I believe I might be better than ever.”