Allison Janney, 66, opens up about never marrying or having kids — fertility doctor told her, ‘the odds are not in your favor’
Allison Janney recalled visiting a fertility specialist in her 40s, where she received a blunt assessment about her chances of becoming a mother.
The 66-year-old actress shared the story during an episode of the “Reclaiming With Monica Lewinsky” podcast that dropped on August 11, Tuesday.
Long-term relationships never led to marriage for Janney
Janney said she saw a fertility doctor in her 40s and was told that becoming pregnant would likely be difficult.
“The odds are not in your favor,” the doctor told her. The specialist also asked Janney where her partner was.
“And she said, ‘Also, where is your partner?’ And the guy that I was with, he didn’t even come with me and I was like, ‘I guess that is a sign, isn’t it?’” she added.
She said that after moving to New York to build her acting career, she dated several long-term boyfriends who shared her lack of interest in having kids.
One relationship in her mid-30s lasted four years and she said she initially thought that partner might be the one to start a family with, but later realized he was not the right match, a realization she described with relief rather than regret.
“The way you feel in a relationship that you know is probably not the one and you’re kind of in it and you don’t know how to get out of it — that’s the most lonely feeling in the world to be with someone and feel alone,” she continued. “Oh my God, that’s awful. So, it didn’t happen for me.”
The actress has been engaged previously
Although Janney has never married, she has had several notable romances.
She dated actor Dennis Gagomiros from 1994 to 2001 and was later engaged to Our Very Own co-star Richard Jenik, though the couple split in 2006 after roughly two years together.
Her most recent public relationship was with production manager Philip Joncas, whom she met while filming 2013’s The Way Way Back. That relationship ended in 2017 after five years.
The actress told Lewinsky that outside her friends and family, her dogs hold the deepest place in her heart. She said she could not love dogs more, calling them her “true love.”
“I want to have a farm and rescue, you know, have at least 10 dogs. I just love them so much.”
The actress always had doubts about having kids
Janney has addressed her decision to remain child-free in previous interviews.
During an April 2021 appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, she said she remained open to finding a partner but had never been completely certain that she wanted children.
“I think if I would have found the right guy at the right time who wanted to have kids, I probably would have with the right partner because I wasn’t ever really confident that I wanted to have kids,” she shared. “I would rather regret not having kids than have kids and regret that.”
The I,Tonya actress has had an illustrious career
Janney rose to fame as press secretary and later chief of staff C.J. Cregg on The West Wing, earning four Emmy Awards during the show’s seven-season run.
She went on to star as Bonnie Plunkett on the CBS sitcom Mom from 2013 to 2021, adding two more Emmy wins to her collection and picked up an Academy Award for her supporting role in 2017’s I, Tonya.
She has since appeared on the Netflix series The Diplomat, playing the fictional U.S. president Grace Penn, a role that earned her another Emmy nomination this year.