Jamie Chung says she had her twins via surrogate to protect her career: ‘I was terrified of becoming pregnant’

‘I was terrified of putting my life on hold for two-plus years’

(Getty Images for Entertainment W)

Jamie Chung has opened up about welcoming her twin sons via surrogate and how she feared getting pregnant would damage her career.

The 39-year-old actor discussed her and her husband Bryan Greenberg’s decision to start their family through surrogacy, as their twins were born last October, during a phone interview with Today Parents.

Chung said she was concerned that if she got pregnant, she would have to put her career “on hold” and feared that she would be “easily forgotten about” in her field.

“I was terrified of becoming pregnant,” she explained. “I was terrified of putting my life on hold for two-plus years. In my industry, it feels like you’re easily forgotten if you don’t work within the next month of your last job. Things are so quickly paced in what we do. So it’s a compromise that we made together as a couple.”

However, The Misfits star still said that she felt like there was a bit of stigma around surrogacy, which is why she and her husband waited “until [they] were ready” to announce the birth of their children.

“I think there’s a little bit of shame. It’s still not a very common thing and we weren’t ready for judgment,” she continued. “We really just did it to protect ourselves. We announced things when we were ready to.”

She also emphasised that her choice to use a surrogate was more “complicated” than people would think, as she was worried that if she got pregnant, she would “lose opportunities” that she’s worked so hard for.

“People probably think, ‘Oh, she’s so vain. She didn’t want to get pregnant,’ and it’s much more complicated than that,” she added. “For me, personally, and I will leave it at this, it’s like, I worked my ass off my entire life to get where I am,” Chung said. “I don’t want to lose opportunities. I don’t want to be resentful.”

The Samurai Girl star has previously opened up about her life as a first time mother. Last month, she shared a post on Instagram explaining what raising twins is “really like,” as Greenberg could be seen with his face in a pillow as he’s feeding their baby. The couple’s second child could be seen laying on a mat next to his father.

“Had a good morning cry, ran away for a 45 min workout and now I can laugh about it,” she wrote in the caption. “If you emailed me and haven’t heard a reply, I thank you in advance for your patience.”

Chung also spoke candidly about being a mother last December, during a Facebook Live with Ashely Graham and Lance Bass, acknowledging “tough” parenting can be and how she struggled with postpartum depression.

“You’re sleep-deprived. I think one of the best [pieces of] advice that I got is … just [to] give each other a hall pass,” she said. “We get it. You’re tired, you’re cranky. I have spurts where I just need to stop and take a deep breath and need to apologise. It’s freaking tough.”

“I had crazy postpartum depression,” she added. “I just didn’t want to talk about it. I was so resentful, and I had anxiety and I was angry. I was going through it.”