Ansel Elgort quietly welcomes first baby amid return to film: report

‘West Side Story’ actor has largely remained out of the spotlight after he was accused of sexual assault in 2020

Ansel Elgort has reportedly welcomed his first child ahead of the actor’s first film role in four years.

Last week, the 31-year-old Fault in Our Stars star was pictured walking around New York City carrying a baby on his chest.

A source has since confirmed to People magazine that the baby is indeed Elgort’s newborn, whom he quietly welcomed recently. No other details about the baby’s gender, name, or mother have been released.

The Independent has contacted Elgort’s representative for comment.

The news comes amid the West Side Story star’s major return to film in the forthcoming movie Dinner With Audrey after he was accused of sexual assault in 2020.

Ansel Elgort is slowly making his way back into acting after he was accused of sexual assualt in 2020 (Getty)

Elgort starred in HBO Max’s two-season drama ‘Tokyo Vice’ (AP)

Ahead of the release of Steven Spielberg’s 2021 West Side Story remake, Elgort, who portrayed leading man Tony opposite Rachel Zegler, faced allegations from a woman who identified herself only as Gabby. In a 2020 Twitter post, she alleged the actor assaulted her when she was 17 and he was 20.

Elgort denied the accusations, saying that while he and Gabby did date, it was a “brief, legal and entirely consensual relationship.”

“I cannot claim to understand Gabby’s feelings but her description of events is simply not what happened. I have never and would never assault anyone,” he wrote on Instagram at the time.

“Unfortunately, I did not handle the breakup well. I stopped responding to her, which is an immature and cruel thing to do to someone. I know this belated apology does not absolve me of my unacceptable behavior when I disappeared,” he said, adding that he was “disgusted and deeply ashamed of the way I acted. I am truly sorry.”

Elgort and Rachel Zegler in Steven Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’ remake (AP)

Following the allegations, Elgort starred in HBO Max’s two-season thriller Tokyo Vice, before stepping away from Hollywood. In November, it was announced that he had been cast in the upcoming drama Dinner With Audrey, based on the true story of Audrey Hepburn’s longtime friendship with designer Count Hubert de Givenchy. He will also star alongside Shirley MacLaine in Lucy Boomer, a road trip comedy directed by Howard Deutch.

Elgort first rose to fame for his featured roles in 2014’s romcom The Fault in Our Stars and the Divergent film series. He then went on to earn widespread critical acclaim with his leading role in Edgar Wright’s action film Baby Driver (2017). His performance earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.