The announcement

Hilary Swank, 52, is expecting her third child with her husband, businessman Philip Schneider, who is 53. She revealed the pregnancy on Instagram on Wednesday, 14 October, in a video showing the family dancing in the dark with glowing sticks attached to their bodies. The clip ends with the actress revealing her bump, next to a glowing silhouette of a child. The baby is due in December, and the couple already has twins, born in April 2023 when Swank was 48. Swank told People she took a test, found she was pregnant, and felt euphoric, grateful and excited. In the caption, she wrote:

“A lot of people have been asking what project I'm doing next, this one releases in December.”

First public appearance

On Thursday, 15 October, Swank left the studio of The Drew Barrymore Show in New York, her first public appearance since the announcement. She wore a white top, a colourful knit cardigan, jeans and boots, and she smiled and waved to fans while showing her growing bump. The interview with host Drew Barrymore was recorded that day and is scheduled to air on 20 October, with excerpts already released in advance. According to Swank, her twins tell strangers in restaurants that a baby is coming for Christmas.

Backlash over older mothers

In the released excerpt, Swank addressed criticism of women who have children later in life.

“There's a lot of backlash women get for having children older but not men, which is interesting.”

Barrymore, 51, agreed that the double standard is odd, pointing out that men can have children in their 80s and that Swank had her own children in her 40s without always receiving warm reactions. Swank then described a woman who had told her she was too old to have children, because she would not be old enough when they grew up. That woman's father had died when she was in her early 20s. Swank said she related, as her own father, Stephen Swank, died in 2021 and was one of her favourite people. She said she would still choose to be born and have that bond, even knowing the loss, over never having it.

Earlier comments on late motherhood

Swank has discussed later motherhood before. In an earlier interview with Women's Health, she said the late forties were the right time for her, even though she could have had children earlier, and that she is now more patient and understanding. In a May 2026 interview with People, she described having children later as something that let her be very present with them. She married Schneider in 2018 after two years of dating. Her two Academy Awards came for Boys Don't Cry in 2000 and Million Dollar Baby in 2005.