Halle Bailey also talks about the racist confrontation during the conversation
Halle Bailey is disclosing the numerous factors that went into her decision to conceal her pregnancy.
At the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards on Thursday, the 23-year-old singer and actress was one of four honorees. Bailey spoke candidly about her profession and the birth of her son Halo last year during her award speech.
"We are Black women in entertainment, and although we signed up for the challenges of the spotlight, in this current climate, that spotlight burns brighter, hotter, and uninterrupted, whereas the scrutiny of its magnification leaves no concealment," she told the room.
"I've learned from that spotlight over the past eight years. I've also, if I'm being honest, been burned by it, too, as we all have," she said, referencing the racist backlash she encountered following the announcement she'd been cast as Ariel in The Little Mermaid.
The role changed her life, but, she continued, "It cannot compare to the biggest joy of my life. And that was becoming a mom to my perfect little angel Halo."
The celebrity started to cry as she talked about her decision to keep her pregnancy a secret, saying it was motivated by "a place of protection."
"There was no way in hell I was going to share the biggest joy of my world with anyone. Halo was my gift. He is the greatest blessing, and I had no obligation to expose him, me, or my family to that," she shared.
She chose seclusion for herself and her unborn child because of "the state of the world."
"With the state of the world and the place it is in with men trying to force their will on our bodies, no one on social media, and for damn sure, no one on the planet, was going to tell me what to do with my body or what to share with the world," she said.
