The transition from childhood stardom to adulthood is often fraught with challenges. Still, the scrutiny has reached new heights for millennial and late Gen Z actresses who grew up entertaining us on sitcoms and YouTube. Keke Palmer, Halle Bailey, and Skai Jackson, once beloved child stars, are now navigating the uncharted territory of motherhood under the unrelenting gaze of social media. As their personal lives unfold online, they face harsh judgment that reflects deeper societal biases against young, Black, and successful women.

Take Palmer and Bailey, two multi-hyphenate stars who have spent over 15 years in the entertainment industry. Both are now first-time mothers, raising infant sons while balancing demanding careers. Jackson, another former Disney Channel star, is also preparing for her first child, was forced to announce her pregnancy after paparazzi photos leaked online.

Despite their fame and resources, including access to childcare and support systems, their journeys into motherhood have been met with public ridicule during what should be a joyful time. Fans don’t know the ins and outs of the relationship between Bailey and her son’s father, rapper, and content creator DDG, but because of their breakup being announced online and aired-out tension between them, fans have chosen sides. The relationship between Palmer and her son’s father, Darius Jackson, dissolved following alleged domestic violence incidents that turned into legal spats before the former couple made amends for their child’s sake. Palmer has been open about the past issues between her and Jackson in recent months. Still, because fans have long adored her as an onscreen darling on True Jackson, VP, and Akeelah and the Bee, there’s online vitriol regarding why she’d forgive her ex-boyfriend. As for Jackson, her decision to have a baby with someone who she’s been involved in a domestic battery incident with and who’s relatively unknown in the media has made many scratch their heads. 

These parasocial relationships, where fans feel entitled to judge celebrities' personal lives, are particularly unforgiving for young, unwed, Black mothers. This scrutiny is compounded by a societal shift toward conservatism and the enduring adultification bias that Black women face from a young age. Rather than offering support, some fans have used their pregnancies and relationships as fodder for scathing commentary, often ignoring the mental health toll this can take on new mothers.

Latham Thomas, a birth doula, maternal wellness expert, and founder of Mama Glow, weighs in on the topic. The childbirth and maternal care lifestyle brand supports mothers through pregnancy and the post-birth continuum and facilitates mental health providers and collective care circles when mothers experience stress due to unexpected changes in parentage and co-parenting.

“I think a couple of things play in when we see these women,” Thomas tells BET.com. “Particularly their age, number one; I think there is a stigma in our community, regardless of how anyone is doing economically; we still have this sort of overarching belief that folks who are young should be sort of preserving their youth and spending time, cultivating their careers and living life and spending time, you exploring relationships with other people.”

She continues, “So even though they have good parenting and good [advice] around them, when it comes to these areas, they're less experienced. They've been working at a very young age. They've been sort of sheltered away from the general dating market. A lot of them don't have the experience of being out there and dating and getting to know different types of partners to see what makes sense for them.”

The act of ‘phone fasting’ is a method that Thomas has encouraged through her work in Mama Glow, which calls for mothers to withdraw from social media when comments made about them can be detrimental to their mental health. While Jackson is still undergoing a career transition from being a child star, the demand for Bailey and Palmer has picked up, both starring in 2020s blockbusters The Little Mermaid and Nope, respectively. But upon rumors of their pregnancies–with Bailey hiding her bump altogether until revealing that she had given birth–she and Palmer were scolded online for becoming mothers in the zenith of their careers. And in partnering with men who aren’t equally famous, assumptions are made about how these actresses’ co-parents can provide for them and if they’re even worthy of fathering their children. Because fans have matured alongside Palmer, Bailey, and Jackson, there’s a sense of feeling permitted to share opinions on their motherhood and relationships, even if they’re antagonistic, which can exacerbate postpartum depression.

“There's this idea also that these young women are not picking their equals,” Thomas says. “They are picking people who are not worthy of their time or energy or who are not equally as talented, or equally as successful or equally as financially well off.”

Ultimately, it’s time to recognize the humanity behind the headlines and offer grace to Palmer, Bailey, and Jackson as they embark on this new chapter. These actresses have entertained and inspired millions for years; they deserve the same support as they take on the role of motherhood.

“What people don't realize is that we can also have children, and Black women are all powerful,” says Latham. “We've always been able to figure out how to navigate our lives and as caretakers, as parents, as individuals who hold down our communities–we can do everything at the same time.”