“Actress Jessica Oyelowo – married to David Oyelowo – shared a harrowing moment of discrimination in her career (Picture: Lauren/Shutterstock for SAG) Actress Jessica Oyelowo has opened up about a shocking experience early in her career, revealing that a television producer once branded her ‘stupid and annoying’ after she told him she was pregnant. Speaking”, — write: metro.co.uk
Actress Jessica Oyelowo – married to David Oyelowo – shared a harrowing moment of discrimination in her career (Picture: Lauren/Shutterstock for SAG) Actress Jessica Oyelowo has opened up about a shocking experience early in her career, revealing that a television producer once branded her ‘stupid and annoying’ after she told him she was pregnant.
Speaking about the incident, which took place in 2001, Oyelowo said she had already signed contracts and begun costume fittings for a TV role when she discovered she was expecting her first child.
‘I didn’t know I was pregnant yet, but I got a job and I found out after I’d signed my contracts and started doing costume fittings,’ she explained.
‘The first person I told was the main producer. I said, “Look, I want to let you know, I’m pregnant. I’m very well, I’m very young, I’m very healthy. I just wanted to let you know so you could be prepared.”‘
But instead of receiving support, Oyelowo said she was met with hostility.
‘He said, “You women! You’re so annoying. You always ruin my projects with having babies. So stupid,”‘ she recalled. ‘Things haven’t changed that much [since].’
Jessica experienced the moment when she was pregnant with the couple’s first child (Picture: Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock) Oyelowo – who is married to actor David Oyelowo, known for Selma, Silo, and Lawmen: Bass Reeves – chose not to name the production involved but suggested that discriminatory attitudes toward women and motherhood persist in the entertainment industry more than two decades later.
Jessica and David met as teenagers at a summer theatre camp before marrying in London in 1998.
They now share four children: Asher, 25, Caleb, 20, Penuel, 17, and Zoe, 13.
The couple now have four children (Picture: Steve Granitz/FilmMagic) David has previously spoken with pride about his wife’s intellect, revealing in an interview with The Guardian that Jessica — who took an ADHD test years ago — was found to have an exceptionally high IQ, placing her in the top 2% of the population.
‘She’s in Mensa,’ he said, adding that their children are also neurodiverse. ‘They have incredibly special attributes that they wear as superpowers. I’m in awe that I get to be their father.’
The couple have occasionally worked together on screen, most recently in the Paramount+ series Lawmen: Bass Reeves. David’s latest project, Government Cheese, is now streaming on Apple TV+.
Jessica’s remarks add to ongoing conversations about how the film and TV industry continues to treat women’s bodies and motherhood as professional liabilities rather than natural parts of life.
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