Channel Nine star gives controversial Father's Day advice to Robert De Niro
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The world of television and film is always filled with drama and shocking news, and today is no different.
Australian TV host Shelly Horton has made headlines online after she urged Hollywood icon Robert De Niro to get a vasectomy as a Father’s Day present.
This comes after the 79-year-old movie star announced that he had just welcomed his seventh child with his current partner in an interview for ET Canada. The reporter asked him what it was like to be a father of six children, and that was when the actor shared that he had recently welcomed a new child into his life.
He also did not share the name of his child or the gender.
You can read more details about this here.
And while the general public and his fans celebrated his joy with him, some weren’t as supportive.
In a column for 9Honey, Channel Nine presenter Shelly Horton criticised Mr De Niro’s decision to become a father again at his age.
Ms Horton said it was ‘irresponsible’ for older men to father children because they ‘pass away before the child has grown up’, leaving their younger partners as single mothers.
‘It's irresponsible to have children at that age, especially when you consider the child will undoubtedly grow up without a father for most of their life,’ Ms Horton explained.
Mr De Niro’s girlfriend, Tiffany Chen, is believed to be 45 years old.
‘While some may argue that women shouldn’t have to sacrifice their desire to have children because their partner is older, they need to think about the long-term consequences of that decision,’ she continued.
According to Ms Horton, it is ‘incredibly difficult for single mothers to raise children alone’. She added that while the Hollywood heavyweight can provide for their needs through financial support and other assistance, he will not be able to carry the ‘emotional and physical load of parenthood’ once he is gone or ill.
‘As parents age, they may also struggle with health issues that make it difficult for them to provide the care and attention young children require,’ she claimed.
The 50-year-old TV presenter also expressed concern that Mr De Niro’s child could be at risk of emotional trauma by losing their father at a young age if the film star were to die before the child had grown up.
‘A child is not a playtoy or shiny Christmas present. The child needs to be considered for life,’ she said.
She also brought up an interview that Mr De Niro gave in 2016, in which he, himself, said it was irresponsible for him to have more children at his age.
‘I don't think it's responsible, at my age, to have more children. I'm going to be 70 years old, and they'll be dealing with the things that people deal with at that age,’ he told reporters at the time.
Despite Ms Horton’s claims, Mr De Niro said in a new interview that the pregnancy with Tiffany Chen was ‘planned’.
‘How could you not plan that kind of thing?’ He said in the report. He also shared his feelings about becoming a father again.
‘I’m good with it,’ he stated before adding that being a parent ‘never gets easier’.
It’s an issue that raises a lot of questions and something that many couples need to carefully consider when deciding to have a family.
But what are your opinions on this, members? Do you think people should be more conscious about the decision to become a parent at an older age? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section!
Australian TV host Shelly Horton has made headlines online after she urged Hollywood icon Robert De Niro to get a vasectomy as a Father’s Day present.
This comes after the 79-year-old movie star announced that he had just welcomed his seventh child with his current partner in an interview for ET Canada. The reporter asked him what it was like to be a father of six children, and that was when the actor shared that he had recently welcomed a new child into his life.
He also did not share the name of his child or the gender.
You can read more details about this here.
The 79-year-old star made waves online after announcing the birth of his seventh child. Credit: Lisa Fotios/Pexels
And while the general public and his fans celebrated his joy with him, some weren’t as supportive.
In a column for 9Honey, Channel Nine presenter Shelly Horton criticised Mr De Niro’s decision to become a father again at his age.
Ms Horton said it was ‘irresponsible’ for older men to father children because they ‘pass away before the child has grown up’, leaving their younger partners as single mothers.
‘It's irresponsible to have children at that age, especially when you consider the child will undoubtedly grow up without a father for most of their life,’ Ms Horton explained.
Ms Horton said it was ‘irresponsible’ for men to father a child well into retirement age. Credit: Lisa Fotios/Pexels
Mr De Niro’s girlfriend, Tiffany Chen, is believed to be 45 years old.
‘While some may argue that women shouldn’t have to sacrifice their desire to have children because their partner is older, they need to think about the long-term consequences of that decision,’ she continued.
According to Ms Horton, it is ‘incredibly difficult for single mothers to raise children alone’. She added that while the Hollywood heavyweight can provide for their needs through financial support and other assistance, he will not be able to carry the ‘emotional and physical load of parenthood’ once he is gone or ill.
‘As parents age, they may also struggle with health issues that make it difficult for them to provide the care and attention young children require,’ she claimed.
The 50-year-old TV presenter also expressed concern that Mr De Niro’s child could be at risk of emotional trauma by losing their father at a young age if the film star were to die before the child had grown up.
‘A child is not a playtoy or shiny Christmas present. The child needs to be considered for life,’ she said.
She also brought up an interview that Mr De Niro gave in 2016, in which he, himself, said it was irresponsible for him to have more children at his age.
‘I don't think it's responsible, at my age, to have more children. I'm going to be 70 years old, and they'll be dealing with the things that people deal with at that age,’ he told reporters at the time.
Despite Ms Horton’s claims, Mr De Niro said in a new interview that the pregnancy with Tiffany Chen was ‘planned’.
‘How could you not plan that kind of thing?’ He said in the report. He also shared his feelings about becoming a father again.
‘I’m good with it,’ he stated before adding that being a parent ‘never gets easier’.
But what are your opinions on this, members? Do you think people should be more conscious about the decision to become a parent at an older age? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section!
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