Actress Katey Sagal opened up about having a baby at age 52 after telling her husband Kurt Sutter she had "five minutes left" to have kids. The 72-year-old actress, known for appearing in shows such as Married... With Children and Sons Of Anarchy, discussed the topic during Wednesday's episode of the Where Everybody Knows Your Name podcast hosted by Ted Danson.
Sagal welcomed her youngest daughter Esme, 19, with husband Kurt Sutter in 2007 via surrogate. She is also mom to Sarah, 31, and Jackson, 30, whom she shares with ex-husband and actor Jack White. Sagal told Danson, "I had a child at 52 through a surrogate, but I became a mother again at 52."
Sagal explained that Sutter is six years younger than she is. When they first met, Sutter said he did not want to have any children, to which Sagal replied that she had about five minutes left if he wanted to have kids. After a few years to think about it, Sutter changed his mind.
Sagal said that about five years into their relationship, they started really talking about it and went through the surrogate process. Speaking about her daughter, the actress added, "This is Esme, my sweet Esme, who's 19. She's my favorite right now. Kids, I love you all."
The Shameless star further expressed to Danson, "We continue to live life, we don't just fold up and die." Representatives for Sagal were reached by Daily Mail for comment, but have yet to respond.
Surrogacy process and fertility journey
Sagal previously reflected on welcoming her third child in her 50s during an interview with People magazine. She explained that Sutter had been happy being the stepparent to Sarah and Jackson, but had never had his own biological children. About five years into the relationship, they started toying with the idea of raising a child together.
Sagal stated that she was too old to carry a child, leading her and Sutter to initially look into adoption, which turned out to be difficult. The star went through the whole in vitro fertilization process, but their embryos were not really strong.
Sagal and her husband decided to give it a shot, agreeing that if it was meant to be, it was meant to be, and if not, they were not going to do it. Their daughter Esme came through, whom they call their little miracle and beautiful miracle. The 19-year-old is currently studying at college and is visiting home before the new semester begins.
Acting careers and nepo baby labels
During her latest podcast appearance, Sagal revealed that her children have been following in her entertainment footsteps. Her son Jackson is known for his screen roles in projects such as Tell Me Lies, Swiped, and Pet Sematary: Bloodlines.
Sagal noted that Jackson is doing quite well as an actor and is currently in Australia making a movie. He stars on the Hulu television show Tell Me Lies, which just finished its third season. Sagal shared, "They just finished their third season, so he just kind of blew up. My sweet son."
Last year during an episode of the MeSsy podcast, Sagal said her son hates being labeled as a nepo baby. She explained that he did not lean into any of that and uses a different last name than her. Sagal noted that a lot of people do not know he is her kid, which he takes a lot of pride in, as does her daughter Sarah.
In 2022, Jackson revealed the advice his famous mother gave him when he pursued acting. Speaking to People, he shared that Sagal told him, "Don't do it. Do something else," and added that he was not allowed to act until he was 18 and had to grow up first.
Music career and family social posts
Sarah has also appeared on screen and is a musician. In 2023, she released an album titled Are You Here This Time and has dropped tracks such as Ride.
Sagal told Danson that her oldest daughter has made the most beautiful record that she wrote and produced. She reflected on the modern process of marketing music compared to traditional record label advances where artists were given money to just be an artist while labels handled sales.
Sagal's three children occasionally appear in posts on her main Instagram page. Back in May in celebration of Mother's Day, Sagal uploaded a black and white photo of her three children. In the caption, she wrote, "The loves of my life. The Mothers Day gift that keeps on giving… My joys. My best work…ever. I love you."
