Published: 00:19 BST, 13 August 2026 | Updated: 03:18 BST, 13 August 2026
Allison Janney has spoken candidly about never having children, saying she was told she was too old by the time she went to see a fertility doctor.
The West Wing star made the confession on the Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky podcast on Tuesday.
Speaking about her decision to visit a specialist when she was in her forties, the actress, now 66, said she was 'sort of under the impression that women could have kids until they were 50 or something.'
Janney, who has never married, explained: 'I just thought, well, I better… I should try.
'The first I heard that I wouldn't be able to have a kid at 40-something was in this fertility doctor's office. She was like, "The odds are not in your favor."
'And she said, "Also, where is your partner?" And the guy that I was with, he didn't even come with me and I was like, "I guess that is a sign, isn't it?"'
The West Wing star Allison Janney has spoken about the sad moment when she realized she'd left it too late to have children
Janney, now 66, said during an appearance on the Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky podcast that she had thought 'women could have kids until they were 50 or something'
In medical terms, expecting a baby at 35 or older is a geriatric pregnancy or one at advanced maternal age.
After this point, fertility levels and the quality of a woman's eggs begin to decline and the risks associated with pregnancy and childbirth increase, according to Cleveland Clinic.
The Oscar-winning star, who has seven Emmys to her name, has never married.
She candidly spoke with Lewinsky about being 'lonely' in relationships she knew deep down were not right for her.
'I always thought I would get married just because at the time I was growing up that's what you did,' Janney explained.
'I was like, "Okay, well, I guess that didn't happen…" The way you feel in a relationship that you know is probably not the one and you're kind of in it and you don't know how to get out of it, that's the most lonely feeling in the world to be with someone and feel alone. Oh my god, that's awful. So it didn't happen for me.'
