“Sinners” Star Reveals Pregnancy on Golden Globes Red Carpet
Hailee Steinfeld was not the only celebrity to showcase her pregnancy on the Golden Globes red carpet this past Sunday. Indeed, one of her recent co-stars had the same joyous announcement to make – in this case, for the first time. Wunmi Mosaku, another acclaimed star of last year’s much-acclaimed period horror film, “Sinners,” has a baby of her own on the way, and she decided that the best way to step into the spotlight while pregnant was to do so proudly.
Mosaku Expecting Her Second Child
Mosaku, previously known for her roles in “His House” (2020) and “Deadpool & Wolverine” (2024), already has a very young daughter, born in 2023. In “Sinners,” which was filmed seven months after her daughter’s birth, her character Annie is, coincidentally, a grieving mother who has lost her baby daughter; in a post-release interview with W magazine, Mosaku described how her new motherhood enabled her to strongly identify with Annie: “Her connection to her daughter, who is now an ancestor, is something I felt really connected to as a mother.”
While her performance was not nominated at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards, “Sinners” itself received a total of seven Golden Globe nominations, including “Best Motion Picture – Drama,” “Best Director” for Ryan Coogler, “Best Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama” for Michael B. Jordan, and “Cinematic and Box Office Achievement Award,” which it won. Naturally, Mosaku attended the ceremony to celebrate alongside her fellow cast and crew members. However, the fact that she had yet to make her pregnancy public left her facing a difficult decision in regard to her self-presentation at this major industry event.
Mosaku on Her Pregnancy
On the same day as the Golden Globes, Vogue published a very moving essay from Mosaku in which the actor explained her very conflicted feelings about her second pregnancy and her decision not to conceal it at the ceremony. Her cultural background was one reason she felt inclined toward concealment: “In my Nigerian culture, we don’t really announce this kind of news. It’s meant to be protected.” (Mosaku was born in Nigeria; her Yoruba parents emigrated to England when she was one year old). “Everything in me resists sharing it publicly,” she continued, “not because I’m not grateful or joyful, but because this feels like one of the few things that truly belongs to me.”
Nonetheless, she said, she had “been advised to get ahead of speculation and questions.” It was hardly appealing for her to imagine the media and general public bandying about her weight and sartorial choices in the wake of the Golden Globes ceremony. “I wish we could let women simply be. Without dissection,” she wrote, “Because it’s never just about bodies or parts.” She wanted “to just show up as me – a woman who happens to be pregnant – celebrating our powerful film and our amazing team… So I’ve decided to stop trying to camouflage my bump today at the Golden Globes, so me and baby can truly enjoy and embrace the moment fully together.”
While she made no attempt to hide her bump, the dress that Mosaku chose for the Golden Globes had great significance for her as an expectant mother. The Yoruba expression “Iya ni Wúrà” (“Mother is golden”) inspired her to wear a vibrant yellow number from Matthew Reisman. “I knew it was the right dress and the right moment,” she said.
Finally, Mosaku explained that the joy she feels at the prospect of a second child is complicated by fear – particularly the fear of being Black and pregnant: “You’re not just worrying about whether your baby will be okay: You’re praying you will be too.” She cited statistics that indicate childbirth-related mortality is disproportionately high among Black mothers, largely due to systemic racism resulting in medical inequities. “Black maternal mortality is always on our minds,” she said, “We remember the mothers who were ignored, who had traumatic labors, and the precious lives lost.”
Conclusion – Mosaku’s “Anti-Announcement”
Ultimately, Mosaku described her essay as “my anti-announcement pregnancy announcement” – a final, witty summary of a beautifully personal piece. For all her disquiet and discomfort (“I’m convinced whoever called this the ‘blissful trimester’ never experienced it,” she added parenthetically), she has great reason to feel both joyful and immensely proud. This year’s Golden Globes provided a testament to the ongoing success and acclaim of her most celebrated film yet, she has a family to make her happy, and she’s curating a fashion line of maternity wear called Iyadé (Yoruba for “Mother has arrived”), specifically intended to provide attire that both comforts and celebrates pregnant mothers.
“Born from my own lived experience,” she said near the end of her essay, “it’s about honoring bodies in transition… Centering and celebrating the creators who make life possible.”
