Barbara Palvin is speaking out about the mixed reactions to her postpartum comeback at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, telling fans she stands by her choice to return to the runway. The model walked in the Oct. 18 show in Los Angeles six weeks after welcoming her first child with husband Dylan Sprouse, and the response online split sharply between support and concern.
Palvin, 33, addressed the split reaction directly with E! News at the Sprouse House Halloween Party on Oct. 31. “Honestly, there were 50-50 with the reactions. Some people loved that I was back, and some people were like, maybe I should be resting at home,” she said.
What Palvin Said About the Postpartum Reactions
Palvin told E! News she felt overwhelmed by how much attention her runway return generated. Rather than frame her choice as a model for everyone, she emphasized that recovery after childbirth looks different for every woman.
“Everyone’s postpartum journey is different, and this is just mine,” Palvin told E! News, as reported by Just Jared.
She also credited her support system for making her return possible. “I’m lucky that I have the support from my husband and my family, and they were able to get me there,” Palvin said. She offered a message to other new mothers navigating their own postpartum decisions: “Don’t be scared to ask for help.”
Background on Palvin’s Return to the Runway
Palvin and Sprouse, 34, welcomed their daughter, Sylvie, on Sept. 7. Six weeks later, Palvin walked the runway at the 2026 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, a move that drew widespread attention, according to E! News. Total Apex Entertainment covered Palvin’s return to the VS runway and the couple’s earlier announcement when they revealed their daughter’s name.
Sprouse’s reaction during the show became a talking point of its own. He stood and cheered from the front row as Palvin walked, a moment that quickly spread online. Palvin told E! News her biggest relief was “that he caught his flight and he didn’t miss the show,” explaining that he was coming home from filming and she worried he wouldn’t make it.
Sprouse addressed the viral moment himself at the same Oct. 31 party, pushing back on the idea that his support was anything out of the ordinary. “It shouldn’t be extraordinary to cheer for someone that you love walking and doing something that you’re proud of them for,” he told E! News. “For partners, just clap and cheer. I don’t know why some people clutch their pearls about it.”
A Clear Answer to the Critics
Palvin had already thanked Victoria’s Secret on Instagram on Oct. 23 for welcoming her exactly where she was in her postpartum journey. Her comments to E! News mark her most direct response yet to the criticism that followed her walk, and she made it with her husband right beside her.
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