Victoria Monét has publicly shared a deeply personal story about her journey to motherhood, revealing that she was advised to reconsider her pregnancy by a member of her team. The Grammy award-winning artist went into detail about the pressures she felt surrounding her unexpected pregnancy and the apologies she felt she had to make.

Victoria Monet and her daughter Hazel attend the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
Source: MICHAEL TRAN / Getty

Monét, a celebrated singer, songwriter, and producer, rose to prominence writing hits for artists like Ariana Grande and Fifth Harmony before breaking out as a solo artist with her critically acclaimed Jaguar EP. Her career was on an upward trajectory when she found out she was pregnant. In February 2021, just months after releasing Jaguar, Monét welcomed her daughter, Hazel Monét, with her then partner, John Gaines.

During a recent appearance on an episode of IMO With Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson, Monét reflected on the challenging period surrounding her pregnancy announcement. She stated that she was told her business might “slow down” after having a child. Monét found herself in a sensitive position, feeling a need to “apologize” to business partners for her pregnancy, despite it being a deeply personal and joyous moment for her.

She described the internal conflict, noting, “It’s difficult, but it’s also something that you’re supposed to feel celebratory about because it’s a blessing and not everybody gets that opportunity that wants it.”

Victoria Monét Was Told to Get an Abortion: The “PowerPoint Presentation” Revelation

To make things worse, Monét described a specific incident with a person on her internal team. “I had a person on my team, though the intentions were good, really, really hurt my feelings because they made a PowerPoint presentation to me about how difficult it will be for me,” Monét explained.

The presentation reportedly used examples such as the high costs of childcare and other logistical challenges, ultimately concluding with the question, “What’s the rush?”

“So it felt like an encouragement to get an abortion,” she continued. “So that was really, really hurtful. And I walked out of that meeting,” she revealed. However, this unfortunate moment lit a fire in her to prove them wrong. “I walked out of the meeting with that same fight that I had when I left home, like, ‘I’m gonna do this. It’s my body and I’m gonna make it work even if it’s hard. I’m not scared of hard things, I can do hard things.”

After the clip hit social media and the news story began to circulate, Monét took to Instagram to clarify some of the details: “I want to clarify something I said on Michelle Obama’s podcast that aired yesterday regarding my first pregnancy.” She continued,” When sharing the story of the PowerPoint, I was in fact not referring to anyone at Platoon. It was a meeting with someone on my personal internal team. I was simply sharing my personal experience, and I want to be clear that I wasn’t trying to single anyone out from my internal team at the time, which is why no names are mentioned, and I will keep it that way.”

The singer added that she believes the person’s intentions were genuine and does not wish them harm. She concluded the statement, highlighting Platoon, Monét’s label and business partners, and their contributions to her career, further clarifying that the person who created the PowerPoint was not affiliated with the label.

Today, Monét’s 4-year-old daughter, Hazel, is a star in her own right, often appearing alongside her mom on red carpets and in viral social media moments. The duo recently even debuted their children’s book, Everywhere You Are, further cementing their bond and Monét’s commitment to her role as a mother.

Watch the full interview with Victoria Monét on IMO With Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson below.

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