Michelle Yeoh opens up about infertility struggles: ‘You just have to let go and move on

Michelle Yeoh opens up about infertility struggles: ‘You just have to let go and move on

Michelle Yeoh recently opened up about her journey with infertility, sharing the emotional toll it took on her and how she’s come to terms with it over the years. The Academy Award-winning actress, now 62, discussed feeling like “a failure” because she couldn’t carry a child, an experience that deeply impacted her during her first marriage to Hong Kong businessman Dickson Poon.

In an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, Yeoh revealed that she always hoped to have children, but fertility treatments with Poon were unsuccessful. “I think the hardest part is that every month, you feel like such a failure,” she said. “You question yourself, but eventually, you have to stop blaming yourself. Sometimes, things in your body don’t function as you wish they would. That’s just how it is.”

Reflecting on her journey, Yeoh emphasized the importance of acceptance: “At some point, you just have to let go and move forward. It takes time, but you reach a place where you stop blaming yourself.” She added that the experience was difficult to process and believes it may have contributed to the end of her first marriage, which lasted from 1988 to 1992.

Despite not having children of her own, Yeoh finds joy in her role as a grandmother, godmother, and aunt. “I’m 62 now, so I’m not going to have a baby at this age. But we just had a grandchild, and it’s such a blessing. You realize there are many ways to have love and family around you,” she said.

In 2023, Yeoh married her long-time partner Jean Todt after a 19-year engagement. That same year, she made history as the first Asian woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Everything Everywhere All At Once. She’s now promoting her role as Madame Morrible in the film adaptation of Wicked, where she reunites with her Crazy Rich Asians director, Jon M. Chu.

Michelle Yeoh opens up about infertility struggles: ‘You just have to let go and move on

At the Los Angeles premiere of Wicked, Yeoh admitted she was new to the beloved musical. “I knew The Wizard of Oz, of course, but I hadn’t seen Wicked because I hadn’t been to the theater in a while,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. Taking on a role that required her to sing was intimidating, she shared, but working with a vocal coach was both challenging and rewarding. “Learning to use my voice in a different way was great for me as an actor,” she said. “I had a lot of fun.”

Wicked is set to release in theaters on November 22.

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