Here’s What Ian Somerhalder Has to Say About That Controversial Birth Control Interview
Cara Delevingne wasn’t the only one dealing with internet drama this week: Nikki Reed and Ian Somerhalder unwittingly caused an absolute internet frenzy when they sat down for a chat with Dr. Berlin for his Informed Pregnancy podcast to discuss their family planning methods. Now, they’ve released a joint statement on behalf of both parties to further express their thoughts on the matter.
The trouble began after the couple made the admission that their decision to have a baby involved Somerhalder going into Reed’s purse and “[popping out]” her birth control pills, an event which they said she was filmed “freaking out” over shortly after.
Fans were instantly in an uproar, with many taking the tale to heart and pointing out what they perceived to be a violation of Reed’s rights as a woman to expressly give consent in their quest to conceive.
The A Sunday Horse actress had her own thoughts on the matter, however. She responded to the backlash with several posts to social media that both denied any wrongdoing on the part of her husband and slammed the media for what she called “irresponsible journalism.”
Dear writer. Here's my note to you on irresponsible journalism. pic.twitter.com/eiS8M4y3D0
— Nikki Reed (@NikkiReed_I_Am) September 22, 2017
For all the unsolicited opinions being hurled at the pair, however, the one person who had yet to weigh in on the incident remained Somerhalder. Earlier today, the actor broke his silence, posting a joint statement together with his wife on both his Instagram and Twitter accounts, along with the caption, “A note from us!”
Unlike Reed’s fiery reactions, the pair’s unified comment took a far more apologetic tone, taking ownership for any potential offense they may have caused anyone in a perilous reproductive situation.
“To anyone who has been affected by reproductive coercion, we are deeply sorry,” their note begins. “That is an extremely serious issue, and women’s rights is something that is incredibly important to both of us. It is something we’ve been very vocal about, and something that’s close to our hearts.”
Still, emphasized, capital letters in their note indicated that the debacle is still a somewhat sore one for the husband and wife team. “We never expected a lighthearted interview we did poking fun at EACH OTHER and how WE chose together to get pregnant, a goofy moment in Barcelona with our two best friends and the anticipation of the start of our journey together as we went from two to three, to turn into something representing a very serious matter,” they said.
They continued on, stating that since things have shaken out the way they have, they’re grateful for the opportunity to call attention to the issue at hand.
“If this somehow sheds light on a topic that definitely needs mainstream media attention, then we are grateful for the unintended consequence. It’s a shame that outlets chose this as their way into a very serious discussion, as we are certainly not qualified to be the faces of the subject.”
The pair closed their statement with the following line: “We are two happily married people who chose TOGETHER to have a baby. The end. Love, Nikki and Ian.”
So far, the post has garnered more than 130,000 likes.
What do you think of Ian and Nikki’s statement? Tell us over @BritandCo.
(Photos via Christopher Polk + Neilson Barnard/Getty)
