FOX News star Kat Timpf has hit back at criticism over her Coachella pictures with a defiant message.
At 36, Timpf faced criticism for sharing her experience at a music festival shortly after welcoming her son with her husband, Cameron Friscia.
This Instagram post was significant because it was her first public appearance following the birth of her child and a double mastectomy due to a battle with breast cancer.
Despite this milestone, Timpf was targeted by online trolls who attacked her for enjoying herself at the festival instead of solely prioritizing her role as a mother.
But Timpf was quick to shoot down any backlash by sharing a defiant message on Tuesday.
“One fun thing I’ve noticed about being a mom is if you ever post with your baby, or God forbid, having fun without your baby, people are like ‘Oh my God, where’s her baby? She’s a mother. Should a mother be acting like this? Grow up!'” Timpf said in a clip posted on her social media accounts.
Timpf said the people criticizing her are often the same people who wonder why women don’t want to have kids.
“Well, I don’t know, maybe because as soon as you do, you are not allowed to act like a person without getting bullied for it,” Timpf said.
She joked, “Maybe that has something to do with it, Sharon!”
Timpf said the negative reactions are unavoidable because trolls also call out people for posting about their children.
“Also, if you do post your kid, that’s a problem too, because then people are like ‘Why is she exploiting this kid for likes? I feel bad for this baby,'” Timpf said.
“I’ve only been a mom for a couple of months, but I’m starting to think that the only way to be a parent and avoid backlash is to be a dad.”
Moms in the comments of Timpf’s post appeared to agree with her observations.
“RIGHT!?! Judged left and right! Miss you!” one wrote.
“So true .. lol do u girl always live life it’s healthy to do your own thing,” another commented.
A third added, “Thank you for sharing this – So True,” which prompted a response from Timpf in the comments.
Kat Timpf’s full statement
An Unconventional Birth Announcement
Last week, I welcomed my first child into the world. About fifteen hours before I went into labor, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Now, before you worry, my doctor says it’s Stage 0 and is confident that it almost certainly hasn’t spread. Or, as I’ve explained to the few people I’ve managed to tell about it so far: Don’t freak out. It’s just, like, a LITTLE bit of cancer.
Still, it was not a chill day. I mean, to say the least! I woke up more-than-a-week-past-due pregnant, completely consumed by doing everything I could to get the baby out. By the middle of the afternoon, I was waddling around from appointment to appointment, talking about how to get my cancer out. I sat and listened as they told me that the best course of action would likely be a double mastectomy as soon as possible. I asked all the questions I could, including if I could get a copy of my tumor ultrasound to put on the fridge next to the ultrasound of my baby. Finally, by the middle of the night, I was crawling around on the floor of my apartment in spontaneous labor, before heading to the hospital to meet my baby, whom I’d learn at the time of birth was a son.
The good news? People who work at hospitals make excellent audiences for dark humor — and, as someone whose first book was about the power of jokes to get through traumatic situations, there was really no better place for me to be. Just minutes after my boy was born, I was talking with the nurses about what a birth announcement in my situation might look like.
Should I go with “Mom and baby are doing well, except maybe for mom’s cancer, and then maybe the baby after breastfeeding is stunted by her double mastectomy,” and then shut off my phone for a week?
Anyway! These next three months of maternity leave are going to look a lot different than I’d anticipated, and I’m still getting used to my new reality. Still, as I navigate new motherhood (and new cancer) I’m learning to celebrate everything I can. I’m lucky that we found the cancer so early; I’m lucky to be my son’s mom. I mean, I know I’m biased, but the little dude absolutely rules — and not just because he might have saved my life.
Thank you all for your support, laughter, and love as I embrace this wildly unexpected chapter. Here’s to resilience, to miracles in the midst of chaos, and to finding humor and hope even on the toughest days.
Kat
“Sorry that u can relate,” Timpf replied.
“It’s only just begun and it’s so ridiculous… even the fact that I was dealing with cancer and childbirth simultaneously didn’t get me a pass,” she said.
Timpf found out she had stage zero breast cancer just hours before she went into labor with her son in February.
Weeks after giving birth, she underwent a double mastectomy to treat the cancer.
The comedian and author has taken time away from her spot on Greg Gutfeld’s late-night show as she recovers, but recently revealed she’ll be back on TV for a new reality show.
Timpf will help Gutfeld host his new show What Did I Miss?, premiering on May 12.
