Halle Bailey loves life under the sea! The Little Mermaid star, 23, shared an underwater video shoot from her pregnancy after giving birth to her son, Halo, with whom she shares with boyfriend DDG. “Missing my belly, but obviously, I had to do underwater pics,” she captioned an Instagram clip on January 15.
The video featured Halle wearing two different dresses while posing underwater: a metallic two-piece ensemble and a sheer flowing piece. She also wore her hair down for the photo shoot, as viewers can see the camera flashing while she gracefully smiled. Halle’s outfits helped show off her pregnant belly at the time, though it’s unclear when the photo shoot took place.
Since 2024 began, Halle has been giving fans insight into her pregnancy, which she kept hidden from the public eye until she confirmed the rumors shortly after New Year’s Day.
“Even though we’re a few days into the new year, the greatest thing that 2023 could have done for me, was bring me my son,” the Color Purple actress captioned an Instagram post. “Welcome to the world, my Halo. The world is desperate to know you.”
The Chloe x Halle duo singer’s reason for shielding her pregnancy was reportedly to “protect [her and DDG’s] baby and relationship from scrutiny,” according to Us Weekly. An insider recently told the outlet that Halle had “told friends” about it, “but it was all very strange to those around them, especially when she has had such a huge year in movies.”
Toward the end of last year, Halle faced cruel online bullying after people speculated that she was pregnant. Throughout the fall and winter of 2023, the “Angel” artist attended many public events wearing gowns and other outfits that fans pointed out covered up her stomach. Nevertheless, Halle didn’t let the comments bother her. However, Halle told off one particular social media user in November 2023 after they accused her of having a “pregnancy nose.”
“Listen, if I see one more person say something about my nose one more time, it’s going to be hell to pay,” Halle said in a video response. “You know why? Because I’m Black. I love my nose. What are you concerned about my nose for? Leave me the hell alone.”
When she sat down for Variety’s “Actors on Actors” interview with fellow Disney princess Rachel Zegler in December, Halle acknowledged the scrutiny she has received ever since she was cast as Ariel.
“That was definitely something that I had to navigate,” Halle said. “Also, I’m an Aries, so I’m a fire sign. People are like, ‘Oh, she’s so sweet. She’s so nice.’ But a lot of times, when I see stuff online, I get mad. It’s hard being women under the spotlight. People are so critical and say anything that they would never say to your face.”