Whitney Cummings has learned a lot since becoming a mother, including how to find the value in her harshest critics.
In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Cummings, 42, opened up how her life has changed since she welcomed 12-month-old son Henry. “The major thing [I’ve learned] is realizing how hard I am on myself,” the Fast Friends host told Us. “I stopped trusting my gut and my instincts so long ago because I’m afraid that there’s going to be negative comments, people are going to disapprove or there is going to be backlash.”
Since embarking on motherhood, Cummings has found a whole new audience in social media users who never shy away from sharing their thoughts on how she’s raising her son.
“Mom Instagram and Mom TikTok are wild. If you post your kid doing something, they will let you know [it’s wrong],” she explained. “I posted a video of me changing my son’s diaper [while] blowing up a balloon and shaking it, so he would be distracted [and their reaction was], ‘You have a balloon around your kid that he can bite and swallow.’”
Showing her son’s face on social media also drew some criticism. “That’s a big one,” the comedian explained. “By the way, parents have always blasted their kids before Instagram: They had a photo in their wallet and on their desks at work, and there was take your [child] to workday [and] they would parade us around in person.”
Whitney Cummings. TheStewartofNY/GC Images
“That’s not weird?” Cummings quipped.
All jokes aside, as a new mom, Cummings has been forced to explain her decisions on everything from breastfeeding to childbirth — including being accused of shaming other women who had a cesarean section — to strangers on the internet.
“I was like, no, no, no. I was this close to getting a C-section. They had to cut me two inches, and it was very touch and go,’” the I’m Fine…And Other Lies author continued. “The fact that either of us survived is nothing short of a miracle.”
Still, Cummings has managed to find the bright side to nitpickers. “I look at all these people that are shaming me on Instagram and I’m like, how awesome is it that you are trying to protect this baby that you don’t even know?” she shared. “It gives me goosebumps thinking about it. The fact that you would take time out of your day to be like, ‘You need to protect that baby.’ That’s where we shine as women.”
She continued, “It’s easy to be sensitive about it and to take it personally and to think they’re accusing me of being a bad mother — but it’s like, no, they’re just truly trying to help. And guess what? I need it!”
Raising a child has afforded Cummings a different perspective on how she was living her life before she became a mom. “What I do for a living is so narcissistic and I was so sick of myself,” the Whitney alum explained. “It was taking such a toll on my self-esteem and self-worth, and I realized I like myself if I’m only thinking about myself an hour a day.”
Motherhood continues to teach Cummings new things every day — “It’s really healing to be able to do your childhood over again” — and the “Good For You” podcast host credits her son for filling her with compassion and love.
“I’m sure when he says, ‘Mom, get away from me, I hate you, and why did you do all those specials about sex’ in 15 years, I’ll be [annoyed], but we’ll see,” she added. “As long as I can get everything off the internet that I did in my twenties, hopefully this will go well.”
Fast Friends is streaming now on Max.
