Lily Collins and Charlie McDowell Welcome Daughter Tove Jane, But Face Backlash Over Surrogacy

Lily Collins and hubby Charlie McDowell announced on Jan. 31 that they’d welcomed their first child, daughter Tove Jane, and a source reports the actress, 35, “is on cloud nine.

“But among the couple’s well-wishers were online critics of their decision to use a surrogate to grow their family. “Lily is pretty shocked at the hate that’s been aimed in her direction,” says the source. “She knows the internet can be a toxic place, but it’s still unsettling.”

Charlie, who wed the Emily in Paris star in 2021, immediately clapped back, calling out commenters for sharing “unkind messages” despite not being “expert[s] on surrogacy.”

The 41-year-old director added, “It’s OK to not know why someone might need a surrogate to have a child… and it’s OK to spend less time spewing hateful words into the world.” (The actress has been open about how her desire to have a family helped her overcome an eating disorder.) Adds the source, “Lily’s doing her best to ignore the noise. She’s wanted to be a mom for a long time.”