Sylvester Stallone’s wife, Jennifer Flavin, has shared her controversial take on transgender children in Hollywood, claiming that they lack “structure.”
“I just think Hollywood is, you know, it’s all about expression. So, you know, however you want to express yourself,” Flavin, 57, said on former press secretary Katie Miller’s eponymous podcast in a clip obtained by Fox News on October 17. Miller, 34, had asked Flavin why she thought there were “so many kids in Hollywood now and kids of celebrity parents [who are] transgender,” adding, “Is there something in the water in Hollywood?”
Flavin continued, “If you feel like a cat today, you’re a cat,” seemingly referring to a myth that litter boxes have been placed in some schools for kids who identify as cats. (This theory has been debunked, according to Snopes.)
“It’s so loosey-goosey,” the former model added. “Don’t think that we’re really understanding that these kids are not our accessories. They’re little human beings that need structure. And structure is really important for them because it helps their brain organize everything.”
Flavin claimed that Hollywood homes don’t have enough direct parenting.
“I think growing up in a Hollywood home, there’s really no structure because you have this thing going, and you’ve got private planes. And you’ve got all these giant homes with chefs and secretaries and assistants and, you know, housekeepers and nannies,” she continued. “And there’s just too much of everything. It gets really confusing for a little person.”
Flavin concluded that “it’s OK what you decide to be as an adult” but added that people should raise their kids “with good common sense.”
“I mean, my daughters were tomboys,” Flavin said of her and Stallone’s daughters, Sophia, 29, Sistine, 27, and Scarlet, 23. (Stallone, 79, and ex-wife Sasha Czack also share sons Seargeoh, 49, and Sage, who died of coronary artery disease caused by atherosclerosis at age 36 in 2012.)
Jennifer Flavin, Sylvester Stallone, Sophia Stallone and Scarlet Stallone Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for SiriusXM
“[My daughters] preferred to wear pants than dresses, you know. And they loved sports,” Flavin added. “But I never said, ‘Oh, you’re a boy now.’ I just said, ‘You love to play sports, you love to hang out with boys, that’s awesome.’”
Flavin’s comments come after several celebrities have publicly supported their trans and nonbinary children, including Robert De Niro, Marlon Wayans, Gabrielle Union and more. Back in March, Rosie O’Donnell revealed via TikTok that she had moved from the U.S. to Ireland to protect her child Clay, who uses they/them pronouns, from the current political climate in America.
“Although I was never someone who thought I would move to another country, that’s what I decided would be the best for myself and my 12-year-old child,” she said.
O’Donnell, 63, later exclusively told Us Weekly that Clay had adjusted well to the move.
“There’s a great, great school there. And Clay has done very well. And they were really welcoming,” she said. “And I love the little town, the little village. It’s in the heart of Dublin, but it’s still a village where you know the name of the grocer and you know the name of the cashiers. People are unbearably kind in a way that shocks me every single day.”
The full interview with Flavin will air on “The Katie Miller Podcast” on Monday, October 20, at 6 p.m. ET.
