The pop-punk icon’s first baby arrived with a caption only Avril could write, and not everyone was ready for it. Avril Lavigne is a mom, and she announced it the only way Avril Lavigne could.
The California-based pop star, 42, revealed the birth of her first child, a baby girl, on X on Friday with two black-and-white photos: adult hands holding the newborn’s tiny hand, and Lavigne cradling and kissing her daughter. The caption was pure Avril: “Our Mini F**ing Princess has arrived.*” Within hours, the news was everywhere, from TMZ to NBC to Billboard.
Longtime fans caught the wink right away. The line echoes her 2007 smash “Girlfriend,” the bratty anthem that defined a generation of mall-punk attitude. Plenty of people loved it. Plenty of others did not.
Lavigne burst onto the scene in 2002 with “Complicated” and “Sk8er Boi,” and she has spent the years since cultivating a skate-punk persona that never fully grew up. Honestly, a tamer caption would have been the bigger surprise.
The baby’s arrival also came wrapped in a mystery. Lavigne has not named her daughter, and she has not named the father either, keeping his identity entirely out of public view. It is a surprising new chapter for a star whose love life has played out in the headlines for two decades. She was married to Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley until their 2010 divorce, then to Nickelback singer Chad Kroeger, with their separation announced in 2015. Her engagement to musician Mod Sun ended in 2023.
The announcement racked up millions of views and a flood of congratulations, per Parade. But a vocal chunk of the replies zeroed in on one word, and they were not about to let it go.
The F-Bomb Split the Replies
The etiquette police arrived first. One of the most-liked critiques took it personally on the newborn’s behalf: “Why would you describe your little girl like that.” Others zeroed in on the word itself: “Why use the F word when describing your Princess?” Some kept it short: “You could have done without swearing.” Another called it “an un classy, crude way to announce a beautiful baby.” And per Parade, one critic went straight for the jugular: “How tacky using profanity to announce a baby. Classless.“
Her fans fired right back, and they came with receipts: “You all clearly don’t listen to her music if you don’t get the caption. I sang it.” The punsters showed up in force: “Sir, a new SK8er Girl is born.” Another added, “Congrats Avril! I guess it’s not Complicated now.” One of the most-liked replies in the thread, translated from Portuguese, skipped the debate entirely: “oh my god I feel like I just had a niece.” And her defenders had one simple request: “she was too excited guys, leave her be.“
Plenty of fans were stuck on a different question altogether: “SINCE WHEN WAS SHE PREGNANT???” Lavigne has not responded to the criticism.
More than two decades after “Sk8er Boi,” Avril Lavigne is still allergic to playing it safe, even with a newborn in her arms.
