A celebrity same-sex couple and their baby in Tennessee has recently gone viral after they posted their surrogate baby asking for “mama.” The infant ended up crying, however, after being told by one of his dads that “there is no mama” in their household. Because of the interaction, the clip has since gained millions of views online and even sparked debates regarding surrogacy and same-sex parenting.
Four-time Grammy-winner Shane McAnally is one of the dads in question, and on April 16, he posted a video on his social media accounts with the caption “23-week-old homophobic baby” with the clip being a playtime session with his surrogate baby. In the video, McAnally was asking his baby, “Who do you want dada or pop?”
To McAnally and his husband’s surprise, their baby answered, “mamama,” something McAnally interpreted as “mama.” Prompting the singer to reply “No way, Jose” and even further captioning his TikTok video “Who’s gonna tell him?” For some reason, the baby cried while also still saying “mama.” For the record, McAnally meant for the post to be seen as a joke, and even included a #comedy in the clip description.
However, that didn’t stop McAnally’s video from being shared on other platforms online and turning into ammunition for conservative groups. Some of the more viral re-shares of the clip alluded to how the situation seemed wrong for the baby’s growth, and that the baby supposedly needed a mother figure.
The Clip Sparked Off a Debate About Family
One X user in particular argued that “That infant has a biological instinct to want its mom and they turned it into content,” and that McAnally’s and his husband’s family is “wrong on so many levels.” Others scathingly argued in favor of heterosexual couples and a more traditional household compared to surrogate babies.
“Disgusting. You chose a lifestyle that naturally ends your bloodline, then paid to erase a woman’s role and mock her baby’s cries for ‘mama.’ This kid deserves a real mother, not two men laughing at its distress. Surrogacy like this exploits women and harms children,” rants an angry X user. With that said, some have defended McAnally’s joke video by claiming, “babies often make sounds like mamma and dadda.”
Another stated, “The baby doesn’t even understand what’s going on he’s just repeating the sounds that he’s hearing, but it’s easier for babies to made the m sound then the d. He doesn’t know what mama means.” Such replies have invited further argument, something that might not end soon since McAnally’s video is still going viral.
Granted, it’s not the first time McAnally’s interaction with his surrogate baby went viral. In the past, McAnally has also joked that he had a “6 week old homophobic baby” after the baby curled his eyebrows after being told that he had two dads. McAnally also has other, older children who even make jokes about sexuality during family outings and events, all of whom appear happy and healthy.
