Connie Britton on raising her son later in life: ‘I feel really fortunate’
Connie Britton, 55, says life is getting better with age.
The White Lotus actress, who now stars in the Apple TV+ drama series Dear Edward, spoke to The New York Times about finding fulfillment in her career and personal life while in her 50s. She wanted that empowerment reflected in her Dear Edward character Dee Dee's story.
“I refuse to just fall into the trope of, ‘She’s over 40 so she’s over the hill, and the young one has everything,’” Britton said. “I’m like, no, no, no, no, no. Let’s talk about the incredible experience and wisdom that somebody who’s been in the business for a really long time has and juxtapose that with the hubris of the young person who has no experience and stars in their eyes. And let’s really tell those stories in a very fully fleshed out, realized way.”
During the interview, Britton reflected on raising her 12-year-old son, Yoby, who she adopted in 2011 from Ethiopia, and meeting her romantic partner later in life.
“I had my son later in life, so I’m chasing around after a 12-year-old,” Britton told The New York Times. “I have met my partner in life later in life, so I have this romance that feels equivalent to being a 25-year-old. I have this amazing group of girlfriends, all of whom are vibrant and sexy and funny and intelligent and setting the world on fire in their own ways. So I still feel really fortunate.”
In a 2022 episode of the Armchair Expert With Dax Shepard podcast, the American Horror Story star spoke about why she chose to adopt her son, while offering insights to other single women who are considering adoption.
"Frankly, being a single mom is not easy," she said. "It was my choice but it wouldn’t necessarily have been my dream."
As Britton explained, the actress' adoption journey began in the late-2000s when she felt a calling to help children in Ethiopia after seeing pictures of orphans suffering in that region. “I remember looking at [the photos] and thinking, ‘This is something that I’d love to be able to do,'" she said.
At the time, she initially hoped to make a documentary about orphans in Ethiopia — but the project went unfinished.
“Quite honestly, my decision to adopt was less about ‘I’m going to save an orphan,’ because that felt like a drop in the bucket,” she explained. “Beyond that I just had a really strong affinity to the people and to the culture, and it just felt like something I was drawn to do.”
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