Sylvester Stallone’s wife Jennifer Stallone criticized for controversial comments on rise of transgender children

Jennifer Stallone sparks backlash after linking Hollywood parenting to rise of transgender celebrity children

Jennifer Stallone, wife of actor Sylvester Stallone, has drawn criticism after offering a controversial explanation for what she described as an increase in transgender children among Hollywood families.

During an interview on The Katie Miller Podcast, Stallone was asked why she believed so many children of celebrities identify as transgender. In comments published by Fox News Digital, Stallone suggested that the entertainment industry’s culture of self-expression and lack of structure in affluent households could be contributing factors.

“I just think Hollywood is all about expression,” she said. “If you feel like a cat today, you’re a cat. And it’s so loosey-goosey. These kids are not our accessories. They’re little human beings that need structure.” She went on to describe Hollywood homes as environments with “too much of everything” — private planes, large staffs, and minimal boundaries — which, she said, could be “confusing for a little person.”

Stallone emphasized that while adults should be free to make their own choices, children need “common-sense parenting” and routine. She referenced her own daughters as examples, saying they were “tomboys” who preferred sports and pants over dresses, but that she never questioned their gender.

Her remarks have been widely criticized by commentators and academics. Jules Gill-Peterson, a professor of gender, sexuality, and women’s studies, told The Guardian that the belief transgender children are a modern trend is “laughable.” She noted that historical evidence shows children have lived trans lives and accessed gender-affirming care for nearly a century, citing examples from the 1930s and 1940s.

Gill-Peterson argued that society was, in some ways, more accepting of gender diversity decades ago than it is today, contradicting Stallone’s claims.