Ina Garten Reveals Whether She Regrets Decision Not to Have Kids With Husband Jeffrey
Ina Garten Reveals Whether She Regrets Decision Not to Have Kids With Husband Jeffrey
Lara WalshMon, August 31, 2026 at 5:25 PM UTC
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Jeffrey Garten and Ina Garten attend the Daytime Emmy Awards on June 16, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California.Credit: Getty ImagesThe Gist -
Ina Garten revealed whether she regrets her decision not to have any children in a new interview with TheNew York Times.
The 78-year-old cookbook author married her husband, Jeffrey Garten, in 1968.
Ina reflected on how “different” her life could have been in the candid interview.
Ina Garten is taking a look back at her decision not to have any kids with her husband Jeffrey—and in hindsight, she has zero regrets that the longtime couple chose not to expand their family.
In a new interview with The New York Times published on August 29, the iconic cookbook author and podcast host revealed why she is “really happy” she never became a mom while reflecting on how “different” her life could have turned out.
Chef Ina Garten at her East Hamptons home in 2008.Credit: Getty Images
Garten—who married the economist in 1968—got candid about how parenthood would have hindered her and Jeffrey’s professional ambitions. “I think it would have been difficult, and I think Jeffrey and I would have had a different life together,” the lifestyle maven said of her marriage with the Yale School of Management’s Dean Emeritus, which had periods of being long-distance.
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Ina Garten and Jeffrey Garten attend the ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ premiere on November 29, 2018 in Hollywood, California.Credit: Getty Images
The Food Network personality clarified, “I’m not saying it’s a better life or a worse life, but there were times when Jeffrey decided that he wanted to start a business in Japan, and so he moved to Japan. I was in East Hampton, we went back and forth and we figured it out. I think that probably couldn’t have happened if we had kids, and I couldn’t have stayed long hours at the store, doing catering and running the store.”
Jeffrey Garten and Ina Garten attend the Barefoot Under the Stars event at Wolffer Estate Vineyard on June 25, 2011 in Sagaponack, New York.Credit: Getty Images
The Be Ready When the Luck Happens author—who detailed her early start running her Barefoot Contessa West Hampton Beach gourmet food store and catering business to building a global food brand and hosting her own Food Network shows in her memoir—also said that becoming a mother was never one of her aspirations.
“I think it would have been much harder. I’ve never looked back on the decision and thought, ‘I should have done it differently,’” she continued. “I understand how my friends have wonderful families, and they really enjoy being parents, but it’s just not something I ever wanted to do. I’m really happy that I didn’t.”
on InStyle
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
