Maria Menounos expecting 1st child via surrogate, says late mother 'made it happen on the other side'
Maria Menounos is going to be a mom.
During an appearance on "Live with Kelly and Ryan" on Tuesday, the TV personality revealed that she and her husband Keven Undergaro are expecting their first child via surrogate.
"So we had a lot of plans," Menounos said, talking about her travel plans this year. "We were going to go to Greece in the summer. We're having to move that up because we're having a baby."
"I had to share it here first because you guys are my family, you guys have been on the journey and I'm so grateful," she added. "I'm emotional, I'm super excited."
Menounos, 44, said that she's been trying to have a child for a decade and added that "it's been a long time."
Her and Undergaro's plans to have a child were put on hold in 2017 when she was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor, as her own mother was battling brain cancer. She told People in an interview that she underwent a seven-hour surgery to remove the golf ball-sized tumor.
Menounos said Tuesday that she began leaning toward surrogacy after consulting with her doctors.
"We've done literally everything. They tried to you know, get me pregnant, that didn't work. Had a surgery, that didn't work," she said on Tuesday. "We did everything but we got so lucky."
The former television host also shared that actress Zoe Saldana and reality star Kim Kardashian have helped her on her journey to motherhood.
"Zoe Saldana and Kim Kardashian have been so helpful to me in this journey and they both gave me all their advice and people," Menounos said. "And Kim especially gave me this wonderful lawyer named Andy, and he found me this woman, Stephanie, who helped me find my surrogate."
"We're just so grateful because these people really help you bring life forward. And without them, we wouldn't be able to do this," she added. "Our surrogate and her family are literal angels, I'm so grateful to have this extended family that our baby will be part of and we're just so grateful to everybody who's helped us along the way."
In an Instagram post Tuesday, which included a video clip from her appearance on "Live with Kelly and Ryan," Menounos paid tribute to her mom, who died in 2021 after her battle with stage 4 brain cancer.
"I know my mom had a cup of greek coffee with god and said it's time," Menounos wrote in the caption. "So grateful for the blessing in our lives. Can't believe I'm sharing this news without her in the physical, but I know she made it happen on the other side and is going to be with me every step of the way."
