Naomi Watts is recalling the moment one of her children stumbled across some lube in her bedroom.
During an interview with People on Thursday, April 16, the actress, 57, spoke about trying to end the stigma around menopause when she was asked whether she encourages her kids to educate their friends about perimenopausal and menopausal health.
While Watts noted she doesn’t know “if it goes that far with the kids,” the topic prompted her to tell a personal anecdote involving one of her children.
“I mean, I do remember the first time one of my kids saw lube in the bedroom, and they were like, ‘What?’ And I said, ‘Yes, yes, you know, by the way, lube is sold at Urban Outfitters now.’ And they’re like, ‘No way, no way!’” she told the outlet.
The Mulholland Drive star continued, “And I said, ‘Yeah, it’s a real thing.’ So, yeah, the stigma is definitely reducing.”
Watts shares son Sasha, 18, and daughter Kai, 17, with her ex Liev Schreiber. Watts and Schreiber, 58, were together for 11 years before splitting in 2016.
“Over the past few months, we’ve come to the conclusion that the best way forward for us as a family is to separate as a couple,” they told Us Weekly in a joint statement at the time of their separation. “It is with great love, respect and friendship in our hearts that we look forward to raising our children together and exploring this new phase of our relationship.”
After she and Schreiber went their separate ways, Watts moved on with Billy Crudup and they tied the knot in 2023.
Schreiber also began a new relationship and married Taylor Neisen in July 2023. They share daughter Hazel Bee, 2. For his part, Crudup, 57, also has a son, William Atticus Parker, 22, with ex Mary-Louise Parker.
Although Watts and Schreiber are no longer an item, they have repeatedly emphasized their commitment to coparenting amicably over the years.
“We’re doing things very differently. I’m pretty proud of us, corny as that may sound,” Watts told Net-a-Porter’s Porter magazine in 2019. “We’ve made it our absolute priority to be good and kind to each other and we’re absolutely committed to that.”
Schrieber has also addressed how they have tried hard to navigate their blended family respectfully despite the challenges that can come with that dynamic.
“It’s always hard, you know? You build a life with someone and things change. And I think the way that we’ve looked at it is that we’ll always be partners and that’s what kind of keeps us together and keeps us amicable,” Schreiber said on Sunday Today With Willie Geist in 2018. “But I think we’re more than that, I think we also genuinely really care about each other.”
