What a mess. Jessica Bartholomew, the 23-year-old surrogate that The View co-host Sherri Shepherd used while married to Lamar Sally, has finally spoken out for the first time about giving birth to Lamar Jr. and feeling like she was left in the dark about Shepherd and Sally's plans for the baby. And, trust me, Shepherd is not going to like what Bartholomew has to say.
Bartholomew didn't beat around the bush during her Inside Edition interview Thursday night. She pretty much came out and said what lots of us have been thinking about Shepherd these past few months: "I just don't understand how she can act like this baby is nonexistent. It just blows my mind."
The waitress carried Shepherd and Sally's baby boy—conceived using Sally's sperm and another woman's egg—and gave birth in August. She says the daytime host was involved at first, visited her, and seemed excited. But things changed, she claims, after she was told while pregnant that Shepherd and Sally were getting a divorce.
Apparently, no one contacted her personally, which is just rude, and she had to find out through other sources that the couple wanted to back out of the surrogacy agreement.
Which is kind of bananas. You're talking about a human being here, not a piece of real estate.
More from The Stir: A Surrogate's Story: The Joy of Growing a Baby for Someone Else
In Shepherd's defense, she claims her ex-husband tricked her into signing surrogacy papers, despite their impending divorce, because he wanted to make sure she would cover child support. The baby is now in Sally's custody, but Bartholomew is actually listed as a noncustodial parent and is being forced to pay child support.
Which, we're sure, is not what a surrogate parent had in mind when she agreed to sacrifice her body and health for a couple's happiness.
We're sure there is more to this story, and Shepherd hasn't had a chance to defend herself yet. It's just so sad to think there is an infant involved in this scandal who deserves to be treated like he is wanted—and not as if he is a burden.
How do you feel about what Sherri Shepherd's surrogate has to say about all of this?
Image via Moses Robinson/Getty Images