Congratulations are in order for Vanessa Hudgens and her husband, Cole Tucker. The couple recently welcomed their first child, but their exciting moment was marred by invasive paparazzi, who snapped photos of the newly-minted family of three leaving the hospital.
After TMZ reported on the baby’s arrival—before Hudgens and Tucker were able to share the news themselves publicly—Hudgens took to Instagram Stories to confirm she’d given birth, slamming photographers for their intrusive behavior.
“We’re disappointed that our family’s privacy was disrespected and exploited during this very special time due to the greed of a long lens camera feeding the media,” she wrote. “Despite all of that, mom dad and baby are happy and healthy.”
The High School Musical alum didn’t share any further details about her brand new bundle of joy, but she did post an adorable birthday message for Tucker that same day, sharing a series of sweet photos in celebration of his 28th birthday. “Happy birthday to my slice of heaven @cotuck
you make the world a brighter place just by being you
” she wrote to her husband, who is an MLB player.
Hudgens has been open about her desire to be a mom for a while, telling Women’s Health in 2018 about how her plans have shifted over time. “I want to get married, travel, then have kids—probably in my late 30s,” she told the outlet. “Everyone’s clock is different.”
Then, in 2022 she told Nylon, “I always thought I would be married at 25, because that’s when my mom got married, and then when that didn’t happen, I was like, ‘Oh, OK, So we’re just going to shift everything back a bit,’” she told the outlet. “I always thought that around 36, 37 is when I would want to have kids, and that still plays. I don’t feel panicked about it.”
Here’s hoping that her first days and weeks with baby are nothing but joyful and safe. It’s so upsetting that what should have been a private moment was made public against her will—there’s no excuse for invading anyone’s privacy the way paparazzi and tabloid outlets do, end of story.
