Kristin Davis is just like every working mom with school-aged kids: right now, life is complicated. The single mother of two has been trying to navigate the uncertainty of 2020, and recently sat down to discuss single parenthood in her life – and what it looks like on television.
Folks familiar with Davis’ name recognize her from a long run on Sex and the City. Her more recent work has been focused on reality TV; she is hosting Fox’s Labor of Love. The series takes a look at parenthood from an unexpected lens: matching a mom and her frozen eggs with a potential donor.
The mother-to-be is 41-year-old Kristy Katzmann, and throughout the course of the show, she gets to know 15 potential matches who compete in challenges to determine if they would be good fathers. It’s a fresh twist on reality tropes that put parenthood – most notably, a dad’s qualifications – in a refreshing new spotlight.
In an interview with Romper, Davis discussed the show, her life flying solo as a parent in a pandemic, and much more. Davis is particularly proud of the combination of humor and purpose incorporated into Labor of Love. Everything from fake bear attacks to middle-of-the-night baby wailing puts the males through a rigorous evaluation process of their fitness. The focus on evaluating men is unusual, but a real-life concern for women; “we really wanted to modernize the idea of parenting and bring to life what women 40 and up go through,” Davis explained.
And while the show’s concept leaves the door open to partnership in parenting, it also has allowed the cast and audience to appreciate single motherhood as a pursuit worthy of applause in and of itself.
That makes Davis the ultimate match as a host. Mom to her adopted kids, Wilson age two, and Gemma age 8, she chatted about some of the most common challenges of single parenthood, such as dealing with medical concerns solo. After trying to help her little one with eczema, everything from playground mom chats to the far end of the internet left her exhausted and stressed. Medical consultations and the appropriate treatments have finally helped resolve the issue, but it’s just one hurdle of many.
Davis put it simply: “On the positive side, I don’t have to worry about my relationship, because I don’t have one. But on the other hand, I don’t have a support for myself. I remember wishing I had someone to bounce ideas off of. Instead I would be by myself trying to figure it out with Google.”
Through the show and in her own life, Davis recognizes that emphasis on female empowerment is critical. “In parenting there are just so many unknowns," she explained. "But you figure it out. As a mom, I wish I had been more trusting of my own instincts.” Hopefully Davis’ resilience in her own journey as a mom – and her role in helping Katzmann get there through a reality match, too – can help quiet that self-critical voice among a lot of moms and fans alike.
Sources: Romper, Labor of Love