Jason Bateman is facing criticism over his line of questioning during a recent interview with Charli XCX.

The Ozark actor co-hosts the podcast SmartLess with Sean Hayes and Will Arnett, where each week a member of the team will introduce a surprise celebrity guest to the other two co-presenters, who they then proceed to interview.

During the latest episode of the Golden Globe-nominated interview series, the celebrity guest was Charli XCX, and as the hour-long conversation progressed, the Grammy winner, who is an only child, was asked if that’s something she’d want for her own future children.

“I actually don’t really want to have kids,” the 360 singer responded. “So…”

She was then pressed on why, to which she admitted her stance “could change” in the future, with Sean Hayes interjecting: “Oh, that’s none of my business.”

Charli continued: “It’s like – I love the fantasy of having a child. Like, naming it… sounds so fun. But that is exactly a sign for me as to why I should not have one. The fact that that feels like the coolest part about it, maybe I’m not ready, you know what I mean?”

Jason then told her: “You know, all that could change… I’m sort of backing into giving myself a half-assed compliment here, but my wife did not want to have kids, so the story goes, so she tells it.

“And she said once we started going out, and she met [me], she was like, ‘OK I think I could have a kid with this guy’. So you might find somebody…”

“Well, I’m married,” Charli then pointed out, having tied the knot with fellow musician George Daniel in 2025.

Charli then added that she “knew” where Jason was going with his line of questioning and was “looking forward” to pointing out that she’s now married, to which he quipped: “Maybe with your next husband you’re going to want kids.”

Since the episode began airing, many have been voicing their disappointment with Jason for raising such a personal and sensitive topic in a public setting, as well as for telling Charli she could change her mind after her statement about probably not wanting children…

HuffPost UK has contacted Jason Bateman’s team for comment.

Charli previously sang about her complex feelings about potentially having children in the future on the song I Think About It All The Time, featured on her Grammy-winning album Brat.

She previously said during a 2024 interview with Rolling Stone: “Am I less of a woman if I don’t have a kid? Will I feel like I’ve missed out on my purpose in life? I know we’re not supposed to say that, but it’s this biological and social programming.

“There’s a lot of pressure on women to not talk about that stuff super openly, especially not in pop music or in music generally; we’re supposed to be sexy and free and fun and wild.”

Trump lobbed the cliched insult at CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins after she pressed him on the latest release of Jeffrey Epstein files, noting that his allies Elon Musk and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick appeared in the documents.

Trump brushed off her first questions, but the mention of Musk and Lutnick appeared to set him off.

“You are the worst reporter. No wonder CNN has no ratings because of people like you,” Trump said.

“You know, she’s a young woman,” he said to others in the room before turning his attention back to Collins.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile,” he scolded her. “I’ve known you for 10 years. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a smile on your face. You know why you’re not smiling? Because you know you’re not telling the truth.”

CNN “should be ashamed of you,” he added.

A network spokesperson praised Collins’ work following the exchange with Trump:

“Kaitlan Collins is an exceptional journalist, reporting every day from the White House and the field with real depth and tenacity. She skillfully brings that reporting to the anchor chair and CNN platforms every day, which audiences around the world know they can trust.”

The incident wasn’t the first time Trump took aim at Collins. In December, she became the subject of one of his Truth Social rants after she asked him about the rising cost estimates of his $400 million White House ballroom project.

“Caitlin Collin’s of Fake News CNN, always Stupid and Nasty, asked me why the new Ballroom was costing more money than originally thought one year ago,” Trump wrote, misspelling her name.

And when taking a question from Collins last year, Trump referred to her as a “very low-rated anchor.”

Trump’s spats with Collins go back even further. During his first term in 2018, the White House barred her from attending an open press event shortly after she peppered him with questions about his former attorney, Michael Cohen, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Collins said that White House press staff told her that her questions were “inappropriate.” Then-White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued a statement that said Collins was barred from the event because she shouted and refused to leave the Oval Office.

Vladimir Putin is “not winning” in Ukraine despite Donald Trump’s claims to the contrary, according to a former US envoy.

General Keith Kellogg, the US president’s Ukraine envoy up until last month, told BBC Radio 4′s Today programme that the Russian leader is “afraid” right now.

His comments come as Putin continues to bombard Ukraine’s energy infrastructure despite committing to a weeklong ceasefire with Trump just days ago.

Thousands of buildings in Kyiv are completely without power even as temperatures plummet to -20C.

Kellogg told the BBC: “What Putin is trying to do, he’s trying to break the will of Ukrainians.

“My experience from being in Kyiv, from being in Kharkiv, that’s not going to work.”

He added: “If they can get through the winter, if they can get through the next, four, five, six weeks at most, then I think the advantage starts to swing to the Ukrainians.

“Russia is not strong. Russia is not winning this fight.”

Kellogg continued: “I think Putin is working from a disadvantage. He’s afraid, even though he talks big.

“He doesn’t have the combat power.”

Putin’s forces have endured more than a million casualties since he sent his troops to invade Ukraine in February 2022 and gaining land at a historically slow rate.

Peace talks are also set to resume between the US, Ukraine and Russia today in Abu Dhabi, even as Putin continues to initiate strikes on his European neighbour.

Still, Kellogg refused to describe the talks as “farcical”, telling Radio 4: “I think the fact is you’re talking and you’re keeping a dialogue open is important.

“The one who is holding up the peace process is not Zelenskyy, it’s not the Ukrainians. The one who is holding up the peace process is Putin and Russia.”

Trump has often blamed Kyiv for the delays in the negotiations despite plenty of evidence suggesting it is Moscow dragging its heels.

Kellogg also struck a tone of optimism about the strength of Europe.

He said: “I think Europe, writ large, is much stronger than they think they are. Let’s choose England: nuclear power. Use France: nuclear power.

“They’ve got forces on the ground, they’re building their force structure today. As time goes along, together Nato is a lot stronger than Russia.

“It comes down to raw power and I think you have to play from that perspective. Depending on the United States for the last 75 years has in fact weakened the alliance, not made it stronger.”

He also claimed the US military power means Americans can “go anywhere and do anything we want to do”, as demonstrated with its strikes on Venezuela last month.

“Our assets, combine them with the allies – and a lot of the allies have bought American equipment – just shows how powerful the Americans and the allies are,” the ex-envoy said.

Touching on concerns that Ukraine will have to give up more sovereign land in the name of peace, Kellogg insisted the loss of territory would only be “in the near-term”.

“When land is given up, hopefully it is given back,” he said. “In the long-term, as long as you end this conflict, have a reset, allow Ukraine to build up what it wants to build up – 800,000 troops, the largest military in Europe.”

Keir Starmer is to publish key documents about Peter Mandelson’s appointment as the UK’s ambassador to Washington in a bid to avoid a massive Labour backbench rebellion.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has tabled a motion which, if passed by the Commons, would force the government to release the behind-the-scenes communications prior to Mandelson landing the plum role.

The move comes after police launched a criminal investigation into allegations the former Labour business secretary passed market-sensitive information to his friend, the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, about the government’s response to the 2008 financial crash.

Downing Street has previously refused to publish the communications between senior government figures which led to Mandelson landing the plum diplomatic role a year ago.

He was sacked just seven months later after it emerged he had maintained contact with Epstein even after his conviction for soliciting a child for prostitution.

Labour MPs had made it clear to party bosses that they were prepared to vote for Badenoch’s motion, raising the prospect of an embarrassing defeat for the government.

A senior Labour source told HuffPost UK: “We can’t whip our MPs to oppose this. There’s no chance they’ll protect him.”

Backbencher Clive Efford told the BBC: “Every Labour MP will be absolutely distraught at what he has done to our party and feel really let down, and they all understand that warts and all this has got to be put out in the open.”

Richard Burgon MP told Sky News: “How on earth did [Mandelson] end up being appointed by the prime minister to the key role of ambassador to the United States of America? It’s quite incredible.”

He added: “We cannot have a situation where the government is dragged kicking and screaming to do the right thing.

“What’s really important is that we know exactly what happened which resulted in Mandelson being appointed US ambassador, so that means a paper trail.

“It also means knowing who pushed for it, who warned against it and who tried to overcome those warnings.”

Starmer has published his own motion pledging to release the documents, apart from those relating to national security or that could harm relations with other countries.

Health secretary Wes Streeting said: “The prime minister’s going for maximum transparency here.

“He’s obviously drawing a line that people would understand and agree with, which is not releasing information where it might compromise our national security or where there might be information that might undermine international relations with other countries.

“Apart from those exceptions, the prime minister is going for real transparency here.”