Just last week, "Vampire Diaries" actor Ian Somerhalder came under intense scrutiny after he and wife Nikki Reed revealed during an interview on Dr. Berlin's "Informed Pregnancy Podcast" that he threw out his wife's birth control pills in an attempt to get pregnant.
The revelation came when the couple was asked when they have decided to start a family. "May," said Somerhalder. "Oh yeah...oh when you threw out all my birth control pills," Reed replied.
After the interview, various news outlets and tweets were fired at Somerhalder, majority of which were about the actor's insensitivity about reproductive coercion, and how it was forceful and unfair to wife Reed. However, Reed came to her husband's defense, using Twitter to say that the whole thing has blown out of proportion.
The couple has released a joint statement on Sept. 24 in light of the issue. In Reed's Twitter, the following statement was posted: "To anyone who has been affected by reproductive coercion, we are deeply sorry. That is an extremely serious issue, and women's rights is something that is incredibly important to both of us. It is something we've been very vocal about, and something that is very close to our hearts."
"We never expected a lighthearted interview we did poking fun at each other and how we chose together to get pregnant. A goofy moment in Barcelona with our two best friends and the anticipation of our journey together as we went from two to three, to turn into something representing a very serious matter," continued Reed.
The couple added that even though they have received a ton of backlash about the issue, they were glad that it has "somehow shed light on a topic that definitely needs mainstream attention."
Nikki and Ian welcomed their first child, named Bodhi Soleil Reed Somerhalder, on July 25. Reed first announced her pregnancy in May this year.
