Judith Light Says She Once Considered Adoption but Knew Her Decision to Not Have Kids Would ‘Be Okay’ (Exclusive)

The actress has been married to husband Robert Desiderio since 1985

Judith Light
Judith Light. Photo:

Getty

Judith Light is opening up about her decision to not have kids.

Speaking to PEOPLE about her role in the Apple TV+ supernatural drama Before, the actress, 75, commented on her relationship with longtime husband Robert Desiderio, whom she married in 1985. Sharing that the two never had any kids, Light says they did once consider adoption but felt like they ultimately made the decision that was best for them.

"I'm an only child and Robert is an only child from a first marriage. His biological mother died when he was about 2½," Light begins.

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Robert Desiderio and Judith Light attend a cocktail party hosted by the Elton John AIDS Foundation and BBVA Compass to celebrate EJAF, the 90th Academy Awards, and to honor Chef Joan Roca on March 2, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.
Judith Light and husband Robert Desiderio.

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

"But when I was growing up, my mother had an older sister. My mother's a twin. She had an older sister and her older sister and her husband never had children. I had a role model for what it was like to have a life without children," she continues.

Although they never had kids of their own, Light adds that she and her husband feel like they do have "children in our world which we love and adore," which includes close friends America Ferrera's children and Ana Ortiz's kids.

The actress goes on to say that ultimately, the two felt like it wouldn't be fair to a child to bring them into their life, which at the time saw both of them juggling busy schedules.

"And we also said to each other, because we were both working at the time, and we said, 'Wait a minute. This isn't going to be fair to a child,' " Light remembers. "And I kept asking my Aunt Jean and Uncle Barnett. I said, 'Were you okay with this?' And they said, 'Yes, we're very okay with this.' And so, I knew somewhere that it could be okay."

Judith Light attends the Critics Choice Association's Celebration of Cinema & Television: Honoring Black, Latino and AAPI Achievements at Fairmont Century Plaza on December 04, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
Judith Light.

Leon Bennett/Getty

The two also considered adoption, which Light says was something they wanted to see if they were "available and open to."

"When we were first talking about it, we said, 'Would we be willing to adopt later if that was something that we were available and open to?' And we both said yes," Light shares.

"It wasn't a closure. It wasn't an ending. It was really a way of life for us and the way we were relating to ourselves and the life we were choosing at that time and the way we felt worked for us. You got to do what works for you."

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