Halle Bailey Went Full Little Mermaid For Underwater Pregnancy Pics: ‘Obviously’

Actress and recording artist Halle Bailey has a killer career, and became a household name thanks to playing Ariel in the live-action Little Mermaid remake. On top of her thriving career, she's also had some exciting personal developments, revealing earlier in January that Bailey became a mother. Bailey went full mermaid for her pregnancy pictures, with even her saying that was "obviously" the move. Typical Ariel.

While she's obviously a public figure, Halle Bailey kept her pregnancy under wraps until after she gave birth. Following this news, she posted a video on Instagram, which shows her looking ethereal underwater, complete with a flowing outfit and her pregnant belly. Check it out below:

I mean, how gorgeous is that? This video likely would have broken the internet if she revealed she was pregnant in this very artsy video. In the end she kept that private, although this clip is the cherry on top of an exciting personal time for Bailey. 

Halle Bailey shared the above clip to her 8 million followers on Instagram. She started off the caption with a mermaid emoji, one that is no doubt very often used by her throughout the last year or so. She reminisced about carrying her baby, revealing she misses her pregnant belly. 

The comments section are filled with folks who are praising the 23 year-old multihyphenate for only sharing this part of her persona life when she was ready. This stands in juxtaposition to the backlash that Bailey originally faced for taking on the role of Ariel. In a time where so many public figures share everything with the world, Bailey kept her pregnancy news to herself until after giving birth. And she also led the Little Mermaid cast with grace despite online trolling

When thinking about the best part of every live-action Disney movie, one has to go to  Halle Bailey's gorgeous rendition of "Part of Your World" and endlessly charismatic performance as Ariel. Her performance was universally acclaimed, and it turns out she was already growing her family when the movie was released in May of 2023. 

It's definitely an exciting time for Bailey, both professionally and personally. On top of The Little Mermaid, she's also in the cast of The Color Purple, playing a younger version of Celie's sister Nettie. And shortly after that movie was released for the holidays, Bailey ended up giving birth to her child. 

After the last year, it seems like Halle Bailey's career could go seemingly anywhere. On top of her thriving music career, her acclaimed performances in both The Little Mermaid and The Color Purple have made her into a bonafide movie star. And hopefully we see her back on the big screen sooner rather than later. 

The Little Mermaid is streaming now with a Disney+ subscription. Be sure to check out the 2024 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.