Maury Povich Details His and Wife Connie Chung’s “Tough” Fertility Jou

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Maury Povich is opening up about a personal chapter of his life with wife Connie Chung.

The TV host shared details about his and the famous journalist’s struggles with having a child, which ultimately led them to adopt their son, Matthew Jay Povich.

Maury Povich shared on the November 2nd episode of Bunny XO’s Dumb Blonde podcast that he and his wife, Connie Chung, faced public scrutiny over thirty years ago when they were trying to have a baby. Connie even had to take a leave of absence from her job at CBS, and the situation became a major news story.

Because Maury and Connie, who got married in 1984, were both well-known, their relationship attracted a lot of public attention.

The late-night talk show hosts, like Jay Leno, used to joke about whether Maury Povich and his wife, Connie Chung, were trying to get pregnant. Povich, now 86, remembers that the show In Living Color on Fox did a funny sketch about him and Connie trying to conceive, with Jim Carrey playing his role.

There was a lot of media attention and other complications, so we ultimately decided to go through with the adoption because we felt we had no other choice. It was a difficult situation.

As Maury explained, being an interracial couple also made things a little complicated for them.

Oh my gosh, I’ve heard the story so many times, it still gives me chills! Apparently, when they first started the adoption process, my idols, Connie and her husband, told their lawyer exactly what they were hoping for – a little one who was half Chinese and half Jewish. And can you believe the lawyer actually said to them, ‘You’re dreaming! That combination just… doesn’t happen. You won’t live long enough to find a child like that!’ It’s just… unbelievable! They didn’t listen, obviously, because look at their amazing family now! It’s the most beautiful thing.

Despite facing challenges, Maury Povich and Connie Chung, both in their 70s, are happy they took the chance and built a life together. Maury shares his daughters, Susan Anne Povich, 62, and Amy Joyce Povich, 58, with his former wife, Phyllis Minkoff.

He excitedly shared his support for adoption, adding that his adopted son is doing wonderfully. The son is now thirty years old, engaged, and has been with his partner for nearly a decade.

Connie has openly talked about the emotional difficulties of trying to have a baby, particularly while dealing with public attention.

She remembered that Maury assisted her in writing a press release. One line from that release – stating they were ‘aggressively’ trying to have a baby – ended up becoming a popular joke among comedians, as she shared in a December 2024 essay for Business Insider.

We were referring to options like IVF and artificial insemination,” she explained. “We hadn’t included those specifics in the announcement because we wanted to keep those details private. We mistakenly thought using the word ‘aggressive’ wouldn’t invite criticism or ridicule.

With such a demanding career, it was exceptionally difficult.

He enthusiastically shared his support for adoption, explaining that his adopted son is doing wonderfully. The son is now thirty years old, engaged to be married, and has been with his partner for almost a decade.

Connie has spoken before about the emotional challenges of trying to have a baby, particularly while dealing with public attention.

She remembered that Maury assisted her in writing a statement for the press. One line in particular—that they were ‘aggressively’ trying to have a baby—ended up becoming a popular joke among comedians, as she described in a December 2024 essay for Business Insider.

We were referring to options like IVF and artificial insemination,” she explained. “We didn’t share those specifics in the announcement because we wanted to keep them private. We mistakenly thought using the word ‘aggressive’ would invite unwanted jokes and criticism.

With such a demanding career, it was exceptionally difficult.

Having to give myself daily injections and undergo egg retrievals with anesthesia on a tight schedule made it incredibly difficult to travel for work, she explained. Her age and demanding job were also making things harder.

After Connie discovered her immune system was preventing the embryos she and Maury had created from developing, they chose to pursue adoption instead.

For the journalist, her family of three became her biggest source of strength.

Looking back, she told USA Today in October 2024 that she felt fortunate to have had two important men in her life, Maury and Matthew. She explained that their love was reciprocal and that no job could offer the same kind of fulfillment.

For a closer look at more celebs’ fertility journeys, keep reading.

The star of Duck Dynasty and her husband, Jacob Mayo, have publicly discussed why they’re sharing their experiences with fertility challenges on their family’s new reality show.

In a May 2025 interview with Us Weekly, Bella and Jacob opened up about their struggles with infertility, a topic they hadn’t previously discussed publicly. Bella explained that it’s easy to make assumptions about people’s lives based on what you see on social media, but you never truly know what challenges someone might be facing.

The opportunity felt perfect for them, letting both individuals be genuine and true to themselves while filming the new show.

Oh my gosh, it breaks my heart knowing that two years ago, before Christian and Olivia even announced they were expecting, she was already opening up about how her endometriosis might make it hard to have a baby! She was so brave to talk about it, and now seeing them with their little one is just… everything. I’ve followed her journey for so long, and it’s amazing to see how far they’ve come!

Okay, so I was watching The Culpo Sisters and Olivia got so real! She said she definitely wants to have kids someday, but she’s worried it might be really difficult. She’s been dealing with this health thing since 2020 – she actually had surgery for it – and she’s just not sure if she can have babies, and honestly, it just broke my heart for her. She’s so open about everything, and it’s just… ugh, I just want her to be happy and have everything she wants!

As someone who’s followed this for a while, I’ve learned that endometriosis can really impact your ability to get pregnant. It’s not just one thing either – it can involve tissue growing around your ovaries, potentially affecting egg quality, and even causing scarring in the fallopian tubes. It’s a complex condition, and these factors can all make things harder.

As a lifestyle expert, I’ve been following Caelynn’s story, and she recently opened up about something many couples go through – the challenges of trying to start a family. She and her husband, Dean Bell, have been navigating the difficulties of conceiving since their wedding in 2023, and she bravely shared their journey with fans. It’s so important to remember you’re not alone if you’re facing similar struggles.

In a YouTube video from March 2025, Caelynn shared that she was taking a more relaxed approach, saying, ‘It’s tough, but I’m not putting as much pressure on myself as I did when I first started trying.’

Even though it’s been a difficult time emotionally, Caelynn is staying optimistic while she and her husband undergo medical tests to understand what’s happening with their health.

I’ve been following Jelly Roll’s wife’s story since June 2024, and she’s been so open about everything she and her family have gone through with IVF. It’s really inspiring to see her share their journey.

She shared on Instagram that they originally intended to keep their IVF journey private, but decided to be open about it because they’ve always valued honesty and transparency.

She’s been openly sharing the ups and downs, anxieties, and emotional challenges of her medical journey on her podcast, Dumb Blonde.

Despite the challenges, though, she is open to other options to grow her family.

She admitted it was difficult, but explained she was trusting in fate. “If it’s supposed to happen, it will,” she shared on her podcast in November 2025. “And if not, we’re open to adoption.”

 

The cohost of Dancing With the Stars has publicly discussed her battle with endometriosis, a condition affecting women’s reproductive health. She’s also been taking steps to protect her ability to have children when she decides the time is right.

In June 2025, she shared that she froze her eggs for the third time.

After having her son, Sonny, with her husband Tim Rosenman in 2017, the former star of The Hills has openly shared her experiences with trying to have a family. This includes discussing her two miscarriages and the two miscarriages experienced by her surrogate.

In July 2024, Whitney confirmed she’s preparing for a second egg retrieval. 

I’m feeling much better than before, because I have a better idea of what to expect this time around. I also have complete confidence in my doctor’s care.

Regardless of what the future holds as they consider having another child, Whitney has repeatedly said she feels complete and content with her current family of three.

In a heartfelt birthday message to her son on his 7th birthday in July 2024, she shared that even as they try for another child, their family already feels complete. She described him as a wonderful blessing, expressing their joy in watching him grow and appreciating his easygoing personality.

Michelle Yeoh, known for her role in Everything Everywhere All At Once, revealed her struggles with getting pregnant while married to her first husband, Dickson Poon. She married Jean Todt in 2023 after being engaged for 19 years.

Michelle recently revealed in a podcast interview that she always dreamed of having children and underwent fertility treatments to try and make it happen. She described the monthly waiting and potential disappointment as a particularly difficult and emotionally draining experience, leaving her feeling like she had failed each time.

She explained that eventually, you need to stop blaming yourself. Sometimes, our bodies just don’t work the way we expect, and that’s okay. The important thing is to accept it and keep moving forward.

The rapper, who has a son named Wilde with her husband Maximillion Cooper, previously revealed she suffered a devastating miscarriage caused by an ectopic pregnancy while working on her show, Eve.

In her memoir, Who’s That Girl?, Eve shared that she discovered she was pregnant in 2006. She needed immediate surgery, which meant taking a two-week break from filming. Looking back, she wasn’t sure why she told everyone on set she had appendicitis, admitting she might have been avoiding the truth even with herself.

Honestly, just thinking about losing my baby… it terrified me. I wasn’t sure I could ever feel okay again, and even two weeks felt like nowhere near enough time to start healing. Looking back, even that wasn’t enough physical recovery time! I had to go right back to work on set, and I was just… so weak. I’d lost so much weight from the surgery, I felt completely fragile.

Selling Sunset star Emma welcomed her son, Austin, when she was 15, and has openly discussed the challenges she and her husband, Romain Bonnet, faced while trying to have a baby.

Speaking with TopMob News in September 2024, she admitted she wasn’t sure what would happen next. She explained they were taking things one step at a time and that she’s currently very busy with her book and the current season. She believes nothing will come of the situation if she allows herself to become stressed or overwhelmed.

Mary shared that she had surgery to correct a condition where her uterus was divided by a membrane. She and Romain aren’t in a hurry to make any big decisions right now and are content enjoying life with their dog.

The agent also mentioned their cat, Thor, saying Romaine is completely devoted to him. Even if the sale doesn’t go through, Romaine is content because he has Thor, and they’ll be alright. They believe everything happens for a reason.

NFL sportscaster Erin Andrews and her husband, Jarret Stoll, became parents to their son, Mack, in July 2023. Their path to parenthood hasn’t always been easy; Erin was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2017, which they overcame together.

After freezing her eggs before starting cancer treatment, she used IVF to get pregnant and decided to share her journey publicly.

She explained that she finally felt she needed to speak out about her difficulties, detailing them in a 2021 essay. She described it as a deeply challenging and painful experience, to the point where she felt disconnected from her own emotions. It felt like an endless cycle of unfairness, often leading to disappointing outcomes.

She explained that she’s very open and honest, and she wanted to share how difficult the experience was, because she knows many couples and families struggle with trying to have a child.

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2025-11-06 17:18