Update: Marissa Jaret Winokur and Judah Miller expecting first child, a son

Update: Marissa has shared that the due date is actually July 15th, but she "knows he’s going to come early."

Update April 2nd: Zev is due July 17th.

Update March 29th: The baby is a boy, and will be named Zev. In the latest issue of People, Marissa confirmed that the baby is biologically hers, using a fertilized egg transferred into the surrogate.

Originally posted March 19th: Tony award winner and current Dancing With the Stars contestant Marissa Jaret Winokur and her husband, King of the Hill writer Judah Miller, are expecting their first child.

Since a bout with cervical cancer seven years ago required removal of her uterus and part of her cervix, the 35-year-old Hairspray actress cannot carry the baby herself. However, her ovaries remain in working order, and Marissa happily reports that a surrogate is currently five months along with her and Judah’s child.

Click below for more.

She shared,

[The year] 2008 is beginning to be the best year of my life. I don’t care if I win or lose Dancing with the Starsbecause I know when the show is over I will have the best prize — ababy. After cancer I never thought I’d have a baby. This is truly thebest time of my life.

I have to remind myself that we’re pregnant. [At the time I hadcancer,] I was like, ‘Take the uterus — save me!" I didn’t thinkthere’d be a biological chance for me to have a baby.

Marissa revealed that she speaks with the surrogate "five or six times a day" and that she’s now a close family friend.

I couldn’t be more a part of what’s going on unless I was carrying the baby myself.

The surrogate confirmed,

Marissa has become my best friend and my sister.

Source: People

Thanks to CBB readers Emily, Mary Beth, Amanda, Susan and Sarah.

Comments

I find her annoying on DWTS but nevertheless a HUGE CONGRATS is in order!!!! I can’t imagine having a hysterectomy in my 20′s!!! That must have been devastating!! Its wonderful she is able to have a surrogate!

- tink1217 on March 19th, 2008

Congratulations!!! I watched DWTS last night and found you so fun– you made me smile!!

- Patti on March 19th, 2008

I am a HUGE fan and this is great news, especially after all she has been through.

- Gingi on March 19th, 2008

She is the sweetest….I love her, she is so bubbly! I am so happy for her…..Congrats!

- Kristin on March 19th, 2008

Congratulations and blessings to her and her husband. I never knew much about Marissa but watching her on DWTS is really fun. I love how happy she seems and how she shows it. Wonderful news!

- JK on March 19th, 2008

I watched her last night on DWTS and I thought she was in her mid 20′s! I never would have guessed she was in her mid 30′s, and having a family! I bet she’ll make a wonderful mother.

- Heather on March 19th, 2008

Thats great news, I am so happy for them both! I am in my 20s now and cannot imagine being told I need a hysterectomy. I am confused though, does that mean the baby will be theirs genetically? Not that it will make a difference of course, your child is still your child whether step-parent or adoptive parents, i was just wondering :s

- Jenna on March 19th, 2008

Congrats to her. Ive always loved her and im glad she is getting a chance to have a baby.

- Bryana on March 19th, 2008

If she was in her 20′s when she had her hysterectomy, I think it is very likely that she had her eggs harvested. I have heard of that happening a lot.

- finnaryn on March 19th, 2008

Her bubbliness is contagious…she’s so full of exhuberance, and look at all she’s been through….congratulations to her and her husband on this exciting news! I’m enjoying her on DWTS.

- Caroline on March 19th, 2008

I just read an article that stated she did have her eggs harvested.

- Lisa on March 19th, 2008

In the article on People.com about her cancer it says she kept her ovaries but her cervix (at least part of it) and uterus were removed. She did not have to go through chemo either. I assume it would be her own biological child because that part of her reproductive system is still intact.

Sarah’s note: Thanks, I’ll change the post around a bit.

- Angie on March 19th, 2008

That is SO awesome for them!! It is truly a miracle that modern technology can help them in their dream to have a family. Major kudos to the surrogate mother; that would be, for me, quite an emotional rollercoaster to do something like that.

- Candace on March 19th, 2008

Sarah- can we please remove that link? It is incredibly offensive. While it does state from a People interview that she did indeed harvest her eggs, it is horribly one-sided and narrow minded from an extremely right wing standpoint.

Maybe finding the link to the people article would be more helpful?

Sarah’s note: I can take it out. I didn’t read what she had linked.

- elisabeth on March 19th, 2008

here is the link to the original People article- that is a lot more correct than the opinions on the blog:

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20009915,00.html

- elisabeth on March 19th, 2008

How lovely for marissa. I don’t know much about her, but going through cancer when young is so sad. Wonderful news she will get to be a mom, she seems sweet.

- brooke on March 20th, 2008

Oh that’s cool she’s going to be a mother. When I first read the headline here about her becoming a mother, I wondered how she could be on DWTS AND pregnant, but that was before I knew about her female issues and inability to bear children herself anymore.*

Great that she can still become a mother through a surrogate and I hope all goes well for them all.

(*Actually as long as her health continues to be good, she can have the best of both worlds! She can simultaneously be an ‘expectant mom’ and still dance up a storm & possibly lose weight/get in shape on DWTS! lol!)

- Autumn on March 20th, 2008

I saw Marissa in Hairspray back in 2004, and she was incredible. Bubbly, just all around fabulous! I’m very excited for them!

I was wondering how she was going to do on DWTS (I admit I haven’t watched), mostly b/c she is literally about 4’10 and finding a partner would be difficult!

- Krissie on March 21st, 2008

In the People article, they say the baby is a boy and they are naming it Zev.

- Pam on March 28th, 2008

There’s an article in People magazine this week that says the pregnancy is five months along, the baby is to be a boy, and they have named him Zev.

Congrats to Marissa and Judah!

- Emily's Aunt on March 28th, 2008

I do not understand… it says in the article that she is having a boy yet those tag things below say “It’s a girl” I though I best tell you as could make others confussed!!

- Nat on March 28th, 2008

That is so weird, my friend just had a boy and named him Zev Fannon- I had never heard of the name and now twice I have!

- Elizabeth on March 28th, 2008

It must have been terrifying for Marissa to have cancer and need a hysterctomy in her 20′s. It is so wonderful that she and Judah can experience the joy of being parents after her illness. I am so happy for them!

- Judyb on March 28th, 2008

Hey All,

I think that this is over the top wonderful news! She is so bubbly and reminds me of my nephew’s wife Tabby (They just had twins..boy & girl both over 6 pounds at 36 weeks).

She is just such a nice person. I am 31 and I had a hysterectomy on November 27, 2007. My sister had hers when she was 25 back in 2006. It seems like there are more women with reproductive issues and cervical cancer than there were 20 years ago. That or it just seems like there are due to modern technology. I also had cervical cancer and I was told that I would never have children..(mine was the cone cut no Chemo) …that I would never carry a child to term..but I was blessed with a miracle baby, AJ, who went WAY past his November 14th due date (He was born 12-11 after I was induced on 12-10) Now he is a thriving 9 year-old who LOVES The Jonas Brothers!

My hysterectomy was due to the damage that my LUPUS meds have caused in my pituitary gland that sent the wrong message and I basically had a 6 month period. I am content having AJ I have tons and tons of nieces and nephews and always more on the way!.

~~Josie Kay~~

- Josie Kay on March 28th, 2008

Wow Josie Kay I got goose bumps reading your post. Congratulations on A.J. He is certainly a blessing and a miracle baby.

- Judyb on March 29th, 2008

HA…I have never heard of anyone else with that name. We named our son that 6 years ago! Great choice

- got3 on March 29th, 2008

I am originally from SoCal. There is an LA Couny Supervisor named Zev Yaroslavsky.

- Heather on March 29th, 2008

Zev is a very popular hebrew name. I have many orthodox Jewish friends named Zev. It means “wolf” and is typically short for Zevulan (or Zebulan in English, one of Jacob’s 12 sons – when his mother Leah bore him, she exclaimed, “God has provided me with a good dowry”).

- legally chocolate on March 29th, 2008

I met Marissa a few times back when she was in Hairspray and she is really a lovely person. I am so thrilled for her and her husband, what wonderful news!

- Amy on March 30th, 2008

actually zev isn’t usually short for zevulun-it’s usually a nickname for ze’ev- which means wolf. zevulun means someting else entirely. and yes it is a very common name among orthodox jews- my brother in laws name is zevy (nickname)

- nursemom on March 30th, 2008

I love the name Lev (“heart” in Hebrew)!

- Sasha on April 2nd, 2008

As a Gestational Surrogate myself, it thrills me to read this story! I’m so happy for Marissa and her husband!

- Rebekah on May 6th, 2008

Perhaps this is nitpicky but embryos are not “implanted” they are transferred. Not all transferred embryos implant but implantation is the beginning of a pregnancy. I am a veteran of IVF (which is what made Marissa’s pregnancy possible) and trust me, everyone one who has been through it cringes when they see the incorrect terminology.

- Suzanne on May 9th, 2008