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Zooey Deschanel has starred in tons of movies, ranging from the beloved Christmas comedy Elf to the romantic 500 Days Of Summer. But it was her time on the popular sitcom New Girl that she will always be most remembered for. Thanks to Deschanel’s quirky sensibility, she was made to play Jessica Day, a teacher who begins living with a group of hilarious and unique guys. After divorcing Death Cab For Cutie band member Ben Gibbard in 2012, Deschanel married movie producer Jacob Pechenik in 2015. The couple had two children, Elsie Otter Pechenik and Charlie Wolf Pechenik. Deschanel and Pechenik are now co-parenting.
Deschanel is now in a relationship with Property Brothers star Jonathan Scott. And while they often give interviews about their love story, she stays private about her two kids. Why doesn’t Deschanel talk more about being a mother?
Zooey Deschanel’s Children Elsie Otter Pechenik And Charlie Wolf Pechenik Live A Private Life
Zooey Deschanel’s love of polka dot dresses is definitely memorable. And while she is absolutely a grown-up now and is in her early 40s, Deschanel has a happy, fun personality that is infectious.
The actress has been famous since the early 2000s when she starred in movies such as Almost Famous and The Good Girl, and she’s used to being interviewed on a regular basis. But since having her daughter Elsie Otter Pechenik in 2015 and her son Charlie Wolf Pechenik in 2017, she has been private about her family.
Deschanel seems to want to have some strict boundaries between her home life and her work life. And her fans can absolutely understand that.
Zooey Deschanel also seems to want to keep her kids away from her social media. She has over 7 million followers on Instagram and doesn’t appear to post any photos of Elise or Charlie. However, she does use Instagram often and likes to share her love for her boyfriend Jonathan Scott.
This decision seems perfectly logical considering how mean people can be online. And since Zooey’s children are still really young, it seems like a good idea to keep them private.
On June 19th, 2022, Deschanel posted a photo of Elise and Charlie with Jonathan Scott and her ex-husband Jacob Pechneik. She wrote in the caption, “So thankful my kids have these two awesome guys in their lives: @jonathanscott and their dad @jacobpechenik.” Deschanel put heart emojis over her kids’ faces, as she doesn’t seem comfortable showing their faces on Instagram.
It’s also possible that Deschanel wants to keep her children’s lives private because she and their father are no longer together. And since she is so famous, she might want to ensure that Elise and Charlie can grow up with as much normalcy and fun as possible.
When Deschanel and Pechenik shared the news that they were getting divorced in 2019, they mentioned wanting “privacy.” According to E! News, their statement read, “We remain committed to our business, our values and most of all our children. Thank you for respecting our privacy at this time.”
While it’s common for celebrity couples to share a similar statement when splitting up, it does seem like Zooey Deschanel really wants to keep her kids’ private.
An interview that the actress gave in 2012 before she became a mother also shares why she might have made this decision. When speaking to Marie Claire, Deschanel explained that she wasn’t sure about having kids.
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Deschanel said, “That’s never been my focus. My sister was always very motherly, babysitting and stuff. I like kids, and I like being around kids, but it was never an ambition, something, like, I need. … I like working. That’s what I like doing. I like to work.”
What Has Zooey Deschanel Said About Her Children Elise Otter Pechneik And Charlie Wolf Pechenik?
While Zooey Deschanel definitely doesn’t talk about her children often, she has said a few things that fans will find interesting.
When Deschanel appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show once, she explained that she and her now ex-husband Jacob Pechneik wanted to give Elise the middle name “Otter” because they are a fan of otters.
Deschanel said, “we thought Elsie is kind of a classic name, a lot of people have grandmas and aunts name Elsie. And then we were like, the middle name can be a little bit… wild.” She continued, “I love animals so much. And we love otters because they’re so cute, and playful, and fun. And they’re really smart. We liked that otters had these particular attributes.”
That is a sweet story, and it seems that Deschanel continued that naming tradition as she gave Charlie the middle name “wolf.”
Although she doesn’t share detailed accounts of what her daily life is like as a parent, Deschanel does sometimes talk about how much she enjoys being a mother.
Deschanel talked about baking with her children in an interview with Us Weekly. She said, “It’s always fun to make stuff with your kids. I like making zucchini muffins with my daughter because she can put the little cupcake liners in the cupcake tins and it’s easy for her to do that and she feels like she’s a part of it.”
The actress also shared that she, Charlie and Elsie bake chocolate chip cookies together. She also explained to Us Weekly that she loves roasting vegetables and making sure that meals have many different components. She said of her daughter Elsie, “Kids like to sample things, so we’ll have a little plate and I’ll just put them all out separately and my daughter can try.”
Jonathan Scott, for his part, seems to really love being a stepdad. According to Today.com, he called himself “a bonus dad.” Scott shared a sweet memory of a time when Charlie showed him a picture he drew when he was at school of his whole family, and Scott was included.
While Zooey Deschanel may want to make sure that her children live private lives, she and Scott seem thrilled to be raising her kids together alongside her ex-husband Jacob Pechenik. And everyone seems happy with the situation.
