Anne Hathaway has spent more than two decades transforming herself for the screen, moving effortlessly from the awkward young princess of The Princess Diaries to glamorous fashion editorials, musicals, dramas and blockbusters.
But in 2026, the 43-year-old actress is experiencing a transformation that has nothing to do with a movie role.
Hathaway is expecting her third child with husband Adam Shulman, and her increasingly visible pregnancy has accompanied her through one of the busiest years of her career. From premieres to fashion events and television appearances, the actress has confidently put her growing bump on display — and her latest photographs have generated an enormous amount of conversation about just how radiant she looks.
Some fans have even described it as her “pregnancy face.”
What is real, however, is much simpler: Hathaway is pregnant, she has confirmed it herself, and she appears to be thoroughly embracing this chapter of her life. Vogue
The Pregnancy News Arrived at 43
Hathaway announced in June that she and Shulman were expecting their third child.
She revealed the news herself in a playful Instagram video, initially concealing her stomach before showing her bump. The couple, who married in 2012, are already parents to two boys: Jonathan, 10, and Jack, 6. Vogue
The announcement immediately attracted attention partly because Hathaway is 43.
But for the actress herself, the pregnancy arrived during an extraordinary professional period.
Hathaway recently revealed that she discovered she was pregnant only about two and a half weeks before beginning the press tour for The Devil Wears Prada 2. Rather than retreating from public life, she continued through an extraordinarily busy schedule while adapting to pregnancy along the way. People.com
Then the Photos Started Getting Everyone’s Attention
As Hathaway’s pregnancy progressed, fans began noticing changes beyond her growing stomach.
Recent close-up photographs have prompted comments about her fuller facial features, glowing complexion and softer appearance. Some social-media users have affectionately referred to the changes as “pregnancy face,” while others have said they think the actress looks better than ever.
Those reactions are subjective, of course. Pregnancy can affect someone’s appearance in numerous ways, and a photograph can’t tell us precisely why a person’s face looks different.
Hathaway herself has revealed that this pregnancy has certainly been different from her first.
While fatigue was the dominant symptom during her first pregnancy, she recently said that this time she has experienced an extraordinarily heightened sense of smell. She has also dealt with acne. People.com
Yet on the red carpet, the overall impression has been pure confidence.
Her Verity Premiere Look Became One of Her Most Dramatic Yet
On September 29, Hathaway attended the New York premiere of Verity, her new psychological thriller with Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett.
She arrived wearing a dramatic black Prabal Gurung mermaid gown covered in lace, crystals and sequins. Rather than disguising her pregnancy, the fitted silhouette emphasized it.
At 43 and expecting her third child, Hathaway looked completely comfortable making her bump part of the fashion statement. People.com
The appearance continued a pattern she has followed throughout the summer.
Flowing gowns, fitted dresses, exposed-bump ensembles and unconventional maternity looks have all appeared in her wardrobe.
Vogue described her 2026 maternity style as increasingly “bump-forward,” noting how she has adapted her looks to the different films she has been promoting. Vogue
But Her Pregnancy Became the Subject of a Much Stranger Rumor
Not every reaction to Hathaway’s changing appearance has been complimentary.
During the summer, photographs of her exposed stomach triggered bizarre online speculation that her pregnancy wasn’t real.
Hathaway eventually responded herself.
“Fake hair, real bump,” she wrote on Instagram, directly addressing the speculation. Vogue
The comment was brief, funny and remarkably straightforward.
She was pregnant. The bump was real.
The fact that she needed to clarify it at all demonstrated just how intensely celebrity bodies can be scrutinized — particularly when pregnancy changes them in ways viewers aren’t accustomed to seeing.
Hathaway Has Refused to Hide Her Changing Body
Instead of responding to the scrutiny by covering herself, Hathaway has essentially done the opposite.
Her maternity wardrobe has included looks specifically designed around her stomach.
Shortly after announcing her pregnancy, she stepped out in a striking red Ashlyn jumpsuit. Hathaway even wore the garment backward, creating a different silhouette while displaying a Bulgari necklace. Vogue
Later came flowing goddess-like gowns during The Odyssey promotion, blue-and-white separates for The End of Oak Street, exposed-bump denim during New York Fashion Week and finally the darker, more dramatic wardrobe accompanying Verity. Vogue
Viewed together, the photographs document her pregnancy almost month by month.
And that’s what makes comparing them with older pictures so fascinating.
From Mia Thermopolis to Mother of Three
When The Princess Diaries arrived in 2001, Hathaway was only 18.
Audiences first knew her as Mia Thermopolis, the frizzy-haired teenager who discovered she was secretly a princess.
Then came The Devil Wears Prada, Rachel Getting Married, Les Misérables, The Dark Knight Rises, Interstellar and an Oscar.
Her appearance naturally evolved along the way.
That history makes today’s photographs particularly striking. The young actress audiences first met more than 25 years ago is now 43, married for 14 years and preparing to become a mother for the third time.
Yet she is also experiencing one of the most professionally active periods of her career.
Her Third Pregnancy Has Been Very Different From Her First
Hathaway recently gave fans a surprisingly candid glimpse into what pregnancy actually feels like behind those immaculate red-carpet photographs.
During a September 30 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, she explained that her heightened sense of smell has become almost comically powerful.
She joked that she can practically “smell time.” People.com
Strong perfume, food and even walking through restaurant kitchens during promotional appearances have become challenges.
She also revealed that she had wanted to appear on Hot Ones while promoting Verity. Her doctor advised against taking the spicy-food challenge because of concerns that it could potentially trigger early labor, so she skipped the real challenge for now. People.com
It’s a funny contrast with the polished photographs.
On the red carpet: couture, diamonds and perfect makeup.
Behind the scenes: overwhelming smells, pregnancy symptoms and trying not to feel sick while moving through a packed press schedule.
Her Husband Has Been Beside Her for More Than a Decade
Away from Hollywood, Hathaway has built an intentionally private family life.
She married actor and jewelry designer Adam Shulman in September 2012 after several years together.
Their first son, Jonathan, arrived in 2016. Jack followed in 2019.
The couple have generally kept both boys away from public attention, and Hathaway rarely shares photographs that expose much of their children’s private lives.
The same boundary appears likely to continue with baby number three.
Hathaway has revealed that she and Shulman already know the baby’s sex — but they’ve decided not to tell the public. People.com
Motherhood Didn’t Come Without Difficult Moments
The joy surrounding this pregnancy also carries some deeper context.
During her second pregnancy in 2019, Hathaway publicly acknowledged that becoming pregnant had not always been straightforward for her. She referred to struggles with infertility and conception while offering support to others going through similar experiences. Vogue
That history adds another dimension to the photographs we’re seeing today.
The glamorous dresses and glowing red carpets capture only one part of the experience.
Behind them is a woman who has previously spoken about how complicated the journey toward motherhood can be.
Her Family Helped Her Leave Verity’s Darkness at Work
Interestingly, Hathaway was also making one of her darkest recent movies while navigating family life.
In Verity, she plays successful novelist Verity Crawford in the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling psychological thriller.
At the September premiere, Hathaway said her family helped keep her grounded while she worked with such disturbing material. She described feeling protected by the people around her and able to separate the darkness of the character from her real life. People.com
That contrast is striking.
On screen, audiences will see Hathaway immersed in an unsettling psychological story.
Off screen, she is preparing a nursery and waiting to meet her third child.
Five Movies — and One Unexpected Baby
Perhaps the most remarkable part of Hathaway’s 2026 is simply how much happened at once.
Verity represents her fifth movie of the year.
At its New York premiere, she reflected on an unusually intense professional stretch that included Mother Mary, The Devil Wears Prada 2 and The Odyssey. In the middle of that already packed year came the unexpected personal joy of discovering she was pregnant. Vogue
Now she’s finally approaching a quieter period.
After months of premieres, interviews and increasingly dramatic maternity fashion, Hathaway is preparing to step away from that schedule and focus on her family as the baby’s arrival approaches. Vogue
The Photos Tell a Bigger Story Than a “Pregnancy Face”
It’s easy to understand why side-by-side photographs of Hathaway attract attention.
People have watched her face on movie screens for 25 years. Any noticeable change becomes instantly recognizable.
But the RARE PHOTOS from this year tell a considerably more interesting story than whether pregnancy has made her face look fuller, softer or younger.
They show an actress who entered Hollywood as a teenager now preparing to welcome her third child at 43. They show a woman refusing to disappear simply because her body is changing. And they capture a pregnancy unfolding alongside one of the busiest years of her professional life.
Hathaway’s bump isn’t speculation. She confirmed her pregnancy herself months ago. Vogue
As for whether this is the “best she’s ever looked”?
That’s something every viewer will decide for themselves.
But judging by Hathaway’s enormous smile in the latest photographs, she seems perfectly happy with the chapter she’s in.
For more on stars embracing their changing looks, check out how Pierce Brosnan’s wife Keely Shaye Smith is turning heads in new photos, and don’t miss the sweet story behind Dakota Johnson’s playful gesture toward Anne Hathaway’s baby bump.
