George Clooney Was 'Terrified' After Finding Out He Was Having Twins at 56: 'Such a Disaster'

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo: Randy Shropshire/Getty Images for Entertainment Industry Foundation

George Clooneyis sharing his initial feelings about being a dad to twins.TheTicket to Paradisestar, 61, appeared onThe Drew Barrymore ShowFriday, where he revealed he was “terrified” when he first found out he and wifeAmalwere expecting twins.“That wasn’t part of the plan,” he said of having twins. “[Amal’s] sister has twins too.““We went to that thing at 12 weeks where they go, there’s the kid. [To] look at the picture of the kid,” Clooney recalled. “And [the doctor] goes, ‘It’s a boy.’ Then he goes, ‘And a girl.’ And I was like, ‘What?’ ““It was such a disaster. I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ " the actor continued. “Now it’s the greatest thing in the world. I was terrified then.“Asked why Clooney was scared at the time, theUp in the Airstar told host Drew Barrymore, “Well, I was 56 years old and that just sounded terrifying to me.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.This isn’t the first time Clooney has spoken candidly about being an older parent.Clooney appeared onTodayearlier this month in an interview withHoda Kotb— alongsideTicket to Paradisecostar and friendJulia Roberts— in which the three discussed becoming parents later in life.After Kotb acknowledged that she “gets scared sometimes” thinking about the milestones she hopes to see in her children’s lives that she fears she may not, she asked Clooney if he ever has similar thoughts.“No. I kind of like the idea of being sort of out of it, when my daughter starts to date,” the father of two joked.Pretending to be his daughter introducing a boyfriend, he said, “Papa, I want you to meet … he’s a drummer in a band.“George, then pretending to be “out of it,” looked around the room and said, “What? I like toast.“Rob Latour/ShutterstockAppearing onCBS Morningslast month with wife Amal, Clooney revealed the couple had made a “terrible mistake” in parenting the twins.“We taught them Italian,” he explained. “But we don’t speak Italian.““So we’ve armed them with a language they can harm us with,” the actor continued. “And we both don’t really know what they’re saying.“Confirming the twins speak both Italian and French, Clooney teased, “I’m from Kentucky, English is my second language.”

George Clooneyis sharing his initial feelings about being a dad to twins.

TheTicket to Paradisestar, 61, appeared onThe Drew Barrymore ShowFriday, where he revealed he was “terrified” when he first found out he and wifeAmalwere expecting twins.

“That wasn’t part of the plan,” he said of having twins. “[Amal’s] sister has twins too.”

“We went to that thing at 12 weeks where they go, there’s the kid. [To] look at the picture of the kid,” Clooney recalled. “And [the doctor] goes, ‘It’s a boy.’ Then he goes, ‘And a girl.’ And I was like, ‘What?’ "

“It was such a disaster. I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ " the actor continued. “Now it’s the greatest thing in the world. I was terrified then.”

Asked why Clooney was scared at the time, theUp in the Airstar told host Drew Barrymore, “Well, I was 56 years old and that just sounded terrifying to me.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

This isn’t the first time Clooney has spoken candidly about being an older parent.

Clooney appeared onTodayearlier this month in an interview withHoda Kotb— alongsideTicket to Paradisecostar and friendJulia Roberts— in which the three discussed becoming parents later in life.

After Kotb acknowledged that she “gets scared sometimes” thinking about the milestones she hopes to see in her children’s lives that she fears she may not, she asked Clooney if he ever has similar thoughts.

“No. I kind of like the idea of being sort of out of it, when my daughter starts to date,” the father of two joked.

Pretending to be his daughter introducing a boyfriend, he said, “Papa, I want you to meet … he’s a drummer in a band.”

George, then pretending to be “out of it,” looked around the room and said, “What? I like toast.”

Rob Latour/Shutterstock

Appearing onCBS Morningslast month with wife Amal, Clooney revealed the couple had made a “terrible mistake” in parenting the twins.

“We taught them Italian,” he explained. “But we don’t speak Italian.”

“So we’ve armed them with a language they can harm us with,” the actor continued. “And we both don’t really know what they’re saying.”

Confirming the twins speak both Italian and French, Clooney teased, “I’m from Kentucky, English is my second language.”

source: people.com