Prior to becoming the first Muslim actor to win an Academy Award for his performance in Moonlight on Sunday, Mahershala Ali welcomed his first child, a daughter, with wife Amatus Sami-Karim.
On February 22, little Bari Najma Ali made her entrance into the world in spectacular fashion.
In an interview with Access Hollywood, the first-time dad opened up about the “extraordinary” circumstances in which his daughter was born.
“The water didn’t break until the baby was literally almost out. So when she was born, she came out in a clear, like, bag,” the actor star said of his daughter, who was born inside of the amniotic sac.
“And I’m going, ‘Wow, they come brand new!’ And like she was in the sac, and it was incredible!”
“She wasn’t dirty or anything. They had to almost like slip it off of her. It was such an extraordinary experience,” he added.
The 43-year-old star, who took out an Oscar for his role in the film Moonlight – a portrait of contemporary African American life, went on to reveal that he already cherishes little Bari.
“Oh my gosh,” he said. “She’s so beautiful. I’m so in love with her, I’m so tired.”
Speaking with E! News the Hidden Figures actor added that after going through the motions of pregnancy and birth with his wife of close to 14 years, he holds a newfound appreciation for women.
“Hands down, women are the toughest beings on the planet,” he said. “I’m not saying that to be cool. I don’t care if you have children, choose to have children. I don’t care if you took every pain medication in the world to have children.”
“She did not [have an epidural]. She had it natural,” he said. “I’m telling you, women are the toughest beings on the planet — incredible seeing this eight-pound being come out of your body and just work that out. Unbelievable.”
Congratulations to the happy new family!
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