On Thursday, NBC's Hoda Kotb and CNN's Alisyn Camerota both hounded Nick Loeb, actress Sofia Vergara's ex-fiancé, for his lawsuit to gain custody of the two embryos he created with Vegara. On Today, Kotb led her interview by asking, "You each signed an agreement saying neither of you would bring this embryo to term without the other's consent. I mean, it sort of seems like a dead issue at this point. Is it?" [video below]
On New Day, Camerota underlined that "not everyone believes that embryos are lives. Why do you believe that you've already created a life?" Both anchors touted how "there are people, though, who question your motives, and who question what you're doing," as the CNN journalist put it.
After asking her slanted "dead issue" question, Kotb played up the supposed "perception" about her guest:
HODA KOTB: ...You each signed an agreement saying neither of you would bring this embryo to term without the other's consent. I mean, it sort of seems like a dead issue at this point. Is it?
NICK LOEB, EX FIANCÉ OF SOFIA VERGARA: So we actually signed these forms – you know, way at the very beginning, before all the processes happened. You know, none of the forms really discussed what would happen in the event of a separation....And so, after we signed the forms, we actually went through process of...going through in-vitro, creating life, putting it into a surrogate once. When then put it into a surrogate again a second time. We went through the process again to create new lives...and my thought was we would do it again with the surrogate again. There was no really thought of, well, now, she's going to change her mind; and now, we're not going to do it. I always assumed, with our agreement, that we were going to agree to take these to term.
KOTB: Let's talk about the perception. Here's the perception: Sofia Vergara, a beautiful actress – she's about to about to get married. She's starting this new life – very successful. She doesn't want to have a child with her ex. You are perceived as the guy who cannot let go of a relationship. She wants to move on.
LOEB: I have tremendous respect for Sofia. She's been very successful. She's very smart. You know – you know, we filed this back in October. This is not something that is new. This has nothing to do with this at all. This has to do with bigger – really, moral – you know, legal, and ethical concepts that are out there about lives we've already created. It has nothing to do with anything else.
The NBC anchor then asked, "Do you want to have a baby, or do you want to have her baby?" Loeb stuck to his main point – that "lives were already created...a lot of the question is, why don't you move on and meet somebody else? And, no doubt, I would love to do that. But doesn't it matter that two lives have already been created? I wouldn't just toss them aside – no different than a child that had been born."
Later in the segment, Kotb returned to questioning the former fiancé's motives for filing the lawsuit. Loeb ended the segment with a pro-life argument:
KOTB: ...You're 39-years-old. Let's pretend you meet a girl tomorrow. You fall madly in love, and you say, let's have a baby. Is it possible this whole issue would go away if that were the case?
LOEB: Absolutely not. This has nothing to do with one woman over another woman. This has to do with the two lives that we've already created; that already exist; that are – that are two female embryos.
(...)
KOTB: Nick, a lot of people look at this timing and they say, this timing is so weird – all right? The op-ed comes out right at the very time that Sofia is promoting this movie; she's on the red carpet; she's doing all that kind of stuff – and then, boom, this comes out. It looks sort of like a publicity thing. You want press.
LOEB: Sure, sure. Unfortunately, I didn't even come out with this story to begin with. It was leaked to the press. There were comments made by her team in the press. And I felt that I needed to come out and correct the record. I submitted the op-ed to the New York Times a week before it even went out. I have no control when the New York Times prints their op-eds.
(...)
KOTB: Any financial motivation – because I think people are going, well, why would he be doing this? Like, what's the deal?
LOEB: Not only do I not have any financial motivation, I have offered her to waive all financial responsibilities. I'll financially pay to raise this child; put it through college. I mean, I can give these children a wonderful life. I mean, these girls will be raised knowing that they have a father who fought so hard for them, that they'll know that they're loved so much.
KOTB: You can understand – as a mother, from Sofia's perspective, you wouldn't want to have children walking around, because inevitably, they're going to say, who's our mom? And you're going to say, oh, it's the lady over there on television. Does that not put her in a position where she sort of has to agree in some sense?
LOEB: Well, I let it open to her. If she wants to be involved; if she doesn't want to be involved – either one is okay with me. You know, I want these children to have the best lives possible. So, whatever makes everybody happier, but there's nothing I want to do more than bring these children to life. I mean, they're already alive. They're on a journey and a pathway to being born. Why – why go the other way? And we're talking equal rights. Why err on the side of death? We should be always erring on the side of life – especially when life has already been created.
On New Day, Camerota echoed many of Kotb's questions in her interview of Loeb:
LOEB: ...So we first initially created embryos – two female embryos. We implanted one into the surrogate. It didn't work. We then went through the process again, where we implanted the second one into the surrogate. Again, it didn't work. Then, we had to go through the process again of creating new lives. When that happened, two more female lives were created again.
ALISYN CAMEROTA: You use the term 'creating lives.' Not everyone believes that embryos are lives. Why do you believe that you've already created a life?
LOEB: Well, I've always believed that life begins at conception. How else would I define what two embryos are that happen to be female? I can't say these are female property. These are – these are lives, and they're on a journey and a pathway to being born.
CAMEROTA: Here's the crux of the matter: you want to use those two frozen embryos. She does not want to use those two frozen embryos. And some people online have suggested that you're doing this to stick it to Sofia somehow – that you're not quite over her, and you're doing this to, sort of, hang on.
LOEB: I've always said I'm very super happy that she's now found somebody that she loves, and wants to move forward. She's moved forward with her life. I've moved forward with my life. These are – unfortunately, we've left these two embryos behind.
(...)
CAMEROTA: What can be done? I mean, Sofia has said that she's comfortable keeping them frozen forever.
LOEB: Well, 'frozen forever' – I don't even know what that really means. Is it – you know, one day they won't be able to be usable, they may – they may, ultimately, die. And that's, sort of, destroying two things that – two lives that we've created.
CAMEROTA: I know that this is such an emotional topic. Have you felt alone?
LOEB: Yeah. You know, it's been tough. You know, this is – you know, I've always wanted children. I've always wanted to be a father. I didn't create lives – you know, lightly. This was very, very important to me – you know, to the point where – when we thought when we – one of – you know, when we created these lives, and we were going to put them into a surrogate, we were coming up with names for our children. And so, to do anything besides continue their journey towards life and through birth – you know, to me, is tantamount to destruction.
CAMEROTA: There are people, though, who question your motives, and who question what you're doing. Here is one: 'I wouldn't destroy them, but I think it's time to move on, meet somebody else, have your own baby with the woman you love.' I see this a lot. There are a lot of people out there who say, you are a good-looking guy. You're a catch – move on; go find a love in your life.
LOEB: Of course, and I would like to, and – you know, obviously, it's not as – you know, easier said than done. You know, you don't go out the next day and just meet somebody. Hopefully, one day, I will meet somebody; we'll fall in love and have a child. But that doesn't mean I should just give up the two lives that I've created.
CAMEROTA: But if you fell in love with somebody right now, and you started a relationship, would all this be over? Would you let those embryos go?
LOEB: No. You know, unfortunately, again, their lives are created. That means somebody would have to accept me; that I have two other children – no different if I have two children that were born.
CAMEROTA: Wow! So you plan to have these regardless of what – I mean, you would like to. You would like to, if you can win this lawsuit, have these regardless of what happens in your future.
LOEB: Right. I mean, these are – you know, again, these are lives that have already been created. I can't see any other way.
CAMEROTA: If you lose, then what does your life look like?
LOEB: Well, you know, unfortunately, if we lose then – you know, two lives will be destroyed. I'll be torn apart. It will be horrible.
