Anne Hathaway says pregnancy gave her power to 'smell time'
Synopsis
Anne Hathaway's pregnancy confession on The Tonight Show was anything but routine — the actress says her sense of smell became so acute she could 'smell time', travelling back to summers from the 1980s. All of this while simultaneously on the press tour for The Devil Wears Prada 2, which she found out about just two and a half weeks before it kicked off.
Key Takeaways
Anne Hathaway appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and opened up about her current pregnancy.
She revealed her primary symptom this time is an intense sense of smell — so powerful she described it as being able to 'smell time' and revisiting scents from the 1980s .
Hathaway found out she was pregnant roughly two and a half weeks before the The Devil Wears Prada 2 press tour began.
She contrasted this pregnancy with her first, where fatigue was the main symptom; this time it is acne and heightened smell.
Her trimester goals: avoid dry heaving in public during the first trimester and avoid waddling during the third trimester .
Hollywood star Anne Hathaway has opened up candidly about her pregnancy experience, revealing that a heightened sense of smell became so overwhelming that she felt she could literally 'smell time' — revisiting scents from decades past, including summers from the 1980s. The actress made the disclosure during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where she also spoke about navigating a major press tour while expecting.
The Pregnancy Reveal and Press Tour Dilemma
Hathaway told host Jimmy Fallon that she discovered she was pregnant approximately two and a half weeks before the press tour for The Devil Wears Prada 2 was set to begin. 'I was just like, how is that going to work?' she recalled, describing the overlap as an immediate challenge she had to navigate on the fly.
The actress also drew laughs early in the segment by acknowledging her discomfort getting settled in her chair. 'It takes a minute to get used to chairs. So, thank you. Everything's fine. You all just got so concerned,' she said. Fallon responded with characteristic warmth: 'We will all take you to the hospital right now if we're ready to go. You're ready. Our bags are packed. We're ready to take care of you. Come on. You're America's sweetheart.'
Heightened Smell That Travelled Through Time
Discussing her symptoms, Hathaway drew a sharp contrast with her first pregnancy. 'You know, my main symptom during my first pregnancy was fatigue, and that didn't happen this time. This time, my main symptom was, well, acne. But I had, like, the craziest sense of smell,' she said.
The actress went on to describe the phenomenon in vivid terms: 'The thing about pregnancy smell is you smell time. So you don't just smell this summer. You smell all of them. A couple other summers. I went back to the 80s.' She compared the press tour experience to a scene from Goodfellas, describing the sensory overload of navigating hotel back entrances, kitchens, and elevators. 'You pass so many garbage bins, and you go through so many kitchens, and then you go into elevators, and you smell every single room service order. The perfume was really intense,' she added.
Trimester Goals: Dry Heaving and Waddling
Hathaway also shared what she described as her 'hilarious goals' for each stage of pregnancy. 'First trimester, my goal was to not, like, dry heave in public. And now third trimester, my goal is to not waddle in public. So I feel like that's a good thing,' she said, drawing laughter from the studio audience.
The candid appearance is part of a broader press push for The Devil Wears Prada 2, which has placed Hathaway in the public eye at a particularly personal moment in her life. The actress's willingness to discuss the physical realities of pregnancy with humour has resonated widely with fans and parents alike.
Point of View
But the real story sits just beneath the surface: a major Hollywood star managing a late-stage pregnancy across a global press blitz for one of the most anticipated sequels in years. The 'smell time' anecdote will dominate headlines, but the detail that she had barely two and a half weeks' notice before the press tour began speaks to the often invisible pressure on working women in the entertainment industry. It is also a reminder that celebrity pregnancies, when discussed with humour and specificity rather than curated gloss, generate far more genuine audience connection — something studios and publicists would do well to note.
NationPress
1 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Anne Hathaway say about smelling time during pregnancy?
Anne Hathaway said her sense of smell during pregnancy became so intensely heightened that she could 'smell time' — not just the present season but layered memories of past summers, including those from the 1980s. She described the experience during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
When did Anne Hathaway find out she was pregnant?
Hathaway revealed she discovered she was pregnant approximately two and a half weeks before the press tour for The Devil Wears Prada 2 began, describing the timing as an immediate logistical challenge.
How does Anne Hathaway's current pregnancy differ from her first?
In her first pregnancy, Hathaway's main symptom was fatigue. This time around, she says fatigue has not been the primary issue; instead, she has experienced acne and an extraordinarily heightened sense of smell.
What are Anne Hathaway's goals for each trimester?
Hathaway humorously described her trimester goals as avoiding dry heaving in public during the first trimester, and avoiding waddling in public during the third trimester — both of which drew laughter from The Tonight Show audience.
Which film was Anne Hathaway promoting on The Tonight Show?
Hathaway was promoting The Devil Wears Prada 2, the sequel to the iconic 2006 film, which overlapped with her pregnancy — a scheduling coincidence she openly discussed during the interview.
