Mariska Hargitay Pregnant

Mariska, best known for her role as Detective Olivia Benson in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, is expecting her first child. The baby is a boy and Mariska is expected to give birth in early June. While she hasn’t decided on a baby name just yet, she’s been referring to her son as “my little Junebug” in recent press interviews.

Mariska met husband and fellow actor Peter Hermann on the set of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. The couple married in August 2004. They were thrilled to announce Mariska’s pregnancy in November 2005. In her blog, Mariska writes, “I'm LOVING every minute of it and am so excited to be a mom.”

Baby Blessings

In March 2006, Mariska’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit costars threw her a star-studded baby shower at the Grand Soho Hotel. Guests brought gifts that represented their personalities and challenged the pregnant Mariska Hargitay to guess to identity of the giver. Tamara Tunie, a Pittsburgh native, gave Mariska a tiny Steeler’s outfit for her newborn son. Diane Neal presented Mariska with baby Pumas, since she’s frequently seen on the show’s set wearing her own pair. Stephanie March gave the baby a chef puppet, since Mariska first introduced her to husband and Food Network star Bobby Flay.

In addition to the gifts from her celebrity baby shower, Mariska has been overwhelmed with baby gear from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit fans. As a result, the pregnant Mariska Hargitay has requested that gifts be donated to NYC's Baby Buggy, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing needy families with baby clothing, equipment, and products. In honor of her baby’s impending arrival, Tupperware has already made a $50,000 donation to the Joyful Heart Foundation. Mariska founded this non-profit organization in 2002 to provide dolphin-human therapy to survivors of sexual assault.

Adjusting to Motherhood

Mariska Hargitay Closeup, 2005

As the daughter of Hollywood icon Jayne Mansfield and Hungarian bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay, Mariska is no stranger to life in the limelight. However, she’s well-known for her warm and humble personality. Fans are certain she’ll have no problem raising a well-adjusted celebrity baby.

Like many career-oriented women, Mariska will be an older mom. She is currently 42, while her husband Peter is 38. Since she’s already had time to travel, socialize with friends, build a successful career, and fulfill other important personal goals, Mariska should be in a great position to tackle the challenges of raising a child.

After Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’s producers decided not make Olivia pregnant, they needed to write the visibly pregnant Mariska Hargitay out of a few of the shows episodes. Actress Connie Nielsen, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich's girlfriend, will guest star in the six episodes filmed while Mariska is on maternity leave.

Although her absence initially led fans to believe she was quitting the show to become a stay at home mom, Mariska is indeed planning to return after she gives birth. Mariska Hargitay is pregnant, but she has no intention of slowing down her hectic work schedule. “I’ll be back in full swing in September with everyone else,” Mariska said. “I have no plans to leave any time soon.”