Why did Ina Garten and husband Jeffrey Garten separate? Barefoot Contessa reveals why she decided against having kids

Owner of Barefoot contessa Ina Garten, recently revealed the reason why she decided not to have children. During a recent episode of the Good Hang with Amy Pohler on November 25, Garten mentioned that she was quite young when she made the decision and was happy that Jeffery was alright with it. Ina Garten said on the show:

“I mean, it’s amazing to me that I made that decision so young, and that thank God Jeffrey was OK with it. I just can’t imagine my life any other way I’ve done it. I’ve done what I wanted to do. I’ve had just a wonderful time."

She further mentioned on the show that the best part of not having children was 'Not being responsible for them. Not having teenagers.'

Ina Garten and Jeffrey Garten rose to fame when Jeffrey accidentally sent a text to his publisher, which was meant for his wife. She replied:

"He said, 'You're gonna be delicious tonight,' and it went to her," Ina laughed when recalling the Drew Barrymore Show episode from 2022. "She exclaimed, 'Woah.' "I don't think this was meant for me."

Ina Garten and Jeffrey almost got divorced

Owner of Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten has been happily married to Jeffrey for around 55 years. However, there was a time when the couple went through a rocky patch in 70's. That is when Ina and Jeffrey decided to take a break from each other. During an interview, Garten recalled:

"I found some of the roles we played to be really annoying. I thought I could get his attention by simply pressing the pause button."

In her 2024 memoir titled Be Ready When The Luck Happens, Ina Garten revealed that she was so committed to her work that she did not have time for anything or anyone else, and the couple had to undergo marriage counselling:

"While I was still cooking, cleaning, shopping, managing at the store, I was doing it as a businesswoman, not a wife. My responsibilities made it impossible for me to even think about anything else. There was no expectation about who got home from work first and what they should do, because I never got home from work!"

Ina recalled in her memoir:

"We talked, we listened, and more important, we heard each other when we aired our concerns. Moving forward, we could be equals who took care of each other. It wouldn’t happen overnight, but if we worked toward the same goal, we could change things together."

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Garten obviously grew a little more at ease with being "a wife that would make dinner" as the years passed. The majority of Barefoot Contessa's programs focus on preparing dinner before Jeffrey arrives home, and her 2016 cookbook is titled Cooking for Jeffrey. All she needed to do was raise her funds first.

Ina and Jeffrey, after getting help and counselling, emerged from that period more resilient than before. Since they began dating in 1965, Jeffrey, a 79-year-old professor at Yale, has been her pillar of support. Ina also discloses in her memoir that her early years in Stamford, Connecticut, were marred by physical abuse from her father, Charles, a surgeon, and mental abuse from her mother, Florence, a dietician.

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