Octomom Natalie Suleman ‘Never Wanted Fame,’ Denies Imitating Angelina Jolie (Exclusive)

“Octomom” Natalie "Nadya" Suleman is back in the spotlight, but says this time, she and her 14 children are reclaiming the narrative. 

“Extra’s” Mona Kosar Abdi sat down with Natalie to talk about Lifetime’s new biopic “I Was Octomom” and accompanying docuseries “Confessions of Octomom," which premieres March 10.

Suleman opened up about what it's like to be back in the spotlight after becoming a household name in 2009 when she gave birth to octuplets. She shared, “It's different because there was, there's nothing but negative connotation in the past, and this is actually my family and I have the opportunity, finally, you know, to share our truth. And so, this is an exciting time to be able to finally take the narrative back that was stolen from us many years ago and to tell our true story.”

She noted, “I've been declining opportunities to do a reality show since they were little. I just wanted to protect them and keep them safe, which, you know, that's our job as a parent to do. In the beginning, I thought, ‘Well, you know, I'm an adult. I'll allow myself to be exploited. I'm a walking joke, Octomom, this dehumanized caricature,' so I could just provide for them and feed them, put clothes on their backs and a roof over their head. I didn't realize that, you know, it would be so toxic, and it eventually would take a toll on my mental health.”

Natalie’s youngest are 16 years old, and she says they have wanted to "share their truth" for years. She said she has no reservations because, "My children are very smart. They know how to set boundaries. I've taught them over the years how to set boundaries and just speak and share their truth and be transparent to the point where they are comfortable."

She adds, "We've been having heart-filled, family meetings, and they wanted to talk. They wanted to share their truth and their perspective. And for the very first time, my older kids are sharing, and they're talking and they're interviewing. So, I'm very proud.”

When asked how she spoke to the kids about society’s negative perspective on their family, Suleman admitted, “It wasn't a one-time sit-down, ‘Let me teach you something. Let me tell you about what happened.’ It was throughout their life, when they were ready and understanding. I would just teach, I would talk. I'd ask them to share their perspectives, for many years actually, and they had very interesting, subjective views, and then we'd all talk together as a family. There wasn't any topic that you couldn't talk about."

As for how she feels about the “Octomom” title, Natalie commented, “Octomom was just a moniker that was, you know, conceived by the media, you know, and Octomom was birthed in the perfect storm."

She elaborated, "There was a recession in 2008, where I started to believe that the public was subconsciously seeking a societal scapegoat. And then we have the pinnacle of tabloid media sensationalism, that was the beginning of it, long before social media. And then we have me, the guinea pig, and then at the time, I made certain decisions that were very immature and irresponsible. And then, you know, the doctor who engaged in medical malpractice and gross negligence. It's all these different factors at play is why Octomom was birthed in a perfect storm."

Denying that she leaned into the "Octomom" craze, Suleman insisted, "I sacrifice my integrity out of desperation to make money to feed my children, period."

She was adamant, "I never wanted to be in the public eye, that's the number one biggest misconception. I never wanted fame, never sought out to have eight. Never sought out even twins, I wanted one more. That's another entirely different story. Ninety-nine percent of what was out there for years have been misconceptions and truths, so that's why this is so important."

Recalling how she coped as a single mom with eight newborns, she shared, “I just took it incrementally, day by day, baby steps. You know, I was a walking zombie for a while there. I was exhausted for years, chronically sleep-deprived. But I think, like most moms, if you're put in a predicament like that, you're just going to, you have no choice. You have to be moving, moving, 500 miles per hour, you know, in a mechanical sense. Never really stopping to feel... It was just a chronic, non-stop autopilot."

That sleep deprivation lead Suleman to rehab in 2012. She recalled, “It was chronic sleep deprivation. I had not been sleeping. You know, you can become sick… You can't continue on like that. I will take a toll on your physiology and your mind. I ended up getting diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder... It was just PTSD, severe trauma from what I experienced subsequent to giving birth to the octuplets."

She continued, "It really was very fortunate actually to go to rehab, because I ended up getting offered a position as a substance-abuse counselor due to my educational background and working in the mental health field... And then I was able to escape the public eye and all the toxic people that were very, very, very unhealthy for my kids and myself. And then I started working in July of 2013, moved back to Orange County."

Natalie is sharing her truth in the docuseries and taking on all the wildest headlines, including that she wanted to look like Angelina Jolie!

She emphasized, “I'm very, very grateful for my diverse ethnic background that I'm not going to share today, but I wouldn't want to look like or be like anyone other than myself. As us women should all strive, you know, to be confident, and, more importantly, teach our children to love themselves unconditionally. So, I think it's very important just to embrace yourself and love yourself.”

“It was the lips," she said, sharing that it took 10 years for them to return to her natural look. "That’s the only reason. So, no, I've not had plastic surgery on my face, and I've never had plastic surgery to want to look like someone else. It was those lips, those hideous lips."

She added, "They wanted to sell their trashy magazines, so the crazier Octomom looked, the crazier I appeared, the more that will fuel the fire of hate in the public. And it worked. They were pretty proficient at what they did."

Of what Suleman wants people to take away from her latest projects, she said, “I want it to be an inspirational story, number one, for women. You know, yes, there's been lots of lies told, but I rise, have risen above it, you know? I didn't take it too seriously.”

She went on, “It’s not just so much about me, personally, but I believe this really is a woman's story, you know? It's one about, you know, strength, survival, and success, despite all odds against us.”

"My goal in life was to raise healthy, well-adjusted kids that are thriving, and they are," Suleman shared. "I'm very grateful. I couldn't imagine my life any other way."

And Octomom is a grandma now! She gushed of her first grandchild, who is 21-year-old son Joshua's daughter, "I just adore her. She's six months old. She's beautiful. We're all keeping her safe and protected. We don't want her on the Internet. But she is one of the most beautiful babies I've ever seen, her personality, everything is adorable.... I'm just so, so happy and grateful. I'm in love with her."