Halle Bailey kept her recent pregnancy private for good reason.

“The Little Mermaid” star was one of the honorees at Thursday’s 2024 Black Women in Hollywood Awards, and gave a speech in which she explained why she protected her pregnancy and the birth of her first child, son Halo, from public scrutiny.

“We are Black women in entertainment, and although we signed up for the challenges of the spotlight, in this current climate, that spotlight burns brighter, hotter, and uninterrupted, whereas the scrutiny of its magnification leaves no concealment,” Bailey said, according to People.

Bailey, who shares Halo with boyfriend DDG, took to Instagram in January with the news they had welcomed their son, writing alongside a picture of the newborn’s hand, “Even though we’re a few days into the new year, the greatest thing that 2023 could have done for me, was bring me my son. Welcome to the world my halo.”

On Thursday, Bailey said her role in “The Little Mermaid” changed her career, but “it cannot compare to the biggest joy of my life. And that was becoming a mom to my perfect little angel Halo.”

Bailey said of her effort to protect her family’s privacy. “Halo was my gift. He is the greatest blessing, and I had no obligation to expose him, me, or my family to that.”

She concluded, “With the state of the world and the place it is in with men trying to force their will on our bodies, no one on social media, and for damn sure, no one on the planet, was going to tell me what to do with my body or what to share with the world.”