Catherine Reitman's lips: natural beauty or cosmetic alteration?
Catherine Reitman's lips have made her the subject of online discussions and bullying, with several people suggesting that she is the victim of a cosmetic procedure gone wrong. The star and creator of the hit Netflix series Workin' Moms understands the industry's beauty standards and told The Kit in 2019,
This career expects so much of me and my body and my skin.
Source: Getty Images
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Catherine Reitman's unique upper lip is rumoured to be the result of botched mouth surgery, but there is no solid proof to confirm the theories.
- The actress made fun of her lips in an episode of Workin' Moms.
- The Black-ish star has not publicly shared what happened to her upper lip but previously revealed that kids made fun of her when she was young.
Catherine Reitman's profile summary
| Full name | Catherine Marcelle Reitman |
| Date of birth | April 28, 1981 |
| Age | 43 years old as of March 2025 |
| Place of birth | Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Current residence | Santa Barbara, Montecito, California |
| Nationality | American and Canadian |
| Height | 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m/165 cm) |
| Marital status | Married |
| Husband | Philip Sternberg (2008 to date) |
| Children | Jackson Sternberg, Liam Sternberg |
| Parents | Geneviève Robert, Ivan Reitman |
| Siblings | Jason Reitman, Caroline Reitman |
| Education | University of Southern California (Acting) |
| Profession | Actress, screenwriter, producer |
| Social media | InstagramX (Twitter) |
Catherine Reitman's lips generated a lot of buzz online
Catherine Reitman's unique mouth became a hot online topic when the hit series Workin' Moms started airing on CBS and Netflix. Curious viewers took to social media to inquire about the actress with the strange lips.
Some viewers made fun of her appearance. X (Twitter) user @kims_quest compared her to TV personality Lisa Rinna, writing,
I love Working Moms and Catherine Reitman. Curiosity got the best of me and I googled her lips. Claims have been made about no lip surgery, but I can't help but think lips looked like the botched silicone injections. Lisa Rinna had that same thing if I remember correctly.
Source: Original
The wrong before and after photos of Catherine Reitman's lips have also circulated online. However, not everyone on the internet is mean and some have defended her while praising her on-screen performance. X (Twitter) user @ageless_middle, wrote,
I think it is outrageous that this beautiful and talented woman is mocked for her lips. So, what if they are different? She has a stellar smile, and anyone who says differently must be jealous, angry about something else, or just plain daft.
Source: Getty Images
What happened to Catherine Reitman's upper lip?
There is no concrete evidence to suggest that Catherine Reitman's lips are the result of botched cosmetic surgery or lip fillers like the internet suggests. She has had a smaller upper lip since childhood, as seen in the photos she shares on Instagram.
The actress has never explained why her mouth is different, although she has made subtle hints that she has always been that way. In her May 2019 interview with The Kit, she shared that her mother's compliments and support gave her confidence when other kids mocked her appearance.
Growing up, I was this really awkward-looking kid, and kids used to make fun of me and call me names like horse mouth. My mom looked literally perfect, and I definitely looked more like my father.
Reitman's father is the late Ivan Reitman, who also had a slim upper lip. He was a Slovakia-born Canadian filmmaker known for projects like Ghostbusters and Space Jam. Her mother is French-Canadian actress Geneviève Robert.
Source: UGC
Catherine Reitman has not addressed the cyberbullies
Reitman has not addressed the online haters or the claims that her plastic surgeon messed up but has joked about her lips. In one notable scene from Workin' Moms' first season, she wrote a line where her boss made fun of her mouth. In March 2021, she commented on an X (Twitter) post that had her drawing, writing,
It's not often an artist draws my mouth with such restraint.
Source: Getty Images
Who is Catherine Reitman married to in real life?
Catherine is married to Canadian actor and filmmaker Philip Sternberg, who plays her husband Nathan on Workin' Moms. They wed in August 2009 at her parents' mansion in Santa Barbara, Montecito.
Philip and Catherine lived in Toronto, Canada, during the filming of the series before relocating to Santa Barbara. In her January 2019 interview with Fashion Magazine, Reitman shared how she and her husband work well together both on and off the screen.
It's such a balance! Like, there's murder days, and then there's, like, 'we're a superhero team' days. It's both extraordinary and challenging...He's my other brain, and he's extraordinary at this—just one of the hardest workers and the most creative thinkers I've ever worked with. It's great because I have this other amazing person that I can lean on.
Source: Getty Images
Is it Catherine Reitman's baby in Workin' Moms?
Catherine Reitman and her husband, Philip Sternberg, have two sons: Jackson Sternberg (born in 2013) and Liam Sternberg (born in 2015). The kids do not appear in Workin' Moms, but their birth inspired Catherine to write the series.
Reitman suffered from postpartum depression when she went back to work 'too early' after her first son was born. She told Scary Mommy in February 2023,
It just wasn't an instant connection with him. I know you're supposed to have that immediate mama-bear instinct but that didn't happen for me. Instead, I just felt responsibility, fear, and inadequacy.
Catherine shared in her 2019 Glamour essay that her husband, Philip, encouraged her to write about her experiences. He also helped produce the show, which aired on CBC from 2017 to 2023 and is available on Netflix.
Source: Getty Images
Catherine Reitman's lips continue to fascinate fans of her show, but the mother of two is not one to be fazed by people's opinions. Her impressive performances and creative writing shine through.
READ ALSO: Dolly Parton's plastic surgery: What she's had done and why
Briefly.co.za published details about Dolly Parton's cosmetic procedures. The country music legend is always open about her plastic surgeries.
Dolly has mentioned that she was not naturally pretty and wanted to make the most of what she had. The singer has had procedures like bust augmentation, facelift, rhinoplasty, Botox, and fillers.
Source: Briefly News
