Racy Octomom

Octomom talks 'nude' pics with Anderson Cooper: She made $8,000, discussed it with children

By Carina Adly MacKenzie

March 29, 2012 -- 5:35 PM ET


The "Octomom," Nadya Suleman, was once offered one million dollars to appear in a porn video, but despite having 14 mouths to feed, she took what she considered to be the moral high ground. On the Friday, March 30 episode of "Anderson," Suleman revealed that her recent semi-nude photoshoot for Closer magazine earned her a payday of $8,000.

"I'm being honest I did it for money," she tells Anderson Cooper. "I have to do what I have to do take care of my family. And I'm not ashamed. I'm not ashamed at all. Regardless, you have to learn to let go of everyone's perspective of you because you can not please the world. You have to please God -- he's the only one I have to answer to at the end of the day -- myself and my children. And I have never sacrificed my morals and values. I have laughed at these ridiculous, ludicrous opportunities that I would just never do or engage in; any type of sexual [activity]."

At the suggestion of "Oprah" guru Suze Orman last May, Suleman hooked up with a talent agent, but she says most of the offers have been of a sexual nature. (We're not sure who hears "single mother of 14" and thinks "sexy porn star!" but we probably don't want to know.) Suleman refused to accept those offers, making it difficult to put food on the table, until Closer asked her to pose.

Cooper suggested that the photos aren't exactly chaste. "I am going to argue with you on that one," she countered. "I am covered. I had to think about that, I reflected on that quite a bit before choosing to do it. I discussed it with my children openly, and ironically my very conservative Muslim father was like, 'Do it.' My European mom's like, 'Okay. Nadya. I am playing devil's advocate, you think about how this can affect you.'"

Yes -- she did talk about it with her kids, pointing out that the photos were taken for a women's magazine, not a men's magazine. "I told them that, only for monetary compensation, mom has to do something," she says. "In my mind I was rationalizing that it's not exploitative and it's not over-sexualized as it would be in a men's magazine. This is a women's magazine and it's a celebration of a body and all women, regardless of size, should be proud of themselves and they are beautiful. I think all women are beautiful."