Is Cersei Lannister Lying About Her Pregnancy on ‘Game of Thrones’?

One Game of Thrones mystery that needs to be solved pronto? Is Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) even really pregnant?

She broke the news that she is to brothers Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) last season, but fans are still skeptical. In many ways, we only have Cersei’s word on the fact that she’s pregnant, and as Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) points out to Tyrion, only an idiot trusts Cersei. Nevertheless, the one thing we know Cersei loves more than power are her children. The idea of a new baby seems to inspire her at the end of Season 7, and it almost solidifies the bonds between her and Jaime again.

Nevertheless, some fans have been theorizing for a while that Cersei may have been bluffing. Further evidence emerged in the Season 8 premiere, “Winterfell.” It wasn’t merely that Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbaek) spent a night with her and didn’t notice the faintest of baby bumps; Cersei was back on her wine. (That said, Game of Thrones is set in a medieval fantasy world, and we’re not sure if the characters know drinking wine while pregnant causes potential birth defects, or are they?)

So let’s weigh the proof and figure it out for ourselves: Is Cersei Lannister preggers or not?

Proof That Cersei is Pregnant on Game of Thrones:

Qyburn is Treating Her

The first inkling we have that Cersei might be carrying Jaime’s child again are a series of odd and awkward meetings in her chambers in Season 7, Episode 5, “Eastwatch.” When Jaime returns from the Loot Train Battle, he hurries past an unusually stressed Qyburn (Anton Lesser) who is leaving Cersei. Jaime enters Cersei’s room and she seems a little bit discombobulated. Later in that same episode, he returns to Cersei to tell her that he’s met with Tyrion. Qyburn is already there, and we him say, “I can give you something,” to which Cersei replies, “That won’t be necessary.”

Sign up for Decider’s Game Of Thrones newsletter — it’s everything you need to get you prepared for the final season! Delivered weekly.

We don’t know what he wants to give her — something for her discomfort or maybe something that will cause an abortion — but we do learn in the same scene that she is pregnant with Jaime’s child.

Jaime and Tyrion Believe She is Pregnant

The two people who arguably know her the best, brothers Jaime and Tyrion, both believe that she is pregnant. She doesn’t even have to verbally say it aloud. They figure it out from her body language. That’s pretty telling. She also confirms one more baby is coming to Jaime towards the end of Season 7.

She’s Not Drinking Wine at the End of Season 7

Maybe the thing that tipped Tyrion off the most was the fact that he offered his sister her own glass of wine in their last tense meeting, and Cersei refused to take a single sip. This suggests that Cersei has been advised by Qyburn that drinking would be bad during her pregnancy.

When Euron Greyjoy Mentions Wanting to Put a Prince in Her Belly

Well…let’s just say the look on her face is awkward. It’s as if she knows something that he doesn’t know, and that something might be that she is or recently has been pregnant.

Proof That Cersei is NOT Pregnant on Game of Thrones:

She’s a Manipulative Liar!

Cersei once committed a heinous act of terrorism to basically get out of a trial, so we know she’s capable of doing pretty much anything to secure her position of power. Lying to both of her brothers about being pregnant seems to be in the purview of what Cersei’s willing to do. At this point, Cersei knows she’s lost everyone she loves, and she’s losing the trust of Jaime. Since both brothers know children are a weakness for her, posing as pregnant lulls them into a place where they trust her and believe she has something besides power to live for.

She is Drinking in Season 8

This is perhaps the most damning bit of evidence. If Tyrion was tipped off to Cersei’s condition by the fact that she refused wine, watching her — sad-eyed no less — sip on that garnet wine in Season 8, Episode 1 suggests that there’s no bun in the oven.

Euron Greyjoy Doesn’t Notice a Baby Bump

Like we pointed out, not only does Euron not notice a baby Cersei growing in her belly while they’re naked together, but he grabs her stomach and doesn’t feel a thing. All women carry pregnancies differently, but if it’s been weeks or months since Qyburn diagnosed her, she should maybe have a tiny bump by now.

There Probably isn’t Time in 5 More Episodes for Her to Give Birth

This is just pure logistics, but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of wiggle room in the storyline for a nine-month pregnancy and delivery left. Then again, Game of Thrones has fudged the timeline (and featured flashbacks) before.

Our Verdict: Is Cersei Pregnant or Not?

Given all of this contradictory evidence, we have a radical theory:

Cersei was pregnant in Season 7, but has since lost the baby. 

Note, this is just a theory, but the evidence lines up. Miscarriages are common enough in modern society, and we know that historically women in medieval society lost babies often. As healthy as she may be, Cersei is staring at a geriatric pregnancy* and those are hard to keep up even with modern medical science. Add the stress of the literal end of the world, and the heartbreak of losing Jaime, and it’s not unbelievable that Cersei has suffered a miscarriage in between Seasons 7 and 8.

That said, some people are theorizing that Cersei might be pregnant and that giving up her baby that will stop the Night King from taking over Westeros, but that would also contradict Maggy the Frog’s prophecy that Cersei would only have three, doomed, “gold” children.

Again, we think the most likely, and devastating, answer is that Cersei has suffered a miscarriage. Worse, if this is the case, it means she is more broken, hollow, and desperate than ever before since she’s truly alone. 

*THIS IS THE MEDICAL TERM. No shade to the luminous Lena Headey.

Where to stream Game of Thrones