Amy Schumer's Son Gene: Everything She's Said About Being a Mom

As a comedian and actress in Hollywood, Amy Schumer has quite the busy schedule — but nothing is more important to the Trainwreck star than her 5-year-old son, Gene David Fischer.

"I just want to be with him as much as I can," the comedian, who welcomed her first child with husband Chris Fischer on May 5, 2019, previously told PEOPLE. "I'm very grateful to be able to work and have time for myself also. But it's brutal. It hurts. I mean, like, there's no way. It's a painful thing."

Schumer has also discussed how having a child has influenced her comedy.

"It's just like the normal evolution of life. I don't know if it's that I talk about sex less, but I think … I don't have a uterus anymore, you know what I mean?" she said, referencing her past struggle with endometriosis.

The Inside Amy Schumer actress has always been open about her health struggles, particularly when it came to her pregnancy, during which she suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum, or severe morning sickness.

"It was really really hard," Schumer said of performing while pregnant, later adding that though "life is so much more beautiful" since welcoming Gene, being pregnant again is not something she plans on.

After she was forced to cancel the remaining dates on her tour due to her pregnancy complications, Schumer got back on the road in 2022 for a 65-date tour. And though leaving baby Gene wasn't easy, the comedian told PEOPLE that her husband's support made it possible.

"And so I don't worry about him being taken care of," she said. "I just, I just miss him. You just wanna physically be there. I really do think it's harder for me than him."

Despite her pregnancy hardships and juggling her career with family time, Schumer says being a mother to Gene makes it all worth it.

"But gosh, you know, all the clichés are just true," she told PEOPLE in 2022. "What they say about babies — I'm crazy about him."

She continued, "Everybody says this, but it gets more and more fun. Every day is more fun."

From her hilarious quotes about parenting to their sweetest mother-son moments, here's everything to know about Amy Schumer's son Gene.

Gene was born on May 5, 2019

Schumer and Fischer welcomed Gene on May 5, 2019. Coincidentally, he was born hours before Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son Archie, leading Schumer to joke in her Instagram birth announcement, "10:55 pm last night. Our royal baby was born."

The comedian first revealed she was expecting in October 2018, letting her friend Jessica Yellin announce the news on Instagram along with a list of voting recommendations for the 2018 midterm elections.

Under the list of names, Yellin included a message from Schumer: "I’m pregnant-Amy Schumer.”

Gene was born via c-section

Schumer has been very open about her experiences with pregnancy and birth, which she described as difficult.

In a December 2019 episode of the Informed Pregnancy and Parenting Podcast, she shared how "terrifying" her cesarean section was, especially after she originally planned on a doula-assisted birth at a birthing center.

"I was throwing up through the first hour of my c-section," the I Feel Pretty star said. "It's supposed to take about an hour and a half — mine took over three hours because of my endometriosis, and that was really scary."

While speaking to PEOPLE earlier that year, Schumer described giving birth as "the most terrifying thing you'll ever do that's completely worth it."

"Having a c-section was … my pregnancy was so hard, I was just very ready to meet my son," she added.

In honor of Gene's 2nd birthday in 2021, Schumer posted a photo of her and Fischer from the baby's birth on Instagram, thanking her husband for his constant support throughout the painful experience. "In this first photo while I was having a 3 hour c section he held my hand and stared in my eyes so I never felt alone," she wrote of Fischer.

His middle name was changed when he was 11 months old

Schumer and Fischer named their son Gene Attell Fischer — at first. During an episode of Amy Schumer Presents: 3 Girls, 1 Keith, Schumer revealed they'd changed the baby's name to Gene David Fischer.

"So do you guys know that Gene, our baby's name is officially changed? It's now Gene David Fischer," Schumer said on the podcast. "It was Gene Attell Fischer, but we realized that we by accident named our son 'genital.' "

Initially, the couple had chosen Attell to honor Schumer's friend, Dave Attell. They changed it to David, which now hits "two stones," according to Schumer. The new moniker still references Attell's first name and also nods to Schumer's father, whose middle name is David.

The Life & Beth actress later joked about how her early parenting instincts were "dead wrong" during an appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers.

"I mean, not to mention that we did name him ― you know, by accident ― 'genital,' " she said of her son's original name.

He's developing a good sense of confidence

During an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Schumer recalled a funny moment she'd shared with Gene, then 2 years old.

"He had on a baseball hat that had a train on it, and I just found him looking at himself in the mirror and he just gave himself a thumbs up," she explained, imitating her son's gesture to the audience.

"It was so good," she added. "If we can just harness that confidence and self-love."

He's a funny kid, but also "very sensitive" to being laughed at

Schumer shared another amusing anecdote about Gene during a PEOPLE interview in March 2022.

"He feels very sensitive to us laughing at him, like if he doesn't intend on that," she said. "He knows he's funny. But he only wants to be laughed at when he means to make me laugh."

The actress shared how Gene had once told her "no laugh" after she chuckled at something he said.

"I was holding him the other night and he was like, 'I want Daddy to come in,' " she said. "So I'm like, 'Okay, let's call him,' and he goes, 'Is Daddy coming?' And I said, 'Yeah,' and he went, 'Yay!' And I laughed and he went, 'No laugh,' and I'm like, 'Okay. That's fair,' but I tried to explain to him like it was explained to me, 'It's good when people laugh. It means you made them happy and they love you.' "

Gene also has his own sense of humor and finds his comedian mother funny, especially when she crosses her eyes. "He'll signal me to do it," Schumer said.

Schumer has discussed the possibility of Gene having autism

During a March 2022 interview on Chelsea Handler's podcast, Dear Chelsea, Schumer spoke about how she would feel if her son was on the autism spectrum like his dad. Fischer was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder as an adult, which Schumer has often opened up about over the years.

"I think the statistics are pretty strong toward he will most likely have autism," Schumer said of Gene. "Parents have different journeys with this. Having a child with severe autism is beyond my imagination difficult. But if Gene does wind up having ASD, I'm not looking for the signs in a way that are upsetting, I'm not hoping either way."

"Most of my favorite people are on the spectrum," she added.

Schumer explained that since Gene was 2 at the time, they were several years away from the time when he could be officially diagnosed. "You can see some signs but the diagnosis doesn't come until later and I can say honestly I don't have a preference either way," she said. "You just want your kids to be healthy and happy."

The comedian previously addressed the question of how she would "cope" if her son was diagnosed when replying to an Instagram user in August 2019, saying, "How I cope? I don't see being on the spectrum as a negative thing. My husband is my favorite person I've ever met. He's kind, hilarious, interesting and talented and I admire him. Am I supposed to hope my son isn't like that?"

She went on to add that she would "pay attention and try and provide" Gene "with the tools he needs to overcome whatever challenges come up like all parents."

"I'd be disappointed if he liked the Big Bang theory and Nascar, not if he has ASD," Schumer joked.

Gene was hospitalized with RSV in November 2022

The family had a scary couple of days in November 2022, when Gene was briefly hospitalized with RSV, or Respiratory Syncytial Virus. Schumer, who had been rehearsing for her Saturday Night Live hosting gig, shared the news on Instagram, writing, "This was the hardest week of my life. I missed Thursday rehearsals when my son was rushed to ER and admitted for RSV."

She added that he was "home and better" and thanked both the hospital staff and the cast and crew of SNL, who she said "couldn't have been more supportive."

RSV, which was surging across the U.S, at the time Gene contracted it, causes mild cold-like symptoms in adults and older children, but can be especially dangerous for babies younger than 12 months.

If Gene ever has a little brother or sister, Schumer says it might happen via surrogate

While Gene is an only child, Schumer has previously suggested that she and Fischer might be open to having another child. However, because of Schumer's surgeries related to her endometriosis diagnosis and her difficulty with her first pregnancy, she's said she probably won't be pregnant again.

"We did IVF and IVF was really tough on me. I don't think I could ever do IVF again," she shared in an August 2020 interview on Sunday Today with Willie Geist. "I decided that I can't be pregnant ever again. We thought about a surrogate, but I think we're going to hold off for right now."

In April 2021, Schumer again discussed the possibility of expanding her family on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, telling the host, "Oh God, I hope so. We're trying to figure it out. I mean, you know, it's like there's nothing better."

Schumer is keeping Gene out of the spotlight

Like many celebrities, Schumer appears to be keeping her son's face off of social media as he grows up. While there are occasional pictures and videos that feature Gene, he's often facing away from the camera or at an angle where his face isn't clearly seen.

In one sweet snap Schumer posted, she and Gene are curled up together on a bed strewn with a sippy cup, toys and multiple children's books,

"Out of office reply for the next month. Thanks," she captioned the photo.

In another post, Schumer gave an inside look at what things are like when she and Gene are back at work, posting a photo from backstage at her tour where Gene could be seen doing a handstand on the wall. "This was a special night," she wrote in her caption.