Pen15 Co-Stars and Best Friends Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle Both Give Birth

They may play awkward preteens on Pen15, but Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle are now moms! Scroll to read about how they welcomed their first babies.

By Kaitlin Reilly May 08, 2021 5:10 PMTags
Watch: "Vanderpump Rules" Star Scheana Shay Welcomes Baby Girl

Pen15 stars and co-creators Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle are best friends in real life, and now, they're embarking on a brand-new journey together: motherhood!

The actresses, who play middle school versions of themselves on the Hulu comedy (alongside a cast of age-appropriate preteens) announced in January that they were both pregnant with their first child. At the time, Anna shared a photo of herself and Maya holding their matching baby bumps to her Instagram Story, along with the caption, "Yin and yang." Maya, meanwhile, also got emotional over their shared baby news, writing on her own Instagram, "BFFs making some future bffs." 

Now, the "future BFFs" have arrived, according to the pair's new interview with Vogue. Anna, who is engaged to actor and writer Alex Anfanger, gave birth to a little girl they named Essie Wunderle.

Of the unusual middle name, Anna explained to the magazine, "The middle name comes from my dad's side of the family, in honor of him. The Wunderles were known to have strong, forward-thinking women. And my great-great-grandfather, also a Wunderle, went from selling sweets from a street cart to having a large factory where candy corn was invented." 

She added, "Hopefully she'll appreciate the name instead of resenting us for giving her something difficult to spell."

Maya, who announced her engagement to This Is Us actor Michael Angarano last November, gave birth to her baby boy Leon Frederick shortly after the interview. She told Vogue how she shared the news with Anna and her other friends in a very special way, despite the constrictions of the coronavirus pandemic.

Charley Gallay/Getty Images for WGAW

"I had told her that Michael and I were going to start trying," Maya shared, "and then told her in person, socially distanced at a park, and then told all our friends in the ocean as a wave overtook us—again, socially distanced at the beach. It was very dramatic."

Now, these new moms can make many more memories with their little ones—and, hopefully, many more seasons of perfectly cringe-worthy TV moments.