diff --git a/pkg/api/types.go b/pkg/api/types.go
index 10ab6221d96..8838dc5279b 100644
--- a/pkg/api/types.go
+++ b/pkg/api/types.go
@@ -421,9 +421,11 @@ type RestartPolicy struct {
 type PodState struct {
 	Manifest ContainerManifest `json:"manifest,omitempty" yaml:"manifest,omitempty"`
 	Status   PodCondition      `json:"status,omitempty" yaml:"status,omitempty"`
-	Host     string            `json:"host,omitempty" yaml:"host,omitempty"`
-	HostIP   string            `json:"hostIP,omitempty" yaml:"hostIP,omitempty"`
-	PodIP    string            `json:"podIP,omitempty" yaml:"podIP,omitempty"`
+	// A human readable message indicating details about why the pod is in this state.
+	Message string `json:"message,omitempty" yaml:"message,omitempty"`
+	Host    string `json:"host,omitempty" yaml:"host,omitempty"`
+	HostIP  string `json:"hostIP,omitempty" yaml:"hostIP,omitempty"`
+	PodIP   string `json:"podIP,omitempty" yaml:"podIP,omitempty"`
 
 	// The key of this map is the *name* of the container within the manifest; it has one
 	// entry per container in the manifest. The value of this map is currently the output
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1beta1/types.go b/pkg/api/v1beta1/types.go
index 2ae145f5b8f..f336f450dfc 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1beta1/types.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1beta1/types.go
@@ -385,9 +385,11 @@ type RestartPolicy struct {
 type PodState struct {
 	Manifest ContainerManifest `json:"manifest,omitempty" yaml:"manifest,omitempty"`
 	Status   PodStatus         `json:"status,omitempty" yaml:"status,omitempty"`
-	Host     string            `json:"host,omitempty" yaml:"host,omitempty"`
-	HostIP   string            `json:"hostIP,omitempty" yaml:"hostIP,omitempty"`
-	PodIP    string            `json:"podIP,omitempty" yaml:"podIP,omitempty"`
+	// A human readable message indicating details about why the pod is in this state.
+	Message string `json:"message,omitempty" yaml:"message,omitempty"`
+	Host    string `json:"host,omitempty" yaml:"host,omitempty"`
+	HostIP  string `json:"hostIP,omitempty" yaml:"hostIP,omitempty"`
+	PodIP   string `json:"podIP,omitempty" yaml:"podIP,omitempty"`
 
 	// The key of this map is the *name* of the container within the manifest; it has one
 	// entry per container in the manifest. The value of this map is currently the output
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1beta2/types.go b/pkg/api/v1beta2/types.go
index f58ae83b46b..a3661867e50 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1beta2/types.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1beta2/types.go
@@ -350,9 +350,11 @@ type RestartPolicy struct {
 type PodState struct {
 	Manifest ContainerManifest `json:"manifest,omitempty" yaml:"manifest,omitempty"`
 	Status   PodStatus         `json:"status,omitempty" yaml:"status,omitempty"`
-	Host     string            `json:"host,omitempty" yaml:"host,omitempty"`
-	HostIP   string            `json:"hostIP,omitempty" yaml:"hostIP,omitempty"`
-	PodIP    string            `json:"podIP,omitempty" yaml:"podIP,omitempty"`
+	// A human readable message indicating details about why the pod is in this state.
+	Message string `json:"message,omitempty" yaml:"message,omitempty"`
+	Host    string `json:"host,omitempty" yaml:"host,omitempty"`
+	HostIP  string `json:"hostIP,omitempty" yaml:"hostIP,omitempty"`
+	PodIP   string `json:"podIP,omitempty" yaml:"podIP,omitempty"`
 
 	// The key of this map is the *name* of the container within the manifest; it has one
 	// entry per container in the manifest. The value of this map is currently the output
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1beta3/types.go b/pkg/api/v1beta3/types.go
index eedd95a1fb2..c0c45474c06 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1beta3/types.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1beta3/types.go
@@ -456,6 +456,8 @@ type PodSpec struct {
 // state of a system.
 type PodStatus struct {
 	Condition PodCondition `json:"condition,omitempty" yaml:"condition,omitempty"`
+	// A human readable message indicating details about why the pod is in this state.
+	Message string `json:"message,omitempty" yaml:"message,omitempty"`
 
 	// Host is the name of the node that this Pod is currently bound to, or empty if no
 	// assignment has been done.