Needless to say, there is no one way to start a family. Some families have their children biologically. Others use the modern miracle of in vitro fertilization. Some choose surrogacy. And many join the adoption. They are all valid and beautiful ways to grow a family, but today we want to focus on adoptive families, specifically, celebrities who have adopted their beautiful children.
Due to the highly publicized nature of Hollywood, it’s not uncommon to hear the adoption stories of famous families. Some of these stars are practically synonymous with adoption, such as Madonna and Angelina Jolie, but there are others who have decided to be less open with their stories. Do you already know them?
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt
In 2002, Jolie adopted her first child, Maddox, from Cambodia with her ex-husband Billy Bob Thornton. Jolie adopted Zahara from Ethiopia in 2005. Later that year pitted it was rumored that he planned to adopt both children, and in 2006, the children’s last name was changed to Jolie-Pitt.
A year later, Jolie adopted her son Pax as a single mother (Vietnam prohibits unmarried couples from adopting children). At the time of their wedding in August 2014, Pitt had legally adopted the three children. Now that the couple has separated, custody of their six children (the couple also has three biological children) is reportedly one of the main reasons why divorce negotiations have dragged on for so long.
Sandra Bullock
The Oscar winner made the surprise announcement that she and her future ex-husband, Jesse James, were in the process of adopting a child. Their son, Louis, had started living with the couple in January 2010. Four months later, she appeared on the cover of the weekly to announce that she was divorcing James and adopting Louis. He later adopted a daughter whom he named Laila.
Madonna
Madonna has two biological children, Lourdes and Rocco Ritchie, with her exes, but later adopted two children after her birth. David Banda and Mercy were adopted from Malawi and a few years ago, the singer also announced on Instagram that she had adopted twins from the same country.
Charlize Theron
The Oscar-winning actress adopted her son, Jackson, in 2012. The former Arkansas judge who posted details online about Theron’s private adoption voluntarily surrendered his attorney’s license to avoid a disciplinary hearing following his bribery conviction in an unrelated case.
She then adopted her daughter, August, in 2015. He told Elle that her mother, Gerda, reminded her during the adoption process that when the actress was growing up in South Africa, she had written a letter to an orphanage because she wanted a brother or sister.
Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman
After meeting on the set of “Days of Thunder,” the couple married in 1990 and adopted two children together. After their separation, Isabella Jane (born December 1992) and Connor Anthony (born January 1995) lived with Cruise. Since then, they have moved away from Kidman, who is now married to Keith Urban and with whom she has two biological daughters.
The source of the breakup is reported because both children are practicing Scientologists and Kidman left the church after the divorce. In 2010, he said: “They live with Tom, which was their choice. I would love for them to live with us, but what can you do?” In 2015, Bella married Max Parker but did not invite Kidman, who worked in London, not far from where the nuptials took place.
Hugh Jackman
The “The Greatest Showman” star told People that he and his wife, actress Deborra-Lee Furness, made a conscious decision to adopt mixed-race children because that was the largest group of children who needed parents. “Our motivation behind the adoption was, ‘Where is the need?’ “A lot of people adopt thinking it’s very important to them that the child looks like them, and honestly, for Deb and me, that was never a problem,” the actor said.
Viola Davis
The Oscar winner adopted her daughter, Genesis, when she was just a baby in 2011. She told InStyle, “There are so many ways to be a mother instead of carrying a child in your body. Many children need parents, and many of us want to be mothers. Know that you will experience motherhood to its full extent.”
Katherine Heigl
The “Suits” star and her husband, musician Josh Kelley, adopted daughter Nancy Leigh Mi-Eun Kelley, from South Korea (the birthplace of Heigl’s adoptive sister) in 2009. She told Scholastic magazine, “I wanted my own family to look like one where I come from, so I always knew I wanted to adopt from Korea. We’ve also talked about having biological children, but we decided to adopt first. I just wanted to be a mom.” Three years later, they adopted their daughter, Adalaide Marie Hope, in the same country. After adopting two daughters, the actress gave birth to a son, Joshua Jr., a few years ago.
Kristen Davis
The “Sex and the City” actress adopted her daughter, Gemma Rose, as a single mother in 2011. She has said that adopting a baby is “something I’ve wanted for a long time.” She also adopted a son in early 2018.
Meg Ryan
Ryan had an adult son, actor Jack Henry Quaid, with ex-husband Dennis Quaid, when he decided to adopt a 14-month-old girl from China in 2007 whom he named Daisy True. “When I met Ryan in 2010 and told him I was also the mother of an adopted girl from China, we talked about how we both felt we were meant to be the parents of our daughters.” He said: “I am completely convinced that there was nothing random. She is the daughter I should have. We are perfect for each other. I have a biological child and now I am an adoptive father and there is no difference in the love I feel.”
Did you already know them?
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