Plenty of people have dreams of starting a family, and some of the most stars on the planet are no exception. Whether they are actors, musicians, or other world-class talents, it’s the most natural thing in the world to want to have a baby and begin a new life together as a family.
Unfortunately, just as with everyone else, celebrities are not immune to medical obstacles just because of their widespread fame. Celebrities can have fertility issues, miscarriages, age restrictions, and other medical conditions that make traditional childbirth difficult or even impossible. Like some people, they use other alternatives, such as surrogacy, to start or add to their families.
Here are some of the biggest celebrities in the world that have used surrogacy to grow their families.
Ricky Martin
Often referred to as the “King of Latin Pop,” and the “Latin heartthrob,” Ricky Martin is currently in a lifelong gay relationship. He decided, however, that he wanted to start a family. Since neither he nor his partner had a uterus in which traditional pregnancy could occur, they decided to engage a surrogate mother.
Now he hasfour children. He has twins born in 2008, and he has a son and a daughter born a few years apart with his current lifelong partner. It’s a handful, but he’s happy, and even cites the twins as his most honest critics.
Gabrielle Union
This famous actress struggled for years in an attempt to have a child. She suffered multiple miscarriages over the years and was eventually diagnosed with a condition known as adenomyosis, which has an impact on fertility. The star of Being Mary Janefinally took the surrogacy route with her husband, Dwayne Wade. He already had three children from a previous marriage, but she wanted her own child with him.
In 2018, they gave birth to a daughter, and now when Union isn’t performing in front of a camera, she’s writing books for children, and working for women’s issues such as violence against women.
Nicole Kidman
One of Australia’s most famous red-headed exports, this performer has appeared in everything from horror films like The Others to outrageous musicals like Moulin Rouge that proved she could sing. However, one of her biggest challenges was trying to start a family with her spouse, Keith Urban, the country singer.
She has had issues with miscarriages and fertility in her past. While she’s had one child by traditional pregnancy, she’s also adopted two children. Her child with Keith Urban was the result of the In Vitro Fertilization technique used in gestational surrogacy, meaning the child is, genetically, a combination of Kidman’s and Urban’s DNA.
Neil Patrick Harris
Another famous and flamboyant American performer, Neil Patrick Harris,first rose to fame as a child star in the television series Doogie Howser, M.D. It was about a boy genius that had decided to become a doctor. From there, he transitioned into a successful adult career, adding singing to his repertoire and appearing in varied projects like the TV series How I Met Your Mother to profane comedies like Harold & Kumar as well as performing on the stage.
With his husband, David Burtka, they worked with a surrogate mother, donating both of their sperm and welcoming twins into the world. They now have a son and a daughter that they raise in New York.
Kelsey Grammar
Though he first established his famous character in the TV sitcom Cheers, it was in his own starring role in Frasier that he truly rose to popularity. Grammar has had a solid career in acting, but he and his wife at the time, Camille Donatucci, were having difficulties with natural childbirth.
They eventually decided to take the surrogacy route. In 2001, their first child, Mason Oliva, was born, followed by son three years later, Jude Gordon, born in 2004.
Angela Basset & Courtney Vance
Angela Basset has appeared in numerous notable movies, like Malcolm X, and TV series such as ER. Courtney Vance in films like The Hunt for Red October and TV shows like Law & Order: Criminal Intent.This power couple of American actors suffered numerous failed attempts at having a child. When traditional pregnancy didn’t work, Angela herself tried In Vitro Fertilization, but this was unable to produce results as well.
They finally worked with a surrogate mother, and in 2006, finally welcomed twins into their lives and started a new family.
Elton John
Perhaps one of the most famous contemporary musicians of the last 40 years, Elton John’s first album in 1969, was Empty Sky, and he has continued over the decades, with Wonderful Crazy Night as recently as 2016. Elton John became one of the first gay men to be legally married in the United Kingdom.
He worked with a surrogate mother and welcomed a son into the world in 2011, and then in 2013 had a second son with the same surrogate mother.