Top 10 Celebrities Who Have Adopted Children

This badass star of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” is a real-life mom of three. In 2006, Hargitay gave birth to her son August. Happy as parents, Hargitay and her husband Peter Hermann decided some time later to pursue adoption to expand their family. In April 2011, the couple adopted Amaya Josephine, and were there for her birth. Only six months later, August and Amaya got a new baby brother. Andrew Nicolas was born two months early, which makes his adoption all the more touching. Whether she’s Olivia Benson or Mariska Hargitay, this adoptive mom is a role model on and off the screen.

This iconic star of “The Sound of Music” and “Mary Poppins” has both adopted and biological daughters. In 1962, Andrews welcomed her daughter Emma with first husband Tony Walton. In 1969, Andrews married her second husband, Blake Edwards, and they soon started a family. Instead of having biological children, however, they chose to adopt. Daughters Amy and Joanna were born in Vietnam, and were adopted as the war drew to a close. While Andrews is not the only celeb to adopt from abroad, she is one of the first – and that’s super.

When he’s not playing Wolverine, this Aussie actor is a doting husband and dad. Jackman has been married to actress Deborra-Lee Furness since 1996. They have two children, but the road to parenthood was not easy. After two miscarriages and unsuccessful IVF treatments, the couple decided to adopt. Although they’re Australian, they chose to adopt from the United States. According to Furness, the process was easier stateside. Son Oscar was born in 2000, while daughter Ava joined the Jackmans in 2005. Hugh may play a tough guy, but he’s a family man at heart.

Kidman has openly discussed the struggle to conceive that she and Cruise endured during their marriage, including the trial of an ectopic pregnancy. Determined to have a family, the couple adopted daughter Isabella and son Connor. Cruise and Kidman eventually split in 2001. He has Suri with Katie Holmes, and she has Sunday and Faith with Keith Urban, but they remain close to their adopted children. From Kidman’s performance as an adoptive mom in “Lion,” we can see that the process has deeply inspired her life and career.

This comedian and talk show icon is a mother of five. Daughter Vivienne was born to her former partner, Kelli Carpenter, while Vivienne’s four siblings are adopted. Unlike the other celebs on this list, O’Donnell is an out lesbian, and came out partly to raise awareness of same-sex adoption. O’Donnell’s adopted daughter Chelsea has made headlines from her battle with mental illness and her strained relationship with her mom. While their bond hasn’t always been the strongest, they’ve since patched things up. O’Donnell may be a celebrity, but that doesn’t mean her relationships with her kids are always smooth sailing.

Onscreen, this Oscar winner has played a serial killer, a soldier, and an evil sorceress, to name a few. Offscreen, she’s embraced the role of adoptive mom. She adopted son Jackson in 2012, right before she began dating actor Sean Penn. After the couple split in 2015, Theron adopted her daughter August. While she has admitted that she didn’t picture herself as a single mom, she’s still happy with her decision. With Furiosa for a mom, we’re sure Jackson and August must feel confident that she can handle anything that comes their way.

This beloved actress won an Oscar for playing adoptive mom Leigh Anne Tuohy in “The Blind Side.” In 2010, life imitated art when Bullock became a mom herself. Bullock and then-husband Jesse James were in the process of adopting a baby boy from New Orleans. After a high-profile split, Bullock decided to adopt her son Louis as a single parent. In December 2015, she announced that she had also adopted a daughter Laila. Like Louis, Laila was born in Louisiana, but was in foster care before being adopted. On and off-screen, Bullock has shed light on adoption, an issue affecting thousands of children in America and around the world.

This pop icon has two biological children with actor Carlos Léon and director Guy Ritchie. Now a single mom, Madonna also has four adopted children, all from Malawi. According to Malawian law, future parents have to live in the country for a year before adopting, which made Madge’s first two adoptions complicated. Still, she welcomed David Banda in 2008, and Mercy James in 2009. In February 2017, Madonna’s family grew by two, with the adoption of twins Stella and Esther. Madge may be a megastar, but to these youngsters, she’s mom first.

This actress and activist is practically the poster mom for celebrity adoption. Farrow has been mother to fourteen children, ten of whom were adopted. Although she is close to many of her children, motherhood has had its challenges. Daughters Tam and Lark died after long illnesses, while son Thaddeus took his own life. All three were among her adopted children. Her daughter Dylan also accused her stepdad Woody Allen of abuse, while her son Moses accused Farrow of abuse. And perhaps most scandalous, Allen left Farrow for his current wife – and her adopted daughter - Soon-Yi Previn. Despite her personal difficulties, Farrow continues to be an advocate for children around the world, including her own.
Before we get to our #1 famous adoptive parent, here are some honorable mentions:

Katherine Heigl

Kristin Davis

Nia Vardalos

When you think of the words “power couple” and “adoption,” you’re probably thinking of these two – or at least what they once were. Brangelina have six children together – three adopted, and three biological. While still married to Billy Bob Thornton, Jolie adopted her son Maddox from Cambodia. Jolie then adopted daughter Zahara from Ethiopia in 2005, and son Pax from Vietnam in 2007 with Pitt adopting them a few months later. Add in their biological siblings Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne, and you have one photogenic family! Despite their parents’ hostile split, the Jolie-Pitt siblings are very close. They might not all share the same genes, but no matter what – they’re family.