By Neia Balao
6:00pm PDT, May 2, 2022
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Join Wonderwall.com as we take a look at some of the celebrities who've grown their families through surrogacy… In December 2018, "Watch What Happens Live" host Andy Cohen revealed that he would soon become a first-time father via surrogacy! And in February 2019, Benjamin Allen Cohen came into the world. "He is named after my grandfather Ben Allen. I'm in love. And speechless," Andy wrote on Instagram alongside a precious photo of himself holding his newborn. "And eternally grateful to an incredible surrogate. And I'm a dad. Wow." In April 2022, Andy became a father for the second time with the birth of his daughter. "Meet my daughter, Lucy Eve Cohen! She's 8 pounds 13 oz and was born at 5:13 pm [on April 29] in New York City!!! Her big brother can't wait to meet her! Thank you to my rock star surrogate (ALL surrogates are rockstars, by the way) and everyone who helped make this miracle happen. I'm so happy," he captioned a photo with his baby girl on Instagram.
Keep reading for more stars who expanded their families through surrogacy…
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In January 2022, Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas took to Instagram to announce in matching posts that they'd become parents. "We are overjoyed to confirm that we have welcomed a baby via surrogate," the actress and the Jonas Brothers musician shared. In April 2022, TMZ reported that their daughter's birth certificate, which is public record, revealed her name is Malti Marie Chopra Jonas and that she was born on Jan. 15 in San Diego. According to the webloid, Malti "generally means small fragrant flower or moonlight" and is of Sanskrit origin.
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In a Vanity Fair cover story that hit the internet in March 2022, music star Grimes revealed that she and on-off love Elon Musk quietly welcomed their second child together via surrogate in December 2021. The singer and the SpaceX and Tesla mogul named their daughter Exa Dark Sideræl and have nicknamed her Y. Grimes gave birth to their first child, son X Æ A-12, in 2020; Elon also has five sons with first wife Justine Wilson.
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CNN anchor Anderson Cooper has welcomed two sons through surrogacy. In April 2020, son Wyatt arrived. "As a gay kid, I never thought it would be possible to have a child, and I'm grateful for all those who have paved the way, and for the doctors and nurses and everyone involved in my son's birth," the TV journalist wrote on Instagram alongside photos of his adorable son. "Most of all, I am grateful to a remarkable surrogate who carried Wyatt, and watched over him lovingly, and tenderly, and gave birth to him," he continued. "It is an extraordinary blessing — what she, and all surrogates give to families who can't have children. My surrogate has a beautiful family of her own, a wonderfully supportive husband, and kids, and I am incredibly thankful for all the support they have given Wyatt and me. My family is blessed to have this family in our lives." In February 2022, Anderson announced that he and "best friend and former partner" Benjamin Maisani had welcomed a second child, son Sebastian Luke Maisani-Cooper. "Wyatt calls me 'daddy' and Benjamin 'papa.' We're a family. Benjamin is also in the process of adopting Wyatt, whose last name will be changed to Maisani-Cooper as well," he told viewers on his show.
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Actress Brittany Daniel and husband Adam Toini, a broker associate, welcomed their first child, daughter Hope, via surrogate in October 2021. In January 2022, the "White Chicks" and "The Game" star revealed new details about her journey to motherhood: Her twin sister, Cynthia Daniel — who along with Brittany came to fame playing twins on TV's "Sweet Valley High" in the '90s — donated her eggs to her sibling after Brittany experienced fertility issues following a battle with stage IV non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that began in 2011. "I saw it as such a simple gift I could give to her," Cynthia told People magazine. "I know Brittany would do it in a split second for me. And we've always shared everything, so why not this?" Brittany explained that though she beat cancer, after undergoing intense chemotherapy, doctors told her she had a diminished egg reserve and that getting pregnant naturally would likely not happen. She brought up the idea of egg donation to Cynthia, who discussed it with her husband — "Yellowstone" actor Cole Hauser, with whom Cynthia shares three children — and "didn't hesitate" to say yes, Brittany — who underwent three failed IVF attempts before turning to surrogacy — told the magazine. "Words cannot express how grateful I am to her." When Cynthia met baby Hope, "I wasn't sure how I was going to feel at first, what emotions would come up," she explained. "But I just felt like the aunt. And that is really special."
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After years of fertility struggles and two heartbreaking miscarriages, "Glee" actress Becca Tobin and husband Zach Martin turned to surrogacy and welcomed a baby boy in February, she announced on Instagram on Feb. 22. "Welcome to the world, Ford. Rutherford 'Ford' Thomas Martin is here and life is already so much sweeter," the "LadyGang" podcast co-host captioned a photo of Zach carrying their son out of the hospital. "It took him five years to get here, but it's been worth every minute. Thank you to our amazing surrogate for bringing him here safely surrounded by so much love."
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Former *NSYNC singer Lance Bass and husband Michael Turchin welcomed twins — daughter Violet Betty and son Alexander James — via surrogate in Tacoma, Washington, on Oct. 13, 2021. More than three months earlier, the couple — who got together in 2011 and married in 2014 — spoke about their long journey to fatherhood in an interview with People magazine. "Because of what we've been through the last four years, we were very cautious to get excited," Lance explained, referencing a surrogate's miscarriage as well as multiple IVF issues. "And it kind of sucks because when you find out you're pregnant, you want to celebrate with your family. You start planning their future in your head already, but we were so scared because we didn't want to go through the pain again of losing them. We told our friends and family about the ninth week, when we finally felt comfortable." Lance and Michael — who's a twin himself — wanted two children. "When we did the egg retrieval, he fertilized half, I fertilized half," Michael told the magazine.
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"Aquaman" actress Amber Heard on July 1, 2021, announced that she'd welcomed her first child, daughter Oonagh Paige, on April 8. Multiple outlets confirmed that the baby was born via surrogate. Friends told Page Six that Amber turned to surrogacy after learning she wouldn't be able to carry a child herself. "She's so grateful to the wonderful woman who helped bring Oonagh into her life," a source told the New York Post's gossip column. "There are so many women who feel they can't talk about their fertility and are worried and embarrassed; Amber wants them to feel supported and realize that there are a multitude of ways to have a baby even if you have fertility issues." Amber shared a photo of Oonagh on Instagram when she confirmed her happy news, telling fans in an accompanying caption, "Four years ago, I decided I wanted to have a child. I wanted to do it on my own terms." She called Oonagh "the beginning of the rest of my life."
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"Queer Eye" star Tan France and his husband, pediatric nurse and illustrator Rob France, welcomed their first child — a son — in July 2021 through surrogacy. "Give our son a warm welcome. Ismail France, born July 10th. He came 7 weeks early, so he's been in the NICU for the past 3 weeks. But, today, we finally got to bring him home. We love him so, so much. Like, fully obsessed," Tan wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of his family of three. "Our Surrogate is doing so great, post labor, and we couldn't be more grateful for the greatest gift in our lives."
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Nearly six months after Hilaria Baldwin gave birth to her fifth child with Alec Baldwin, son Eduardo Pao Lucas, in September 2020, the couple revealed the arrival of their sixth child and second daughter together, Maria Lucia, in March 2021. Reports confirmed the couple used a surrogate to add to their family after the couple declined to address it. A source told People magazine, "It's no one's business about a woman's right to choose how and when she expands her family." Alec is also a dad to an adult daughter, Ireland Baldwin, with ex-wife Kim Basinger.
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In June 2009, Sarah Jessica Parker and husband Matthew Broderick welcomed daughters Marion Loretta Elwell and Tabitha Hodge via surrogate more than six years after SJP gave birth to their eldest child, son James Wilkie. The couple spent years trying to expand their family but were repeatedly met with heartbreak. They turned to surrogacy, the "Sex and the City" actress told "Access Hollywood," after she found she was unable to "have successful pregnancies since my son's birth."
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"Modern Family" alum Jesse Tyler Ferguson and husband Justin Mikita became first-time fathers in 2020 with the help of a surrogate. The couple welcomed son Beckett Mercer that July.
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NBC News co-chief White House correspondent Kristen Welker and her husband, marketing exec John Hughes, welcomed their first child — daughter Margot Lane Welker Hughes — via surrogacy in June 2021. "I was 40 years old when I married John in March 2017. And we immediately started to try to have a baby," Kristen explained during an April 2021 "Today" show appearance. "It didn't work immediately. So we thought, 'Let's just go to a doctor as a precaution.'" After a fertility specialist recommended they try IVF, she learned that the lining of her uterus was too thin to carry a child. "I felt as though I had let you down because I couldn't carry you myself," Kristen, who's also a "Weekend Today" co-anchor," wrote her daughter in a letter. "It's OK to ask for help; in fact, it can be empowering," she added. "Families are made in all different ways, come in all different shapes and sizes, and all families should be celebrated. … While I didn't carry you in my body, I have always carried you in my heart and I will be your mommy."
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In November 2018, Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade welcomed daughter Kaavia James Union Wade via surrogate. While talking to Women's Health, the actress opened up about how she was diagnosed with adenomyosis, a condition that causes endometrial tissue to grow along the uterine wall. "There's nothing more that I wanted than to cook my own baby," she told the magazine, adding that "the idea of [surrogacy] felt like surrendering to failure." But Gabrielle — who suffered "eight or nine" miscarriages during her fertility journey with her husband — eventually embraced the process. "Some people care about the race, religion, or food habits of their surrogate," she explained. "I was like, 'I want a reader.'" Dwyane also has three children from two other relationships and adopted his nephew in 2011.
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After initially trying adoption — they were unable to adopt a little boy named Lev they met in a Ukrainian orphanage because they're gay — Elton John and David Furnish made the decision to have children via surrogate. "We decided to go the surrogacy route and have children of our own," Elton explained in The New York Times Style Magazine. "The dominoes fell very quickly." They had son Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John in 2010 and son Elijah Joseph Daniel Furnish-John in 2013. "It was only through fate, really," Elton added. "This little boy [Lev], if we hadn't have met him, we'd never have had children. You'll look back on your life and you see a lot of things come into your life through fate. You can't plan the future — the future plans itself." (Elton and his husband weren't able to adopt Lev but they eventually got him and his half-brother out of the orphanage and into a home with Lev's grandmother.)
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In 2020, Kristen Wiig revealed she and love Avi Rothman quietly had twins via surrogate after unsuccessfully trying IVF for three years. "I am very lucky about having these two babies and my husband, and they make it all better. It's changed my life," the "Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar" actress said on "The Howard Stern Show."
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Nicole Kidman gave birth to her first child with husband Keith Urban, daughter Sunday Rose, in 2008. Their second daughter, Faith Margaret, was born via surrogate in 2010. Nicole also adopted two children, who are now adults, with first husband Tom Cruise. "I've experienced motherhood in so many different ways," the Oscar winner told CNN of her inherit desire to be a mother. "I've experienced adoption, birthing a child and I've experienced surrogacy. I'm like when it comes to it, I just wanna be a mama."
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For Lucy Liu, surrogacy was the right way for her to start a family. "It just seemed like the right option for me because I was working and I didn't know when I was going to be able to stop," she told People magazine. "I decided that was probably the best solution for me, and it turned out to be great." In 2015, the "Elementary" actress became a proud single mama to son Rockwell Lloyd.
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Prior to welcoming daughter Zeppelin Adele through surrogacy in November 2017, "Friday Night Lights" actor Zach Gilford and his wife, "Kingdom" actress Kiele Sanchez, endured fertility struggles — which included a heartbreaking late-term miscarriage in 2015. "It's been a long, painful journey for us," they told People magazine. "Zeppelin is the light of our lives."
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Elizabeth Banks and husband Max Handelman, whom she married in 2003, welcomed both their sons via gestational surrogate: Felix in 2011 and Magnus in 2012. "This experience has exceeded all expectations, taught us a great deal about generosity and gratitude, and established a relationship that will last a lifetime," the actress wrote on her website of her surrogacy experience with her younger son. The actress-director later opened up to Porter Edit about why they chose surrogacy — she endured fertility issues for years — and some of its challenges. "I definitely think I'm still judged for what I've done and that people don't understand my choices, but I don't feel I owe anybody any explanation," she said. The bright side, she added, is that "If my story helps people feel less alone on their journey, then I'm grateful for that."
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In January 2016, supermodel Tyra Banks and then-love Erik Asla, a photographer, welcomed son York through surrogacy after their IVF journey came to an end. "As I gaze into the beautiful eyes of my son, I think about all the people who struggle with fertility or carrying a child and continue to pray for them every day," she told People magazine.
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After struggling to start a family for five years, Jimmy Fallon and producer wife Nancy Juvonen, whom he married in 2007, turned to surrogacy. They've since welcomed two daughters: Winnie Rose in 2013 and Frances Cole in 2014. "I just want to thank everyone. The nurses and the doctor and the surrogate who had our baby," he said on "The Tonight Show" after their youngest was born. "It's true, we had a surrogate. I can't say anything more because I don't know what the rules are. But I just want to say that there are angels in Dallas, Texas, so thank you so much."
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Former A-list couple Kim Kardashian and Kanye West welcomed their third and fourth children, Chicago and Psalm, via surrogate after Kim suffered pregnancy complications including placenta accreta when she had her first two kids, North and Saint. "We are incredibly grateful to our surrogate who made our dreams come true with the greatest gift one could give and to our wonderful doctors and nurses for their special care," wrote Kim on her website following Chi's birth in 2018. Psalm was born in 2019.
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Ellen Pompeo carried daughter Stella, who was born in 2009, herself, but she and husband Chris Ivery turned to a surrogate to welcomed daughter Sienna May in 2014 and son Eli in 2016. "It's important to protect the privacy of the surrogate, but don't forget, I am the same girl who had the mayor of New York City marry me and it didn't get out for five days," the "Grey's Anatomy" star quipped after revealing the birth of her second child. While chatting with late night host Jimmy Kimmel, Ellen also gushed about her surrogate. "This is an incredible thing to do with your life, to give the gift of carrying someone's child." She went on, "I am forever grateful and feel very blessed and grateful to her."
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In December 2019, actress Cameron Diaz and rocker Benji Madden — who married in 2015 — welcomed daughter Raddix Chloe Wildflower via surrogate. "Even with all of the amazing experiences I've had in traveling and accomplishments of working hard and putting things into the world I'm proud of … I know, this is really the most gratifying time in my life, to be in this place, to get here," Cameron said in 2020 on supermodel Naomi Campbell's "No FIlter" YouTube series. "Having a family when you're young … it's like anything when you're young: You do it. But when you're my age and you decide to do it, it's a real choice. You really have to work hard for it."
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In 2010, Neil Patrick Harris and husband David Burtka welcomed twins Harper Grace and Gideon Scott with the help of a surrogate and an egg donor. "We found an egg donor anonymously through a hilarious process of looking at people's profiles and then an amazing surrogate who had helped a same-sex couple before," the "How I Met Your Mother" actor told People magazine. "And then we inserted two eggs, one with my sperm, one with David's sperm, and they both took."
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Jordana Brewster welcomed both her children with ex-husband Andrew Form, sons Rowan and Julian, via surrogate. The "Fast & Furious" franchise actress told Yahoo Parenting of her surrogacy journey, "Sometimes I feel a little left out when other moms talk about what their birth experience was like, and I feel the loss of not having carried or having been able to carry." She continued, "But luckily I keep my circle tight and close, so I never feel judged."
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In December 2016, Amy Smart and husband Carter Oosterhouse welcomed daughter Flora through surrogacy. "One month ago today, Dec. 26th our amazing beautiful daughter came into this world," the actress captioned a heartwarming snap with her newborn in January 2017. "Feeling so grateful to have her in my arms… after years of fertility struggles I give thanks today to our kind, loving surrogate for carrying her."
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In 2015, design moguls Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent welcomed their first child, daughter Poppy, through surrogacy. Their second child, son Oskar, was born to a surrogate in 2018. "Surrogacy can be about science, it can be about money or it can be about intention," Nate told People magazine after Poppy's birth. "We're really lucky to have everybody that was involved in allowing us to have our daughter be excited for us."
