34 celebrities who became mothers after 40
- More and more women are choosing to become mothers later in life.
- Whether through IVF, adoption, surrogacy, or natural conception, these celebs became moms after 40.
- Gisele Bündchen, 44, is pregnant with her third child.
More children are being born to mothers over the age of 40.
The birth rate for women between the ages 40 to 44 increased by 4% between 2021 and 2022, per a 2022 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while the birth rate for women 45 and older increased by 0.9% from 2021, the first time that rate had changed since 2015.
There are plenty of reasons women are waiting longer to have kids, including the high costs of childcare, their careers, advancements in fertility treatments like IVF or alternate methods such as surrogacy, health reasons, holding out for the right partner, or deciding to do it on their own.
These celebrities have joined the increasing number of women who, whether by carrying their own child, adopting, or using a surrogate, became mothers over 40.
Bündchen is expecting her third child, which is her first with boyfriend Joaquim Valente, according to People. A source close to the supermodel told the publication, "Gisele and Joaquim are happy for this new chapter in their life and they're looking forward to creating a peaceful and loving environment for the whole family."
Bündchen has two older children, Benjamin and Vivian, with her ex-husband, Tom Brady.
Munn and Mulaney were first spotted together in early 2021 after the comedian got out of rehab that February. In September 2021, Mulaney revealed their pregnancy news on "Late Night with Seth Meyers."
"I got into this relationship that's been really beautiful with someone incredible who has dealt with the non-coked up Bambi version of me," he said. "And that's been very incredible, and she's kind of held my hand through that hell, and we're having a baby together."
TMZ reported that Munn, now 44, gave birth to a baby boy that November.
She'd previously spoken to Hoda Kotb about impending motherhood on the "Today" show, saying, "I feel good. I feel scared, I feel nervous, and I'm excited."
In September 2024, Munn and Mulaney announced the birth of their daughter, Méi, on Instagram. This time around, they used a surrogate, as Munn underwent an oophorectomy and hysterectomy after getting diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023.
The "In Treatment" and "Orange Is the New Black" star broke the news on Instagram prior to making her red-carpet reveal at the 2023 Tony Awards.
"What a blessing. My husband Robert and I are so happy to enter this next chapter together as parents. I am beyond excited. I get to be someone's Mommy!," Aduba wrote.
She gave birth to her daughter, Adaiba, in November 2023.
Swank announced her pregnancy in October 2022. In April 2023, Swank posted a sunset photo with her twins on Instagram, revealing she'd given birth to a son and a daughter, Ohm and Aya.
"It wasn't easy. But boy (and girl!) was it worth it," she wrote, adding that she was posting "from pure Heaven."
These are her and her husband Philip Schneider's first children.
"Just after a decade of trying everything, we are so grateful to the beautiful family helping us conceive our baby," Menounos, then 44, told People in February 2023. "[Husband] Keven [Undergaro], my dad and I are all beyond excited for this soul to come into our lives. What a blessing."
She added that she "definitely didn't think it was going to take this long. It's been years. We've used different services, different people," including IVF. "It's just been a very frustrating process," she continued.
Hilton announced the news in a Twitter (now X) post on January 25, 2023. "You are already loved beyond words," she wrote, accompanied by a photo of her and her son's hand.
People reported that her son, Phoenix, was born via surrogate. "It's always been my dream to be a mother and I'm so happy that [husband] Carter [Reum] and I found each other," Hilton told People. "We are so excited to start our family together and our hearts are exploding with love for our baby boy."
Ten months later, the heiress announced the birth of her daughter, London, on Instagram. Not only did she surprise her followers with the news, she surprised her family as well.
"Everyone thought, like, a magician was coming. Like, we have a performer coming in, so everyone's all excited," Hilton said during an appearance on "Live with Kelly and Mark." "I walk in just holding a pink blanket with the baby, and everybody was sitting there like, 'What?'"
Just a few days after denying she and Ramona Agruma were engaged, Wilson, now 44, announced her real news: She has a daughter.
"Beyond proud to announce the birth of my first child, Royce Lillian, born this past week via surrogate," the then-42-year-old star wrote on Instagram.
"I can't even describe the love I have for her, she's a beautiful miracle! I am forever grateful to everyone who has been involved, (you know who you are), this has been years in the making…but particularly wanted to thank my gorgeous surrogate who carried her and birthed her with such grace and care," she continued.
She and Agruma married in 2024, with their daughter by their side.
During a May 2022 interview with Variety, Williams low-key revealed that she was expecting her third child (second with husband Thomas Kail) by the end of 2022.
"It's totally joyous," she said. "As the years go on, you sort of wonder what they might hold for you or not hold for you. It's exciting to discover that something you want again and again is available one more time. That good fortune is not lost on me or my family."
Williams was spotted by The Daily Mail on a walk with her newborn in October 2022.
Williams, 44, gave birth to her first child, Matilda, in October 2005. Matilda's father was Heath Ledger, who died in 2008. Williams then welcomed her second child, Hart, with Kail in June 2020.
Campbell, one of the most iconic supermodels of all time, revealed on Instagram that she has a brand new baby in 2021.
"A beautiful little blessing has chosen me to be her mother, So honoured to have this gentle soul in my life there are no words to describe the lifelong bond that I now share with you my angel. There is no greater love," the now-54-year-old wrote.
Her son was born in 2023.
In 2024, she confirmed to The Times she used a surrogate for both her children.
The actor, who also has a 10-year-old son with ex-husband James Heerdegen, welcomed her daughter in December 2021 when she was 41. The little girl is the first child for Ricci and her husband, Mark Hampton.
"Baby Cleo is here," Ricci wrote on Instagram on December 8, 2022, alongside a video of the newborn. "We are so in love with her."
Back in October 2020, the "American Pie" actor told People she could barely believe she was pregnant.
"It's still this process for me of believing it and accepting that something this beautiful could happen for me," she said. "It's been a very emotional experience. It's very weird finding out — I was like, I can't believe it!"
Her rep confirmed in April 2021 to People that Suvari, now 45, and her husband, Michael Hope, had welcomed their first child together, saying, "Both baby and mom are doing wonderfully."
It was first reported that Wiig had become a mom in June when she hosted the "SNL At Home" episode for Mother's Day in 2020, in which she thanked her mom for "preparing me to be a mom myself." People reported that Wiig and her now-husband, Avi Rothman, had welcomed twins via surrogate that January.
When she returned to host the 2020 Christmas show, she confirmed the news during her monologue, saying that while it had been an "icky" year, it hadn't been all bad because she had twins.
According to TMZ, the "American Horror Story" star was spotted on the streets of NYC in January 2020 alongside her new boyfriend, Sinisa Mackovic, and notably, she was also rocking a baby bump!
Her rep confirmed to Us Weekly that their baby arrived in May 2020.
In 2016, Sevigny, now 49, shared that she believed the key to having great skin is not having kids.
"I think it's not having had a baby yet. Because I think the baby wear and tear and stress on your body is part of the reason why people say, 'Why do you still look so young?' I really think that that unfortunately ages women, especially when they have children in their 30s, not in their 20s. So I think, first and foremost, it's that and genetics," she told W Magazine.
Jackson, now 58, announced she was pregnant in October 2016. The singer had previously halted her tour in April that year so she and her then-husband, Wissam Al Mana, could focus on "planning our family."
She gave birth to her son, Eissa Al Mana, in January 2017.
"For someone like me, raised in show business where self-concern is always a priority, how fortunate I am now to be concerned, first and foremost, with the welfare of someone else. Day after day and night after night, holding my baby in my arms, I am at peace. I am blessed. I feel bliss. In those moments, all is right with the world," she told Billboard.
Longoria revealed she was pregnant with her son in December 2017. Six months later, the "Desperate Housewives" star gave birth to her son, Santiago.
Santiago is Longoria's first child, though her husband, Jose Baston, has three other children from his previous marriage.
"Santi was meant to be with me at this stage in my life. I'm patient, I don't work as much — even if it doesn't seem that way! It's the right time," Longoria, now 49, told Parents Latina in 2019.
Diaz revealed she and her husband, Good Charlotte front man Benji Madden, had welcomed a daughter. Baby Raddix was reportedly born in December 2019.
"Happy New Year from the Maddens! We are so happy, blessed, and grateful to begin this new decade by announcing the birth of our daughter, Raddix Madden. She has instantly captured our hearts and completed our family," Diaz, now 52, wrote on Instagram in a since-deleted post.
"While we are overjoyed to share this news, we also feel a strong instinct to protect our little one's privacy. So we won't be posting pictures or sharing any more details," she continued.
In March 2024, Madden announced the birth of their son, Cardinal, on Instagram. "He is awesome and we are all so happy he is here! For the kids' safety and privacy, we won't be posting any pictures — but he's really cute," he wrote.
The "Today" co-anchor revealed on her show that she had adopted her first child, a daughter named Haley Joy, in 2017. In April 2019, she and her then-fiancé, Joel Schiffman, adopted another girl, Hope Catherine.
Kotb, now 60, has discussed her journey to motherhood in the past, opening up about how a battle with breast cancer left her unable to conceive.
"One of the things in my life I've always wanted was to be a mom. Sometimes in your life, things just don't work out for whatever reason, so you say, 'Well, I wasn't meant to have that.' But it was really hard to come to terms with it," Kotb told People in 2017.
In 2024, Kotb cited wanting to spend more time with her daughters as a reason for stepping back from "Today."
Bullock's personal life has been frequently scrutinized, including her decision to adopt Louis in 2010 — while she was in the midst of her very public divorce from Jesse James.
"We spent so much time in New Orleans after Katrina, and one day, it was just a feeling that came that instead of bringing another life into this world, we wanted to reach out and find our child in New Orleans," Bullock told People in 2010.
In 2015, Bullock, now 60, announced she had adopted another child, her daughter Laila, also from Louisiana. "My family is blended and diverse, nutty, and loving and understanding," Bullock told People. "That's a family."
Hall and her husband, Steven Greener, welcomed their first son, Moses, in 2019. They have been open about how they're raising him in an interfaith household, as Hall, now 54, is Christian and Greener is Jewish. He even had a bris (a Jewish circumcision ceremony).
"My mom nearly passed out. We had both grandparents on each side there, and he's going to Texas to have a Christening or a Confirmation at my mom's Southern Baptist church. We've just combined our life experience, and we want to teach him tradition," Hall told EEW in 2019.
Davis adopted her daughter, Gemma, in 2011 and a son, Wilson, in 2018. The "Holiday in the Wild" star opened up about being a white mother to two Black children during an emotional "Red Table Talk" interview in 2019.
"Because my children are African American, I feel like it's my duty and my job to do as much research, as much work, build as many bridges as possible because you are their community," said Davis, who is now 59, on "Today." "I work at that every day trying to figure out how I can make sure they have access to the Black community, that they're part of it, that they're not separated from it."
Both Weisz and Craig have children from prior relationships, but they had their first child together, a daughter, in September 2018.
They are notoriously private, but Weisz, now 54, acknowledged her pregnancy in a 2018 New York Times profile, saying, "Daniel and I are so happy. We're going to have a little human. We can't wait to meet him or her. It's all such a mystery."
Morissette had her first son in 2010 when she was 36 years old. She then welcomed two more kids, Onyx and Winter, in 2016 and 2019, respectively.
"I think this pregnancy is different from the first two times because of my ability to sense what's going on inside my body in a lot more of a subtle way," Morissette, now 50, told Self in 2019. "I'm one of those women who actually enjoy being pregnant."
Nielsen, now 61, announced her pregnancy on Instagram in May 2018 and gave birth to her fifth child a month later. The "Creed II" actor had been open about expanding her family for over a decade. In 2008, she revealed she wanted to explore IVF treatments after doing a photo shoot for Playboy.
"IVF is not a process everyone could cope with. You're on a lot of medication. It is very expensive. Hormones will do different things to different women ... you always think you're going to get pregnant, but most of the time, the phone call comes and it's: 'I'm sorry.' It is devastating," she told The Guardian in 2019.
Grace, now 65, broke the news in 2007, telling The New York Post, "I never thought it would happen like this. I thought 'mother' and 'wife' was just not part of God's plan for me." She gave birth to Lucy and John in November of that year.
Moore and her then-husband, Marc Daly, welcomed their daughter, Brooklyn Doris, in November 2018. Moore's labor was induced after she was diagnosed with preeclampsia, which caused her to gain 17 pounds in just a week.
"I've waited my whole life for this moment … to be called a mother," the now-53-year-old wrote on Instagram.
Linney, now 60, never publicly confirmed her pregnancy, opting to wait until her son, Bennett, was born. "I was an older mother-to-be, and it had taken me a very, very long time to have a child, so I wanted to make sure that my child actually arrived, and was safe and healthy," she explained in 2016 during an appearance on "Live with Kelly."
Previously, McDonald had given birth to her daughter, Zoe, in 2001, and she is a stepmom to her husband Will Swenson's two teenagers. But McDonald became a mom again in 2016, when she gave birth to another daughter, Sally James.
"I'm calmer this time around, 16 years later. Or maybe it's that I'm just tired because I'm older, but I don't sweat the small stuff as much," McDonald, now 54, told People.
The couple announced the birth of their son, Arthur, on Instagram in March 2021.
Baccarin, who is now 45, wrote on Instagram: "2021 is looking up. Welcome to the world Arthur. Trust us, you haven't missed much yet."
The couple welcomed their first child together, daughter Frances Laiz Setta Schenkkan, in 2016 and got married the following year. Baccarin also shares a son with her ex-husband.
Crow announced on her website in 2007 that she had adopted her first child, her son Wyatt. "His name is Wyatt (after my dad) Steven (after my little brother and Scooter) and we are enjoying some very private family time," she wrote at the time.
She adopted her second son, Levi, in 2010. Again, she revealed the news on her website."I have some exciting news to share with you guys. Wyatt has a new little brother," the now-62-year-old wrote.
Madonna, now 66, has six kids total. The "Madame X" songstress became a mom for the first time in 1996, when she gave birth to Lourdes at 38. Four years later, she welcomed her son Rocco with then-husband Guy Ritchie at age 42.
In 2006, the singer, then 48, adopted another son, David, from Malawi, per the BBC. Three years later, she adopted another child from Malawi, her daughter Mercy. In 2017, she adopted twins, Estere and Stella, also from Malawi, according to The Guardian.
Bassett, now 66, and her husband, Courtney B. Vance, welcomed the twins, Slater and Bronwyn, in January 2006. "If I can put some clothes on by 5 p.m., it's quite an accomplishment," said Bassett at the time.
Parker, now 59, gave birth to her first child, her son James, in 2002. Seven years later, a 44-year-old Parker and her husband, Matthew Broderick, announced the birth of their twin daughters, Marion and Tabitha.
"She's made a really big choice to be part of our lives and I think she's an honorable person," said Parker to People of her family's surrogate.
Keaton adopted her daughter, Dexter, in 1996 at age 50. She adopted her son, Duke, five years later in 2001.
"Motherhood has completely changed me. It's just about like the most completely humbling experience that I've ever had. I think that it puts you in your place because it really forces you to address the issues that you claim to believe in and if you can't stand up to those principles when you're raising a child, forget it," she said in a 2003 interview with Film Monthly.
"I mean, we can all sit here and talk, but it's another thing to act that way in your life. So, I think that children are completely challenging and completely intoxicating," the now-78-year-old continued.
Stefani, now 55, had two other sons, Kingston and Zuma, when she welcomed her youngest son, Apollo, in 2014.
"But having children, it's really interesting to watch them and have the responsibility of trying to make them good people. Parenting is terrifying, but it's also so incredible and rewarding," she said to Parents.