20 Famous People Who Used a Surrogate Mother
A list of celebrities who used a surrogate. Millions of couples struggle with infertility, and the famous people below are no exception. Each one of these entertainment superstars have had trouble conceiving naturally and resorted to surrogacy. Because of their high profile careers, celebs often keep their decision to use surrogates a secret from the public. In recent years, however, more and more entertainers are opening up about using surrogate carriers and alternative approaches to conceiving.
A surrogate is a person who agrees to carry the child of couples who experience infertility or who come from same-sex partnerships. The most common type of surrogacy is a gestational surrogate, who carries the embryo provided by the biological parents, but has no genetic relationship to the child or children she gave birth to. Other times, only the sperm from the biological father is used to conceive with the surrogate's own egg. These types of procedures can cost anywhere between $25,000 to $60,000. In both cases, there is a legal contract drawn up between the soon-to-be-parents and the surrogate to ensure a smooth pregnancy and birth, but also to eliminate any possible legal complications. For millions of people all over the world, including the celebritiesĀ listed below, using a surrogate mother is their only hope to have a baby.
Celebrities with surrogates includes well known actresses like Nicole Kidman, Sarah Jessica Parker, Elizabeth Banks, and Angela Bassett. Describing the birth of her and Matthew Broderick's twins via surrogate, Parker said, "Time stands still. It's so different, and equally extraordinary." Others who conceived with the help of a gestational carrier includes famous gay men such as rock icon Sir Elton John, sitcom star Neil Patrick Harris, and Latin music superstar Ricky Martin. For more about Hollywood parents, check out Ranker's lists of celebrities who used IVFĀ and list of the hottest Hollywood moms.
Grimes and Elon Musk welcomed their second child, a daughter named Exa Dark Sideræl, via surrogate in December 2021, the former told Vanity Fair in a story published March 10, 2022.
The baby, who they call Y, was born just a few months after the couple had broken up, but now Grimes says the two are back together in some capacity. “I don’t know. I don’t know what I was thinking,” Grimes told the magazine, of the idea to hide their second child.
The pair also share son X Æ A-XII, who they refer to as X.
- Age: 35
- Birthplace: Vancouver, Canada
In June 2017, Kim Kardashian and her husband Kanye West announced they hired a surrogate to have the couple's third child. Kardashian and West were very open about their struggles during pregnancy. Kardashian had a high-risk pregnancy because of a condition called pre-eclampsia, a rare condition that can actually cause a pregnant person to perish. Her doctors advised her it would be incredibly dangerous to get pregnant again, thus they hired a surrogate.
Kardashian and West welcomed their baby daughter on January 15, 2018. They named her Chicago.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West also used a surrogate for their fourth child, a son born May 10, 2019. Kardashian shared the exciting news by tweeting, "He's here and he's perfect!"
- Age: 42
- Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, USA
Nicole Kidman went through various IVF and fertility treatments before the 2008 birth of her first daughter with husband Keith Urban, Sunday Rose. The couple's second child, Faith, was born in 2010 via a gestational surrogate.
- Age: 55
- Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii, United States of America
After multiple miscarriages and infertility struggles, Gabrielle Union and husband Dwyane Wade welcomed their first child together via surrogate in November 2018.
- Age: 50
- Birthplace: Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Sarah Jessica Parker gave birth to her son with husband Matthew Broderick, James Wilkie, in October 2002, but she struggled to get pregnant again. The couple used a gestational surrogate to deliver their twin daughters, Marion and Tabitha, in July 2009.
- Age: 58
- Birthplace: Nelsonville, Ohio, USA
The Hunger Games actress Elizabeth Banks and her husband, Max Handelman, used a gestational surrogate to give birth to sons Felix (born 2011) and Magnus (born 2012).
- Age: 49
- Birthplace: Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA