15 Celebs Who’ve Opened Up About Being a Single Parent

Mindy Kaling is a single mother to daughter Kit and son Spencer, and she's opened up about the fact that single parents need a village. In August 2021, she shared that she is grateful for the help of others. "Yes, I am the parent of my two children, but there are all these other caregivers in the form of family, friends, and nannies. I couldn't do it without the village. Absolving myself of guilt for depending on others has been the biggest piece of advice that has helped me."

Actress Amber Heard, who is the mother of a 1-year-old daughter named Oonagh, has been open about reminding people that becoming a single parent can be a joyful, thoughtful choice. When she announced the arrival of her daughter, she posted on Instagram that when it came to becoming a mom, she wanted to do it on her own terms. "I now appreciate how radical it is for us as women to think about one of the most fundamental parts of our destinies in this way. I hope we arrive at a point in which it's normalized to not want a ring in order to have a crib," she wrote.

Khloé Kardashian has been through plenty of public ups and downs with Tristan Thompson, the father of her daughter, True. Although the two are navigating the waters of co-parenting, the reality star has pushed back on the idea that being a single mother is something that is "frowned upon." She's said that she wants to think of single parenting as being "empowering" instead.

One of the things that single parents have to navigate is the world of dating when they have a tiny chaperone waiting at home. In a 2019 interview with People, Bravo host Andy Cohen revealed that becoming a single father to son Wyatt has made him more thoughtful about who he dates. "I think that I will probably be looking for different types of guys. I'll be looking for guys you want to bring home to Mom or bring home to your son," he said.

One thing that all parents know but perhaps single parents understand the best is that there are all kinds of love in the world — and romantic love isn't always the most important. Minnie Driver is a single mom who touchingly described her son as the "greatest love affair" of her life.

Angelina Jolie has gone full circle on the single mother experience. She was a single mom to oldest son Maddox before connecting with and then marrying Brad Pitt. The two are now divorced, and Angelina is a mom of six. She raised some eyebrows in 2005 for giving a very candid interview to Vanity Fair in which she openly discussed how to still have a sex life while being a single mom. The whole article is worth a read, but we'll share a spoiler: It is all about having lovers and getting a hotel room!

Jean Smart is a Hollywood example of someone who became a single parent following a devastating loss. Her husband of more than 30 years died in 2021, leaving Jean to continue to raise their teenage son alone. In an emotional speech at the 2022 SAG Awards, she described becoming a single parent at the age of 70 as the hardest thing she's ever done.

Connie Britton is the proud single mother of one, and she's honest about the joys and challenges of that experience. "Being a single mom is challenging, but never in a million years would that have stopped me," she said a few years after adopting son Eyob from Ethiopia.

Sandra Bullock recently announced that she's going to be hitting the pause button on her career for a bit to spend more time with her children. In the past, Sandra has spoken out about feeling like there is still judgment when it comes to single moms.

"Society still, as open-minded as we've become, has these rules that quietly say, 'This is the way it goes,'" she said. "They're saying, 'It's a man and a woman, and then you have a baby, and that's the family.' I go, 'Oh my god, I'm a single parent. With a child. How am I…,' I felt less than. I felt, 'I'm not the complete package.' And then I realized, this is the complete package."

One of the upsides about being a single parent, at least according to model and actress Elizabeth Hurley, is that the opportunities for having an extra close bond with her son, Damian, are real. She's noted that she is "a single parent, and [Damian] is a single child of a single parent, so we have a very close bond in that respect."

January Jones is one of the single moms of Hollywood who has made a strong choice to keep details about her child private. Not only is her son rarely on her social media, she's also refused to disclose information on his conception or biological father (and she shouldn't have to!). She's also raised eyebrows for expressing that she sees some real benefits for her son [growing up without a father]: "He doesn't have a male person saying, 'Don't cry,' or 'You throw like a girl.' All those s— things that dads accidentally do."

Singer Sheryl Crow has two sons whom she is doing her best to raise out of the spotlight in Nashville. She loves being a mom, but she's been honest that, for her, single parenting might not have been her first choice. "It wouldn't have been my first choice to do it by myself. But to be perfectly honest, I feel like the way that my life has — I keep saying the way that it rolled out, but it really is true — the way things have happened for me have not been conventional."

Being a single mom is so much a part of Taraji P. Henson's identity that her Instagram bio is "single mom doing the damn thing," which we love. But that doesn't mean she's blind to the challenges, as evidenced by a 2016 interview where she noted, "I think we try to do our best. And yes, we can do it all, but I wouldn't wish being a single parent on my worst enemy. It is not easy."

Katie Holmes has been raising her daughter, Suri, as a single mom ever since her explosive split from Tom Cruise. While Katie never spills the tea on what happened in her relationship with Tom, she has shared that she gives herself grace when she doesn't always get it right. "When I think about my life, I feel very blessed. I have felt very lucky, and I rely on my instincts a lot, but I also forgive myself for mistakes." All moms can relate to this!

We really can't say it better than Padma Lakshmi did in this birthday message to her daughter, Krishna: "11 years ago I gave birth to you and my life completely changed for the better. It wasn't without its challenges, but becoming your mother has been the privilege of my life. I am a better human because you exist. You are a miracle, a blessing, and yes also a bit annoying sometimes. But I am so lucky to have you. I look forward to watching you grow and growing with you. You are the joy I never knew I needed in this life. I am honored to be your mamma."