Many of us were relieved to finish 2020 and were hopeful about the prospects that 2021 would bring a year that was better, safer, and ideally a lot less weird. Now that we are about to wrap up the year, it's hard to say if 2021 ended up being a whole lot better than 2020. It's always tempting to approach the end of the calendar year with a sense of reflection and evaluation, to try to determine what the best, worst, most, least, whatever things of the year were.
While we're all about the customary end-of-year wrap-ups, there is one category that is always a "best of" list: celebrities having babies! We're very Team Baby over here, obviously, and tiny new arrivals — famous or not — are always a cause for celebration. So it is happy news to hear or remember that some of our favorite celebs and royals have added to their families in the past year.
From adoption and surrogacy to home births and C-sections, there are so many beautiful ways for celebrity families to grow. And we are thankful for those stars who were willing to reveal a little peek into their private lives by sharing announcements, hints, and sometimes even photos of their tiny new arrivals.
Seth Meyers
Seth Meyers and his wife, Alexi Ashe, welcomed a little girl in early fall 2021. Unlike her brother, it appears that this baby wasn't born in the lobby of Seth's apartment building. So it's unclear if her birth story will eventually end up as a part of her father's stand-up act. For the very funny recounting of the lobby birth, check out Seth's Netflix special, appropriately called Lobby Baby!
James Van Der Beek
Dawson's Creek star (and star of one of the all-time great crying gifs) James Van Der Beek and his wife, Kimberly, welcomed a son named Jeremiah in November. This is baby number six for these very experienced parents, who had him via a home birth at their Texas ranch.
Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell was one of several celebrities who made surprise baby announcements in 2021. In May, the 51-year-old supermodel revealed on Instagram that she'd become a mother to a baby girl. At this time, Niomi still hasn't shared many of the details about her baby, including the no doubt very fashionable baby's name.
Ronda Rousey
Mixed martial arts athlete Ronda Rousey and her husband, Travis Browne, welcomed a baby girl in September. They very likely win the unofficial contest for longest name for a celeb offspring with the Hawaiian-inspired moniker of La'akea Makalapuaokalanipo Browne.
Lance Bass
In October 2021, former boy bander Lance Bass and his husband, Michael Turchin, said Bye Bye Bye (sorry, not sorry) to the child-free life! The pair welcomed twins Violet Betty and Alexander James via a surrogate after years of hoping to start a family.
Princess Beatrice
There's been a bit of a royal baby boom in recent years, and we love to see it! In September, Princess Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli-Mozzi, welcomed their first child together. The little girl — the 12th great-grandchild for Queen Elizabeth — is named Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi, a refreshingly modern choice for a royal baby.
Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Dunst and her partner, Jesse Plemons (everyone's favorite character actor), usually keep their relationship and family life on the quiet side, but she did share that they welcomed a second son, James Robert, in May 2021. Fans shouldn't hold out too much hope of seeing pictures of the little guy, as they've never shared much about big brother Ennis.
Samira Wiley
Handmaid's Tale and Orange Is the New Black star Samira Wiley and her wife, Lauren Morelli, celebrated their first joint Mother's Day this year, just a few weeks after their daughter, George Elizabeth, was born on April 11. Nothing dystopian about that!
Jeremy Roloff
Jeremy and Audrey Roloff welcomed a sweet baby boy on November 8. Baby Radley Knight is the third child for the Little People, Big World stars, joining sister Ember (4) and brother Bode (22 months). In an Instagram post, Jeremy sweetly shared that he was "completely amazed" by his wife's strength. Love that energy!
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Autumn, Atticus, and now Aiden — it's safe to say that Jennifer Love Hewitt and her husband, Brian Hallisay, are happy to be parents of three and keen to keep an A-themed baby name vibe going! Baby Aiden joined the family in September.
Cardi B
Rappers Cardi B and Offset expanded their family this year when they welcomed a baby boy in September. The always-blunt Cardi shared that her delivery was "crazy ass" and that she "lost so much blood." Thankfully, she seems to be bouncing back and has encouraged other moms to "take your f—ing time" when it comes to their post-baby bodies.
Gal Gadot
Gal Gadot is raising a whole house full of little Wonder Women! She and her husband, Yaron Varsano, welcomed their third daughter in June of this year. Baby Daniella joined sisters Alma and Maya just in time to see their mom have a new hit movie with Red Notice on Netflix.
Amber Heard
Aquaman and Justice League actress Amber Heard joyfully shared the news this year that she became a single mother via surrogacy in April, though she didn't officially announce the arrival of daughter, Oonagh Paige Heard, until July 1. Since then, she's been sharing some of their cute mother-daughter adventures on social media.
Hilary Duff
Another spring baby was Mae James Bair, born in March to parents Hilary Duff and Matthew Koma. Baby Mae is Hilary's third child, joining big sister Banks Violet and big brother Luca Cruz. Judging from the gorgeous delivery photos that Hilary shared on Instagram this summer, it looks like baby Mae had a home water birth.
Jimmie Allen
Country singer and recent Dancing With the Stars contestant Jimmie Allen is a proud papa again! He welcomed his second baby girl in October, joyfully sharing that he was in for "nine more years of Disney princesses" once baby Zara James Allen arrived.
Princess Eugenie
Princess Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, celebrated the arrival of their first child in February 2021. Their son, August Philip Hawke Brooksbank, was christened in November 2021 and is the 11th great-grandchild for Queen Elizabeth. That royal family tree is really growing!
Mandy Moore
Mandy and her musician husband, Taylor Goldsmith, welcomed their first child, son August (who goes by the nickname Gus), in February. After his birth, Mandy shared with fans the harrowing details of Gus' dramatic delivery (doctors had to use a vacuum device to pull him out — yikes!), but the traumatic experience seems to be a distant memory for Mandy as she has thrown herself into new motherhood with obvious joy and delight.
Pete Buttigieg
Another pair of delighted and doting dads who celebrated the birth of twins this year was former presidential candidate and current U.S. transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten. The two are now parents of Penelope Rose and Joseph August.
Rachel Platten
Fight Song singer Rachel Platten and her husband, Kevin Lazan, welcomed their second child in September. She shared that baby Sophie Jo arrived via a home water birth after two days of labor. She recently posted a moving entry on Instagram detailing her struggles with postpartum anxiety since the birth of the baby, and offering up encouragement to other new moms struggling that they aren't alone in having a postpartum period that isn't emotionally easy.
Macaulay Culkin
Macaulay Culkin is Home Alone no longer (sorry, we just had to do it)! He and his partner, actress Brenda Song, are proud parents of baby boy Dakota, who was born in April in Los Angeles. Dakota is named after Macaulay's late brother, who died in 2008.
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson and Saturday Night Live comedian Colin Jost announced the arrival of their son in August. They named the baby Cosmo, a name that Jost joked was not a huge hit with his mother, who asked, "Is it final? Like, did you submit the birth certificate?" when she heard it. Cosmo joins big sister Dorothy Rose, who Scarlett shares with ex Romain Dauriac.
Kendra, Jessa & Anna Duggar
It should come as no surprise that several new Duggar babies arrived in 2021. Three members of the super-sized family welcomed new additions. Jessa and husband Ben Seewald had a fourth child, a daughter named Fern, in July. Jessa's brother Joseph and his wife, Kendra, became parents of three with the arrival of daughter Brooklyn Praise in February. And most recently, Anna Duggar gave birth to her and husband Josh's seventh child, Madyson Lily, in November.
