The Power of Love: Celebrities Who Were Adopted and Their Impact

Families come in all different forms, and adoption is one of them. Adoption is an incredibly special thing, and it impacts people from all walks of life, even celebrities and other famous people from politics, Hollywood, and the world of sports.
 
There are many high-profile adopted celebrities, and that goes both ways: some grew up in adoptive homes, and others have gone on to become adoptive parents themselves. Below, we’re covering celebrities who were adopted as children. We’ll also share famous names of celebrities who adopted children.

Celebrities Who Were Adopted

Over the years, many celebrities have shared their adoption stories. They love to talk about adoption and help shed light on how adoption changed their lives.

Steve Jobs

This man revolutionized the technology industry as the co-founder of Apple. He was adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs and raised in Northern California in the Silicon Valley area. He also had a sister that was also adopted by the couple.

Simone Biles

Famous gymnast and Olympic gold medal winner Simone Biles was initially placed in foster care because her biological mother was suffering from alcohol and drug addiction. Then it was not long before her maternal grandparents adopted her and her sister, and she credits them with saving her life. Today she talks openly about how thankful she is that she was adopted.

Jamie Foxx

Born in Texas and adopted by Esther and Mark Talley at the age of seven months, Jamie Foxx found his calling making people laugh as a comedian and actor. He is another one of many celebrities who were adopted.

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela lived the first nine years of his life with his biological family. But after his biological father died, he was adopted by the leader of the Thembu tribe in South Africa. His adopted family recognized and encouraged Nelson’s leadership skills, ultimately helping him become who he was meant to be, the president of South Africa.

Babe Ruth

He was a legend that will forever go down in baseball history. However, in the beginning, Babe Ruth was raised in an orphanage called St. Mary’s Industrial School for Orphans. The interesting part: He was not an orphan. Additionally, sources say that his birth parents were overwhelmed with his behavioral issues. Then they sent him to live at the orphanage at age seven, where they maintained guardianship.

Dave Thomas

At just six weeks old, Dave Thomas was adopted. Then as an adult, he found success as the founder of Wendy’s, which he named after one of his five children. He also started the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, which connects children in foster care with forever families.

Faith Hill

Born in Mississippi, Faith Hill’s beautiful singing voice has delighted country music fans for decades. She was adopted at birth by adoptive parents Edna and Ted Perry and was eventually able to meet her birth mother, father, and brother.

Nicole Richie

Raised in California by music icon Lionel Richie and his family, Nicole was legally adopted at the age of nine.

Sarah McLachlan

Well-known singer Sarah McLachlan was adopted in Canada at a young age. Then her adoptive family provided guitar and voice lessons for her as she grew up. This allowed her to hit it big in the music scene as a young adult.

Scott Hamilton

An incredible figure skating champion, Scott Hamilton was adopted as an infant. His adoption story was so positive that he wanted to continue the legacy as an adult, so he and his wife adopted two children from Haiti.

John Lennon

At age five, John Lennon’s parents separated. He was raised by his aunt and uncle, who did not have any children of their own. The music world was forever changed by Lennon’s prolific work as part of The Beatles. He is probably one of the most famous celebrities who were adopted.

Melissa Gilbert

Adopted at just one day old to Barbara Crane and Paul Gilbert, Melissa Gilbert made her mark as the cutie in pigtail braids on the television show “The Little House on the Prairie.”

Edgar Allan Poe

Famous poet and short story writer from the 1800s, Poe’s father abandoned his family a year after Poe was born. Then Poe’s mother died in 1811, making him an orphan. He was then raised to adulthood by his biological parents’ extended family in Virginia.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Roosevelt was orphaned as a young adult. Then she was adopted and raised by her grandmother. Furthermore Roosevelt went on to become a first lady of the United States and was incredibly active in human rights.

Celebrities Who Adopted Children

Not every family starts the same way, and for a number of well-known names, adoption has been the path to parenthood. While plenty of celebrities who were adopted as children have shared how it shaped their lives, just as many famous faces have chosen to grow their own families through adoption as adults. Here’s a look at some notable celebrities who adopted children, and what they’ve said about the experience.

Angelina Jolie

The actress and humanitarian has adopted three of her six children: Maddox from Cambodia, Zahara from Ethiopia, and Pax from Vietnam. Jolie’s humanitarian work around the world has long been intertwined with her experience as an adoptive mother, and she’s spoken openly about how each of her children’s origins is part of their story, not something to hide.

Sandra Bullock

Sandra Bullock adopted her son, Louis, in 2010, and her daughter, Laila, in 2015, both through domestic adoption in the U.S. She’s described motherhood through adoption as one of the most meaningful parts of her life, and has kept her children largely out of the spotlight while still speaking warmly about the joy they’ve brought her.

Charlize Theron

Raised in South Africa, Charlize Theron has adopted both of her children, Jackson and August, as a single parent. She’s talked about wanting to be a mother on her own terms and has been candid about the realities and rewards of adoptive single parenthood.

Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness

After experiencing pregnancy loss, Hugh Jackman and his former wife, Deborra-Lee Furness, adopted their two children, Oscar and Ava. Furness has since become an outspoken advocate for adoption reform, working to make the process more accessible for other hopeful parents.

Madonna

Madonna has adopted four of her six children: David, Mercy, and twins Stella and Estere, all from Malawi. Her adoptions drew significant media attention, and she’s used that platform to raise awareness of the number of children in Malawi who need families.

Meg Ryan

The actress adopted her daughter, Daisy, from China in 2006, becoming a single mother by choice. Ryan has said the adoption was one of the best decisions she’s ever made and has spoken about how it changed her perspective on family.

Millie Bobby Brown’s Adoption

One of the more recent names to join this list: “Stranger Things” star Millie Bobby Brown and her husband, Jake Bongiovi, announced in August 2025 that they’d welcomed a daughter through adoption. The couple has chosen to keep their daughter’s name and photos private, but Brown has since opened up about the emotional process of adopting and how becoming a mother this way was something she’d dreamed about long before she found fame. She’s said she doesn’t see any difference between having a biological child and welcoming one through adoption, a sentiment many adoptive parents share.

Modern Adoption Provides Opportunities for Success

Adoptive parents strive to provide the best opportunities they can for the children they adopt. Additionally, these adopted children are given the opportunity to grow up and bring joy and hope to many millions more through their work, their art, and their advocacy.

Modern adoption allows children to know where they came from, and to understand they were placed for adoption out of love. Also, studies have found that adopted kids are more likely to thrive in a home where their adoptive parents display warmth, sensitivity, and responsiveness. And even though adoption is no predictor of celebrity success, a child who grows up in a loving home environment can grow up to be a happy, productive adult.

If you are considering adoption for your baby or young child, get to know the adoptive family. Because asking about the opportunities they have for your child can help you decide on adoption.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on April 1, 2021, and has since been updated.