Celebrities Who Are Adopted

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 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. 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.

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. Babe Ruth was raised in an orphanage called St. Mary’s Industrial School for Orphans. The interesting part: He was not an orphan. Sources say that his birth parents were overwhelmed with his behavioral issues and 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. 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. 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.

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. 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. She was adopted and raised by her grandmother. Roosevelt went on to become a first lady of the United States and was incredibly active in human rights activism.

Adoption Provides Opportunities

Adoptive parents strive to provide the best opportunities they can for the children they adopt. These adopted children grow up to 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. Studies have found that adopted kids are more likely to thrive in a home where their adoptive parents display warmth, sensitivity, and responsiveness. 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, asking about the opportunities and plans that potential adoptive families have for your child is a great way to get to know them and discover if adoption is right for you.

Written by Mardie Caldwell Certified Open Adoption Practitioner

Mardie Caldwell, C.O.A.P., is nationally recognized as an expert on open adoption. A Certified Open Adoption Practitioner (C.O.A.P.), Caldwell is the founder of Lifetime Adoption Center, established in 1986. She has assisted in over 2,000 successful adoptions and was one of the first adoption professionals on the Internet.

Caldwell’s life work is dedicated to educating and helping birth parents find the right adoptive parents for their child. She spreads the word about modern adoption through speaking appearances, webinars, online resources, and as a podcast show host.

She has written several award-winning books, including So I Was Thinking About Adoption, the first book of its kind. There are many reasons women choose adoption, and this short book is a comprehensive resource to make the best plan for you and your baby. Caldwell wrote So I Was Thinking About Adoption as a handy guide to the details of the adoption process.

Caldwell has made over 150 media appearances, including ABC News, CBS News, Larry King Live, CNN Headline News, NBC’s The Today Show, CNN’s The Campbell Brown Show, NBC News, KGO Newstalk Radio, CNN’s Black in America II, MSNBC, Fox, PBS, BBC, and Dr. Laura.

Read More About Mardie Caldwell