The Celebrity Influence on Surrogacy
2021-07-18
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Lucy Liu
The proud first-time mother welcomed a son via surrogate in August 2015. At the time, a rep for the actress confirmed that "Lucy Liu is the proud mother of Rockwell Lloyd Liu, brought into the world via gestational carrier."
Kristen Wiig and Avi Rothman
The Bridesmaids star and her fiancé are proud new parents to twins! The couple first announced that they were engaged in August 2019, and welcomed twins in early 2020 via surrogate. While hosting a Mother’s Day special for Saturday Night Live in May, the actress coyly thanked her own mother for preparing her "to be a mom," which left viewers scratching their heads until the happy news was confirmed one month later.
Anderson Cooper
Anderson Cooper became a father to his son Wyatt via surrogate on April 27, 2020. Wyatt, who is named after the journalist's father, "is sweet, and soft, and healthy and I am beyond happy," the proud new dad announced on CNN. "As a gay kid, I never thought it would be possible to have a child, and I’m grateful for all those who have paved the way, and for the doctors and nurses and everyone involved in my son's birth,” Cooper shared along with a touching series of photos of Wyatt. He went on to praise the woman who carried his son for the past 9 months, saying that, “Most of all, I am grateful to a remarkable surrogate who carried Wyatt, and watched over him lovingly, and tenderly, and gave birth to him." "It is an extraordinary blessing - what she, and all surrogates give to families who can't have children," he said. "My surrogate has a beautiful family of her own, a wonderfully supportive husband, and kids, and I am incredibly thankful for all the support they have given Wyatt and me. My family is blessed to have this family in our lives."
Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden
After over five years of trying to conceive using IVF, acupuncture, and supplements, in January 2020 Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden confirmed that they had welcomed their daughter, Raddix, via surrogate. According to a close source, “Cameron feels like this baby is truly a miracle,” and she “wants to spend every second with the baby.”
Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker
The Real Housewives of Atlanta star and her husband, Todd Tucker, welcomed a baby girl, Blaze, via gestational carrier in November 2019. When asked about the decision to use a surrogate, Burruss said, “Now that it's all said and done, I wouldn't change a thing. It was the best decision that we could have made." When it came to giving advice to anyone else considering IVF and/or surrogacy, Burruss said, "I would definitely say go forward. The research is the main thing. And then you just gotta trust and believe and just go for it."
Ricky Martin and Jwan Yosef
The couple welcomed their fourth child, Renn Martin-Yosef, via surrogate in October 2019. On October 29, Martin shared on Instagram, "Nuestro hijo Renn Martin-Yosef ha nacido," which translates to "our son Renn Martin-Yosef was born." The little boy joined older sister Lucia and twin sons Valentino and Matteo to complete the happy family of six!
Andy Cohen
On the Dec. 20, 2018 episode of Bravo’s Watch What Happens Next Live, the executive producer and host, 50, revealed he’s expecting his first child via surrogate. He told viewers that “family means everything to me and having one of my own is something that I have wanted in my heart for my entire life." On Feb. 4, 2019, he shared the happy news of son Benjamin Allen's arrival. "I'm in love," he wrote on Instagram alongside a blissful shot of the two of them together.
Gabrielle Union-Wade and Dwayne Wade
In November 2018, the actress and her NBA star husband surprised fans when they revealed that they had secretly welcomed a baby girl via surrogate, daughter Kaavia James. The couple announced their daughter’s birth on Instagram, as Union, who previously opened up about her fertility struggles, announced that “we are sleepless and delirious but so excited to share that our miracle baby arrived last night via surrogate.” She went on to say, “11/7 will forever be etched in our hearts as the most loveliest of all the lovely days. Welcome to the party sweet girl! #onelastdance #skintoskin @dwyanewade.”
Kanye West and Kim Kardashian West
Kanye and wife hired a surrogate to carry their third child, Chicago, and did it again for baby No. 4, PEOPLE confirmed in January 2019. "We are incredibly grateful to our surrogate who made our dreams come true with the greatest gift one could give and to our wonderful doctors and nurses for their special care," the reality star wrote on her website after the January 2018 birth of Chicago. Giving birth again isn't an option for Kardashian West, who suffered from placenta accreta during both of her pregnancies with son Saint and daughter North.
Jimmy Fallon and Nancy Juvonen
The late-night talk show host and his wife have had two daughters via surrogacy. Their first daughter, Winnie, was born in 2013, and they welcomed a second baby girl, Frances, in 2014. Over the years, Fallon and his wife have been very open about their fertility issues. “It’s hard if you can’t have children. We struggled for a good five years trying to have a kid.” After the birth of their first daughter, Fallon went on to explain, “We tried a bunch of things. Anyone who’s tried will know, it’s just awful,” he said. “So, we had a surrogate.” Fallon’s road to fatherhood wasn’t an easy one, and he insists, “If there’s anyone out there who is trying and they’re just losing hope, just hang in there.” He suggests to, “Try every avenue; try anything you can do, because you’ll get there. You’ll end up with a family, and it’s so worth it. It is the most ‘worth it’ thing.”
Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka
Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka's twins arrived with help from both an egg donor and a surrogate back in 2011. "We found an egg donor anonymously through a hilarious process of looking at people's profiles and then an amazing surrogate who had helped a same-sex couple before," Harris described, "And then we inserted two eggs, one with my sperm, one with David's sperm and they both took!" Burtka has previously noted that the couple "don't know whose is whose."
Surrogacy has made considerable progress in the past twenty years from a medical and legal perspective. For some states like Illinois, gestational surrogacy was only legally protected in the past decade. Today, many stereotypes and stigmas associated with surrogacy are becoming outdated.
Nicole Kidman
Actress Nicole Kidman already had three children prior to her surrogacy journey. In December 2010, she revealed that her fourth child, Faith Margaret, was gestated by a surrogate in the United States (due to restrictive surrogacy laws in her native Australia).
“Our family is truly blessed, and just so thankful, to have been given the gift of baby Faith Margaret,” she and her husband said in a statement. “No words can adequately convey the incredible gratitude that we feel for everyone who was so supportive throughout this process, in particular our gestational carrier.”
Giuliana Rancic
E! News Host Giuliana Rancic discovered she had breast cancer after a few IVF cycles and a miscarriage. Her cancer treatment meant that she had to use surrogacy as a means to starting her family. Finally, she and her husband welcomed a son, Edward Duke, who was born in 2012 via a surrogate named Delphine. Unfortunately, their attempts to have a second child resulted in miscarriages.
"Bill and I are blessed beyond words to welcome Edward into our lives," Giuliana said to E! News. "Thank you so much to everyone who supported us along the way."
Elizabeth Banks
Actress Elizabeth Banks also struggled to grow her family before turning to surrogacy. Today she and her husband have two children, Felix and Magnus, both by a surrogate. In a 2012 interview in Women’s Health, Banks discussed how she moved past having someone else carry her baby for her: "Once my focus became the baby and not the pregnancy, it was a very easy decision."
“Like Felix, Magnus was born via gestational surrogate. This experience has exceeded all expectations, taught us a great deal about generosity and gratitude, and established a relationship that will last a lifetime,” Banks told People Magazine.
And, are you a woman who enjoyed a healthy and successful pregnancy? Do you have friends or family who have suffered from infertility or need assistance from someone else to build their family? Have you ever considered the role you could play in helping someone else build their family - as a surrogate? Talk to us to learn more about the possibilities to help someone else's dream come true.