The journey to welcoming a child is different for all couples. Thankfully, there’s quite a few options when it comes time to expand a family!
Whether it’s due to a health condition, family structure or other personal reasons, using a surrogate can sometimes be the best option.
Celebs including Kristen Wiig, Kim Kardashian and Anderson Cooper have all chosen to welcome their new additions with the help of a surrogate. These extremely cherished gestational carriers have become an integral part of the lives of these families, giving them the gift of life.
Find out which celebs have opened up about their hopeful surrogacy journey below:
- Kristen Wiig & Avi Rothman
In June, it was revealed that Kristen Wiig and fiancé Avi Rothman had welcomed twins via surrogate earlier in the year. The couple previously went through an extremely difficult IVF journey before deciding to use a surrogate.
“We’ve been together for about five years, and three of them were spent in an [in vitro fertilization] haze. Emotionally, spiritually and medically, it was probably the most difficult time in my life. I wasn’t myself…It was just bad news after bad news. There was a lot of stress and heartache,” Kristen told InStyle.
She added, “I finally realized that I just needed help. And, thank God, we found the most amazing surrogate…I became really close with our surrogate, and it was her first time doing it so we kind of went through everything together. When the children were born, I wanted to make sure she was OK and she wanted to make sure I was OK.”
- Kim Kardashian & Kanye West
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West decided to use a surrogate after Kim experienced a potentially life-threatening condition called placenta accreta during her first two pregnancies. They went on to welcome daughter Chicago via surrogate on January 15, 2018 and son Psalm on May 10, 2019.
“I love my surrogate, we have a really good relationship. I really trust her and I definitely see, like, the first time that I went through it, I was a little bit more anxious, and texting more and calling more, and I feel like my surrogate this time around, really is such a protecting person and I really trust that in her,” Kim told ET.
- Anderson Cooper
Anderson Cooper welcomed his son Wyatt via surrogate in April of 2020, thanks to a surrogate that he called remarkable. .
“[She] 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. 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,” Anderson wrote on Instagram.
- Nicole Kidman & Keith Urban
After Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban welcomed their daughter Sunday in 2008, they struggled to conceive again. Nicole told Australia’s 60 Minutes that she experienced a “roller coaster ride with fertility” before choosing to use a surrogate. Their daughter Faith was born in December of 2010.
“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,” Nicole and Keith said in a statement.
- Gabrielle Union & Dwyane Wade
In Gabrielle Union’s memoir “We’re Going to Need More Wine” she revealed that she went through the heartbreak of multiple miscarriages and rounds of in vitro fertilization before deciding to use a surrogate. In November of 2018, Gabrielle and husband Dwyane Wade surprised fans by announcing the birth of their first daughter Kaavia.
“We are sleepless and delirious but so excited to share that our miracle baby arrived last night via surrogate. And 11/7 will forever be etched in our hearts as the most loveliest of all the lovely days. Welcome to the party sweet girl!” Gabrielle wrote on her Instagram.
- Andy Cohen
Andy Cohen shared the exciting news that a surrogate was carrying his child during a special episode of “Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.”
“Family means everything to me and having one of my own is something that I have wanted in my heart for my entire life…I want you to be the first to know that after many years of careful deliberation, fair amount of prayers and the benefit of science, if all goes according to plan, in about six weeks time, I’m going to become a father thanks to a wonderful surrogate who is carrying my future,” Andy said on air.
He welcomed son Benjamin in February of 2019.
- Jimmy Fallon & Nancy Juvonen
Jimmy Fallon and his wife Nancy Juvonen welcomed two daughters via surrogacy after struggling with fertility issues. Winnie was born in 2013 and Frances was welcomed the following year.
“We’ve tried a bunch of things. Anyone who’s tried will know, it’s just awful…We tried for a long time, for five years. I know people have tried much longer, but if there’s anyone out there who is trying and they’re just losing hope…just hang in there. Try every avenue; try anything you can do, ’cause you’ll get there. You’ll end up with a family, and it’s so worth it. It is the most ‘worth it’ thing,” Jimmy said on the Today show.
- Ricky Martin & Jwan Yosef
Ricky Martin welcomed twins Valentino and Matteo via a surrogate in October of 2008. Then after marrying Jwan Yosef several years later, the couple welcomed daughter Lucia in 2018 and son Renn in 2019.
- Tyra Banks
Tyra Banks and her then-partner Erik Asla welcomed their son York in January of 2016 via surrogate. After announcing his birth, Tyra thanked the “angel” who carried York.
“As we thank the angel of a woman that carried our miracle baby boy for us, we pray for everyone who struggles to reach this joyous milestone,” Tyra wrote on Instagram.
- Nate Berkus & Jeremiah Brent
Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent have welcomed two children via surrogate, first sharing the news of Poppy’s birth in 2015. Then their son Oskar was born in 2018.
- Lucy Liu
Lucy Liu explained that she chose to use a surrogate because she didn’t know when she would be able to slow down. She welcomed son Rockwell in 2015.
“It just seemed like the right option for me because I was working and I didn’t know when I was going to be able to stop. I decided that was probably the best solution for me, and it turned out to be great,” Lucy told People.
- Giuliana & Bill Rancic
Giuliana Rancic struggled to get pregnant after discovering she had early-stage breast cancer and undergoing a double mastectomy. After failed IVF attempts and a miscarriage, Giuliana and husband Bill welcomed son Duke via a surrogate in August 2012.
- Elizabeth Banks & Max Handelman
Elizabeth Banks and her husband Max Handelman welcomed both of their children, Magnus and Felix, via a surrogate. Elizabeth shared the news on her blog, explaining that fertility treatments had been unsuccessful for her.
“The one true hurdle I’ve faced in life is that I have a broken belly. After years of trying to get pregnant, exploring the range of fertility treatments, all unsuccessful, our journey led us to gestational surrogacy: We make a ‘baby cake’ and bake it in another woman’s ‘oven,'” Elizabeth wrote.
- Ellen Pompeo & Chris Ivery
After welcoming their daughter Stella in 2009, Ellen Pompeo and Chris Ivery chose to use a surrogate to welcome their daughter Sienna and son Eli. After Sienna’s birth, Ellen said she had a close relationship with her surrogate.
“This is an incredible thing to do with your life, to give the gift of carrying someone’s child. I am forever grateful and feel very blessed and grateful to her…I was there with her when they inseminated her…And then we held hands and we prayed, we talked to God, and if she was meant to be. He said he was going to try to help us out and now we have a gorgeous baby girl,” Ellen said on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
- Sarah Jessica Parker & Matthew Broderick
Sarah Jessica Parker and husband Matthew Broderick welcomed their son James in 2002, but afterwards, struggled to expand their family. But thankfully, they were able to welcome twin girls, Marion and Tabitha, in 2009 via a surrogate.
“Well, you know, we’ve been trying to expand our family for a number of years and we actually have explored a variety of ways of doing so. This was one of the things we discussed with seriousness that had real possibilities for us,” Sarah Jessica told the Today show, adding, “We didn’t expect it. I think after a certain amount of time, you tend to hold your hopes at bay a bit so as not to be disappointed. One really would have been thrilling and we would’ve felt incredibly lucky. And two was a comedy.”
- Neil Patrick Harris & David Burtka
Neil Patrick Harris and husband David Burtka welcomed twins Gideon and Harper via surrogate in October of 2010.
“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. And then we inserted two eggs, one with my sperm, one with David’s sperm and they both took,” NPH told People.
- Jordana Brewster & Andrew Form
Jordana Brewster and Andrew Form welcomed both their sons, Rowan and Julian, via a surrogate.
“I’m so lucky that it was an option and it was available to me because otherwise I wouldn’t have my two beautiful boys. I love them more than anything,” Jordana told People.
