8 Famous Celeb Families Who Embraced Parenthood Through Surrogacy

Famous Families Who Opted for Surrogacy to Have Kids

Gestational surrogacy is a well-discussed and often-used alternative for those who want children but are unable to conceive on their own. Although the protocols and setups have been there since the '80s, it's a time-consuming and costly process that keeps it out of reach for most people. However, more and more famous people in Hollywood are speaking publicly about their surrogacy experiences. Celebrity parents who have used surrogacy and spoken publicly about their experiences have brought attention to the practice in the United States. Take a look at all the well-known families who've grown by means of surrogacy.

1. Paris Hilton and Carter Reum

According to a report published in Glamour UK, the actress said that she decided to have baby Phoenix via surrogacy in part because she had seen a live delivery and found it terrifying. She told the magazine, "When I was in ‘The Simple Life,’ I had to be in a room when a woman was giving birth, and that traumatized me," further admitting that she was "scared". She added, "I want a family so bad; it’s just the physical part of doing it. I’m just so scared… Childbirth and death are the two things that scare me more than anything in the world."

2. Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Justin Mikita

Last year, the pair revealed on Instagram that they welcomed their second child together via surrogacy. Their kid was named Sullivan Louis Ferguson-Mikita. The couple also places a high value on their bond with the surrogate who carried both of their children. Jesse confessed to People, "We had a wonderful surrogate who carried both Beckett and Sullivan. We are so grateful for her and her family. We became friends with her and her husband." For parents who are thinking about surrogacy, Ferguson offered some helpful guidance. He added, "Every surrogate process is different, and you sort of have to create your own rules around what sort of relationship you want to have with your surrogate. It really is a personal choice; I don't think there's a playbook for it. But I think it starts with a lot of trust and remembering that this person is doing such a beautiful, wonderful thing for you by helping you expand your family when you don't have the means to. So, for us, that's what we always kept in the forefront."

3. Khloé Kardashian and Tristan Thompson

It was announced on July 13, 2022—seven months after the couple's most recent split—that they were expecting a boy. Khloe Kardashian's rep told Page Six last year, "Khloé is incredibly grateful to the extraordinary surrogate for such a beautiful blessing. We’d like to ask for kindness and privacy so that Khloé can focus on her family." While Kardashian and Thompson broke up in February 2019 after repeated infidelity scandals on his side, they reconnected the following year, only for the NBA star to be disloyal again. In court records filed nine months later, Thompson acknowledged having sexual relations with Maralee Nichols in March 2021.

4. Andy Cohen

Last year, Cohen shared a photo of himself and his newborn daughter on Instagram, beaming with excitement. He wrote, "HERE’S LUCY!!!!! Meet my daughter, Lucy Eve Cohen! She’s 8 pounds 13 oz and was born at 5:13 pm in New York City!!! Her big brother can’t wait to meet her! Thank you to my rock star surrogate (ALL surrogates are rockstars, by the way) and everyone who helped make this miracle happen. I’m so happy." In February of 2019, Cohen and his surrogate gave birth to a baby they named Benjamin Allen Cohen.

5. Anderson Cooper

Cooper, who plans to co-parent Wyatt with his ex-partner Benjamin Maisani, says that having a child via surrogate is a "difficult," "expensive," and "time-consuming" procedure. But at the same time, as reported by People, he was thankful and added, "I was incredibly lucky to be able to do this. [The surrogate] is an amazing person; her husband, too, is incredible. That she is willing to do this, to enable families who can't have a child to be able to have a child, is an extraordinary gift." He also revealed that he "always thought about international adoption as well," but he laments that the practice has "come to a halt in most places."

6. Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas

Priyanka Chopra Jonas addressed the criticism leveled at her and her husband, Nick Jonas, for opting to carry their first child via surrogacy, explaining that the couple made the choice due to medical issues. She told British Vogue, "I had medical complications." She further added that "surrogacy was a necessary step, and I'm so grateful I was in a position where I could do this. Our surrogate was so generous, kind, lovely, and funny, and she took care of this precious gift for us for six months." Malti Marie Chopra, their daughter, was born in January of 2022.

7. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West

Kim Kardashian had two of her children, North, 6, and Saint, 4, delivered naturally, but for Chicago, 2, and Psalm, 8 months, she used surrogates owing to health difficulties. She confessed to ET, "I was in the room both times. Both surrogates that we used were very comfortable with Kanye West being involved any way he wanted to be." She further added, "For the first surrogate, we both met her and then met her husband, and their kids came over to our house. She had two younger kids, so we felt a really good vibe from the start. I felt like the second time I felt like, 'Oh, I got this.'"

8. Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick

Sarah Jessica Parker called her decision to go for surrogacy "an incredibly generous and gracious choice." She told Access Hollywood, "On a daily basis, on an hourly basis, I am greatly concerned for her health and safety and the safe delivery of our children. I am incredibly outraged by the sort of extraordinary and unprecedented invasion of her privacy. She’s [okay] today, but she’s had a bad week in the very recent past… You understand what stress, worry, fear, and being scared can do. She’s quite far along in this pregnancy and she’s carrying two children…. There’s simply no excuse for doing this to somebody. It’s not acceptable."