Famous Celebrities Who are Single Parents

The highest percentage of single parent families is in the US (about 40%) among developed countries, followed by Canada (about 25%), Australia (about 23%), and Denmark (about 21%).

Single parent families have become very common in the past 30 years. We get to see children raised by single mothers, fathers, or grandparents. Though the concept is common, life can be stressful and difficult for the parents and the children. 

Parents face challenges and feel overwhelmed by the responsibilities of taking care of the children, maintaining a job, finances, and doing the household chores. Also, the finances and resources become limited following the split-up of the parents.

However, with all this, many single parents including celebrities, whether they're single by choice, divorce, or breakup, are managing life with their children very well.

Colin Farrell was born in Castleknock, Dublin, Ireland, on May 31, 1976. He is one of Ireland's most popular and the best stars in Hollywood. He is a single parent of two sons. He has a younger son, James Padraig from Kim Bordenave, and elder son, Henry Tadeusz Farrell, from Alicja Bachleda-Curuś.

Liam Neeson, an Irish actor, was born in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, UK, on June 7, 1952. Following the sudden death of his wife, Natasha Richardson, in a tragic skiing accident in 2009, he has been a single parent to his two sons, Micheál Richard Antonio Neeson and Daniel Jack Neeson.

Sandra Bullock is an Academy Award-winning actress who was born in Arlington, Virginia, Washington, D.C. on July 26, 1964. She is well-known for her roles in movies such as Speed, The Proposal, The Blind Side, Gravity, and many others. She married actor Jesse James in 2005 and got divorced in 2010. Following their separation, Bullock retained the sole custody of her adopted son, Louis Bardo Bullock, as a single mother.

Seven-time Grammy Award-winner, Madonna, was born in Bay City, Michigan. She is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. She was married to English filmmaker, Guy Ritchie in 2000 with whom she had a son named Rocco Ritchie. She got divorced in 2008. Earlier, she was married to American actor and film director, Sean Penn, which also ended in a divorce. She has also adopted a boy whose name is David. Now, she is a single parent to her sons.

Usher Raymond was born in Dallas, Texas. He is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. He married Tameka Foster in 2007 and got divorced in 2009. Following his divorce, Usher became a single dad for his two children, Usher Terry Raymond V and Naviyd Ely Raymond.

Meg Ryan was born on November 19, 1961, in Fairfield, Connecticut. She is an American actress and film producer. After getting divorced from actor Dennis Quaid, in 2001, Meg adopted a girl Daisy True. She also has a son named Jack Quaid, from her marriage.

Tom Cruise, an American actor and filmmaker, was born in Syracuse, New York on July 3, 1962. He married Mimi Rogers in 1987 and got divorced in 1990. Cruise married actress Nicole Kidman on December 24, 1990. They adopted two children, Isabella and Connor Antony. The marriage again ended in a divorce. Cruise married Katie Holmes in 2006 from whom he had a daughter, Suri Cruise. Katie Holmes had filed for divorce from Cruise in 2012. Cruise is now a single father.

Mary-Louise Parker, an American actress was born in Fort Jackson, South Carolina on August 2, 1964. She has a son William Atticus, from her long-time boyfriend, actor Billy Crudup, with whom she split up in 2003. She also adopted a baby girl from Africa in 2007. Her name is Caroline Aberash Parker.

American actor, producer, and musician, Johnny Depp, was born in Owensboro, Kentucky on June 9, 1963. He has won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor. Depp married Lori Anne Allison in 1983 and got divorced in 1985. Depp has two children from French actress and singer, Vanessa Paradis, with whom he had a relationship from 1998 to 2012. One of them is daughter Lily-Rose Melody Depp and the other is their son, John Christopher Depp III.

January Jones is an American actress and model who was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on January 5, 1978. She is well-known for her role as a housewife in the television drama series Mad Men. She has a son named, Xander Dane Jones, whose father is unknown as she has not revealed anything about his identity. The actress takes care of the child.

Britney Jean Spears was born in McComb, Mississippi on December 2, 1981. She is an American singer and actress. She has acted in various stage productions and TV shows as a child. Few of her music albums have become international successes. She married Jason Alexander in 2004. The marriage was annulled after 55 hours. She married Kevin Federline in the same year. She divorced from Kevin Federline in 2006. She has two children from Kevin, Sean Preston and Jayden.

Sheryl Crow was born in Kennett, Missouri, USA, on February 11, 1962. She is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. In May 2007, Crow announced on her website that she had adopted a boy named Wyatt Steven Crow, and in 2010, she adopted another baby boy named Levi James Crow. After splitting from Lance Armstrong and struggling with breast cancer, she decided to be a single parent.

Here are some other celebrated figures who are single parents.

• Halle Berry (American actress and former fashion model)
• Prince Charles (Heir apparent of Queen Elizabeth II)
• Kate Winslet (English actress and singer)
• Ricky Martin (Singer, songwriter, author)
• Kate Hudson (American actress)
• Cristiano Ronaldo (Soccer player)

• Padma Lakshmi (Cookbook author)
• Lenny Kravitz (Singer, songwriter, record producer)
• Katie Couric (Journalist)
• Ryan Phillippe (Actor)
• Minnie Driver (English actress)
• Jamie Foxx (Actor)
• Liv Tyler (Actress and former child model)
• Dwyane Wade (Basketball player)

• Kate Moss (Model)
• Arsenio Hall (Comedian and talk-show host)
• Kate Gosselin (Television personality)
• Bow Wow (Rapper, actor, and television host)
• Sushmita Sen (Indian film actress and model)
• James Marsden (Actor)