There's a lot to envy about the celebrity lifestyle. From personal assistants who take care of every errand, to glam squads who keep hair and makeup on point, stars often have oodles of employees dedicated to making their lives easier. The designer clothes, fancy homes, luxe vacations, and A-list treatment don't sound too bad, either. But there's one part of life where they're really not that different from the rest of us: parenthood.
Newborns don't know that you won an Oscar, have your own reality TV show or signed that endorsement deal. They don't care how much that T-shirt cost—they'll spit up on it anyway. In a way, it's almost comforting to know that celebrities get a taste of normalcy when they become moms and dads.
To this end, and in honor of Mother's Day, Stacker compiled a list of celebrities who have become moms within the last five years, based on news reports and social media posts from the new parents themselves. Sure, the 40 stars on this list might have nannies, assistants, and live-in nurses to help them out, but they still struggle with the same issues that parents face around the world. Who thought you'd have something in common with Kylie Jenner or Serena Williams?
You may also like: Jeff Bezos prepares for a massive prenup to protect his $138 billion fortune
Actors Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling kept news of their first child’s arrival extremely quiet: the press only got wind that the couple was expecting in the seventh month of Mendes’ pregnancy. Their first daughter Esmeralda Amada came along in September 2014, and little sister Amada Lee in April 2016. Both girls share the name Amada as a tribute to Mendes’ grandmother.
Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton became a mom in 2014 when she and husband Marc Mezvinsky welcomed baby Charlotte. Two years later, the couple expanded their family with baby Aidan. And by all accounts, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are extremely proud grandparents.
Former “The Hills” star Audrina Patridge got engaged to BMX rider Corey Bohan in 2015, but a little bundle of joy arrived before they could get married. Kirra Max was born on June 24, 2016; she attended her parents’ wedding later that year.
Lucy Liu didn’t go the traditional route to start a family. Instead of waiting to meet someone, get married, and try to get pregnant, the "Elementary" actress opted to use a gestational carrier to have her son Rockwell in 2016. Even though she is a single mom, Liu insists she’s not raising her son alone: She told CBS News, “It's important to ask for help. If you can manage on your own, that's fine, but people shouldn't feel that they have to be alone while doing it.”
Actress Hayden Panettiere might be best known for her roles on "Nashville" or "Heroes," but she recently started a new chapter: parenthood. After getting engaged to world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko in 2013, she gave birth to daughter Kaya Evdokia on Dec. 9, 2014. Since Panettiere is only 5 feet 2 inches and her fiance is 6 feet 6 inches, it will be interesting to see what height Kaya grows up to be.
You may also like: Iconic child stars of the '80s
“Glee” star Naya Rivera gave birth to son Josey Hollis in 2015. He is the first child for both Rivera and her husband, fellow actor Ryan Dorsey. Since Josey’s birth, however, the family has endured some trials and tribulations: Rivera filed for divorce for the first time in 2016, then had the paperwork dismissed. In 2017, Rivera was arrested and charged with domestic battery after allegedly hitting Dorsey. Finally, she filed for divorce a second time in December 2017, citing irreconcilable differences.
After dating on and off for five years, actress Jessica Biel married musical superstar Justin Timberlake in 2012 in southern Italy. The pair started their family a few years later, when their son Silas was born in April 2015. Though their life might look picture-perfect, Biel and Timberlake have since revealed that Silas’ birth was anything but ideal: Instead of the peaceful home birth they wanted, Biel had to be rushed to the hospital for an emergency C-section.
Leighton Meester and Adam Brody have come a long way from their days playing New York high schoolers on “Gossip Girl.” These days, you’re more likely to find the pair reading a bedtime story to 2-year-old daughter Arlo Day or milling around in the Upper East Side.
Actress Keira Knightley and musician James Righton brought little Edie into the world in 2015. Though the new parents initially didn’t reveal much about their bundle of joy to the public, Knightley eventually loosened up. She shared a particularly juicy tidbit on "The Jonathan Ross Show" in December 2016: apparently, Edie shouted out a very adult curse word after President Donald Trump was elected.
Country superstar Carrie Underwood often sings about epic love stories, but didn't get her own happy ending until she married Canadian hockey player Mike Fisher in 2010. The reportedly happy couple waited five years to start a family, welcoming their first son Isaiah Michael on Feb. 27, 2015.
You may also like: Frank Sinatra: The life story you may not know
Julia Stiles—best-known for roles in late ‘90s and early ‘00s films including “10 Things I Hate About You” and “The Prince and Me”—became a mom in 2017 with the birth of baby Strummer. Stiles married Preston J. Cook just a few months before her due date.
“Scandal” star Kerry Washington also managed to keep a big secret in Hollywood: she married former San Francisco 49ers cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha in an under-the-radar ceremony in 2013. The pair started their family with daughter Isabelle Amarachi in 2014, and expanded it in 2016 with son Caleb Kelechi.
Actress Anne Hathaway and husband Adam Shulman pulled off something nearly impossible: starting their family in almost complete privacy. When the actress gave birth in Los Angeles in 2016, the couple managed to keep their son Jonathan Rosebanks completely out of the press for several weeks.
Singer Kelly Clarkson and husband Brandon Blackstock have quite the clan. The Blackstock family includes 3-year-old River Rose, 2-year-old Remington Alexander, and Blackstock’s two children from a previous marriage.
Most would agree Emily Blunt and John Krasinski qualify as one of Hollywood's cutest couples. They married in a private ceremony in 2010, had their first child Hazel in 2014, and gave her a little sister named Violet in 2016.
You may also like: James Baldwin: The life story you may not know
Before Blac Chyna and Rob Kardashian started a hugely public he-said-she-said blowout on social media, they seemed every bit the happy couple. Kardashian proposed to Chyna in 2016 and they welcomed baby Dream Renee on Nov. 10 of that same year. Chyna also has a 5-year-old son King Cairo with her ex, rapper Tyga.
Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher’s relationship was foreshadowed by several of their acting projects. On “That ‘70s Show,” their characters Jackie and Kelso were a hilarious on-again, off-again pair. Both “Friends With Benefits,” which Kunis starred in, and “No Strings Attached,” which Kutcher starred in, centered on friendships that turn more serious—in other words, exactly what happened when the pair reconnected years after “That ‘70s Show.” Once they started seeing each other, it was a whirlwind romance: They got engaged in 2014, had son Wyatt Isabelle later that year, and welcomed son Dimitri Portwood in 2016.
Actress and sex symbol Megan Fox is a mom to not one, not two, but three little boys: Journey River, 1; Bodhi Ransom, 3; and Noah Shannon, 4. The boys' father is her husband, fellow actor Brian Austin Green.
Actors Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis got engaged in 2013, but still haven’t tied the knot: Sudeikis even joked that they won’t marry until weed is legal in the United States. Still, that didn’t stop them from starting a family—the couple had son Otis Alexander in early 2014 and daughter Daisy Josephine in late 2016.
Actors Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have been married since 2012 and their relationship still seems to be going strong—they lovingly tease each other on social media all the time. Lively and Reynolds have two children together: daughters James, who was born in 2014, and Ines, who was born in 2016.
You may also like: Iconic child stars of the '90s
Giving birth isn’t the only way to become a mother: NBC News' "Today" anchor Hoda Kotb joined the parents club at age 52 when she adopted Haley Joy in December 2017. Kotb also lives with long-term boyfriend Joel Schiffman.
Known for playing Tibby in “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and her activism as part of the Time’s Up movement, Amber Tamblyn also recently became a mom. She and husband David Cross welcomed a baby girl in February 2017. Though Tamblyn initially joked that they named the baby “Dauphinoise Petunia Brittany Scheherazade Von Funkinstein Mustard Witch RBG Cross Tamblyn-Bey Jr.,” she later revealed her daughter’s name is actually Marlow Alice.
In addition to shattering box office records for female-directed films, "Wonder Woman" took another big step forward for women in Hollywood: Its lead actress filmed the movie while pregnant. Gal Gadot didn’t reveal her condition at the time, as she wanted the crew to treat her exactly the same as anyone else on set. Gadot, her husband Yaron Varsano and daughter Alma, 7, welcomed little Maya to the family in March 2017.
After wedding NFL star Russell Wilson at an English castle on July 6, 2016, singer Ciara became pregnant and gave birth to daughter Sienna Princess Wilson on April 28, 2017. Though Sienna is the couple’s first child together, she already has a big brother: Ciara’s 3-year-old son with her ex, rapper Future, who is appropriately named Future Jr. After a nasty custody battle, the threat of a defamation lawsuit, and numerous Twitter rants, Ciara and Future finally worked out a joint custody arrangement.
Known for her roles on "New Girl" and "500 Days of Summer," Zooey Deschanel is a mom to two kids with husband Jacob Pechenik. The pair had their first child, daughter Elsie Otter, on July 25, 2015, and welcomed son Charlie Wolf in 2017.
You may also like: 25 actors who've come out after playing an LGBTQ+ character
He’s a film heartthrob beloved around the world; she’s a well-respected international human rights lawyer. Yep, we would say that George and Amal Clooney are #couplegoals. After meeting through a mutual friend in 2013, the pair tied the knot a year later in Italy, and welcomed twins Ella and Alexander in June 2017.
After enduring years of relationship drama on “The Hills,” Lauren Conrad married musician William Tell in a 2014 ceremony on the California coast. The newlyweds waited a few years to start their family, welcoming their first son William “Liam” James on July 5, 2017.
Fans of fantasy movies and TV likely know this married couple, since Nikki Reed played vampire Rosalie Hale in the "Twilight" film series and Ian Somerhalder played vampire-turned-human Damon Salvatore on “The Vampire Diaries.” After a top-secret wedding at Topanga Canyon in California in 2015, Reed and Somerhalder also chose to keep the news that they were expecting a baby—until two months before daughter Bodhi Soleil’s birth on July 25, 2017.
“Orange Is the New Black” and “That ‘70s Show” actress Laura Prepon had her first child with fiance Ben Foster in August 2017—a baby girl named Ella. Prepon has been outspoken about her decision to go back to work soon after having Ella, telling People magazine that “I do feel guilty, and I just know that she’d be proud if she knew.”
Tennis star Serena Williams accidentally announced her pregnancy to the world when she mistakenly uploaded a photo to Snapchat. Once it was out there, she embraced it, appearing on the cover of Vanity Fair while pregnant. Williams and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian became parents on Sept. 1, 2017 when their daughter Alexis Olympia was born. The complications she experienced after childbirth even led the new mom to become an advocate for women's health.
You may also like: How much does Barbie's dream Corvette cost in real life?
Best known for her role on “The Big Bang Theory,” Melissa Rauch recently added another job title to her resume: mom. The actress and her husband Winston Beigel welcomed baby Sadie in December 2017. When she announced her pregnancy, Rauch also opened up about a past miscarriage and her fertility struggles in a personal essay for Glamour.
Musician Natasha Bedingfield is finally filling in the story she left “Unwritten,” after marrying Matthew Robinson in 2009 and starting a family together. The pair had their first baby together, Solomon Dylan, in December 2017.
Talk about a power couple: Brooklyn Decker has modeled several times for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue while her husband Andy Roddick competed on the world stage during his tennis career. The couple welcomed their first son Hank in 2015, and a baby girl named Stevie in 2017.
Professional surfer Bethany Hamilton has been an inspiration to girls around the world ever since she lost her left arm in a shark attack in 2003. She didn’t let the injury stop her, however: Hamilton learned to surf with one arm and even returned to the professional surfing circuit. Then she passed another milestone: starting a family with husband Adam Dirks. The couple’s first son, Tobias, was born in June 2015, and second son Wesley came along in March 2018.
The reality TV star met her future husband Spencer Pratt while filming "The Hills" in 2006, but the pair didn't start their family until 2017. Montag gave birth to the couple's first child, Gunner, on Oct. 1 of that year.
You may also like: 5 celebrities famous for throwing epic parties
Actress, writer, and director Mindy Kaling also chose to keep the public in the dark about her pregnancy, waiting until a few months before her due date to confirm the news on the "Today" show. Her daughter Katherine Swati Kaling was born on Dec. 15, 2017, but the world still has some questions. Namely, who is the father? Kaling still hasn’t commented publicly.
Model and social media sensation Chrissy Teigen and musician John Legend welcomed their first child together on April 14, 2016, a baby girl named Luna Simone Stephens. The couple is now expecting a baby boy, but their road to parenthood hasn’t always been easy: Teigen has been open about their decision to use in vitro fertilization to get pregnant.
The Kardashian-Jenner baby boom continues—Khloe Kardashian welcomed her first child on April 12, 2018, a daughter named True Thompson. True’s father is Cleveland Cavaliers player Tristan Thompson. Though the couple appeared very much in love during Khloe’s pregnancy, recent cheating allegations casted a dark cloud over the relationship just days before True’s birth.
The youngest member of the Kardashian-Jenner clan became a mother on Feb. 1, 2018, when her daughter Stormi Webster was born. Rapper Travis Scott is Stormi’s father. In an unusual move for the family, Kylie managed to keep her pregnancy completely secret until Stormi’s birth: no photos or videos of her baby bump made it into the press and the Kardashian-Jenner family refused to confirm the pregnancy. Instead, Kylie announced her daughter’s birth on Instagram, posting an 11-minute video of her pregnancy journey at the same time.
The fifth most popular Instagram personality, with just shy of 110 million followers, Kim is a fashion icon, a reality TV star, and one half of one of the world's most influential power couples. She and 21-time Grammy-winning rapper Kanye West have welcomed three beautiful children in the past five years, as 4-year-old North and 2-year-old Saint met their new baby sister Chicago in January 2018.
You may also like: Photos of 25 iconic actors at the start of their careers vs. now
