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Ellen Pompeo & 19 Other Celebs Who Had Kids Through Surrogates

The path to motherhood isn't always easy. Some women simply don't have the desire to have children, and it just becomes a non-issue in their lives—and there are many female celebrities who have made that choice.

However, there are also many who really want to become mothers and start a family but find that they have fertility issues or trouble conceiving for some reason. Adoption is obviously a great option, but many female celebrities still want the experience of having a child that's a unique combination of themselves and their partner—so they turn to surrogacy. And, there are many male celebrities who don't have a female partner to carry a child—so surrogacy becomes the best option for them.

The great thing is, many Hollywood moms who used surrogacy to help expand their families are completely open and honest about it, which means women outside of Hollywood see that there are multiple ways to start a family apart from actually giving birth themselves.

Especially for women who are having fertility issues, or individuals who aren't able to biologically carry a child, it can be a huge sense of comfort to see that there are other options out there and people advocating for those options.

Here are 20 amazing celeb parents who had kids with the help of surrogates.

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20 Kim Kardashian West: Getting Help With Chicago And Baby Number 4

via: eonline.com

Many people remember Kim Kardashian West's first two pregnancies—she faced a lot of unfair scrutiny from the tabloids simply based on the fact that she got a little bit larger when she was carrying her first two.

For her third child, Chicago, she went with a surrogate because of health issues that arose in her first two pregnancies.

Recently, she announced that she and Kanye would be having another baby, and again using a surrogate to make it happen. It just became too much of a health risk for Kim to carry a child herself. Now the question is, are they trying to have more children than Kris Jenner did? They're getting close!

19 Ellen Pompeo: Gave Birth To Stella, Had A Surrogate For Sienna

via: celebzz.com

Ellen Pompeo carried her first child, her daughter Stella, herself, so most people may have assumed that she'd choose to carry any other children she had herself as well.

However, for personal reasons, she made the decision to use a surrogate when she and hubby Chris Ivery wanted to expand their family once more.

About two months after her second daughter, Sierra, was born, she shared an adorable IG post of her baby girl. And, she gushed about her experience with surrogacy on Jimmy Kimmel's show, saying "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 — she who will remain anonymous."

18 Neil Patrick Harris And David Burtka: Surrogacy, Twins, And Adorable Family Photos

via: bustle.com

Every year, the world looks forward to seeing what kind of adorable family costume Neil Patrick Harris, his partner David Burtka, and their adorable twins come up with. Obviously, the couple wouldn't be able to conceive a child naturally, so they were able to expand their family with the help of a surrogate as well as an egg donor. As Harris told People, "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 [similar] couple before." Their twins, Gideon and Harper, are totally adorable and they seem like such a happy family!

17 Sarah Jessica Parker: Used A Surrogate And Had Twins

via: closerweekly.com

Even if you've gotten pregnant once before, that doesn't mean you'll easily conceive whenever you'd like after that, as Sarah Jessica Parker found out. She carried her first child, her son James, but she and Matthew Broderick had trouble expanding their family after that, even though they both wanted to. So, they decided to look into their options and ended up going with surrogacy. With the help of a surrogate, the Hollywood couple had not just one child, but two—twins! Their twin daughters Marion and Tabitha were born in 2009, and we have a feeling they're going to be two of the most stylish celeb kids out there once they reach their teen years.

16 Tyra Banks: Smizing All The Way To Motherhood

via: eonline.com

Tyra Banks is a total superstar who managed to conquer both the modeling and the business world, getting her start as a supermodel and later expanding to become an entrepreneur at the helm of the wildly successful America's Next Top Model. However, did you know that she also had major struggles with fertility? Then, in January 2016, Banks took to IG and shared a picture of their baby boy, saying "he's got my fingers and big eyes and his daddy Erik's mouth and chin. 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. York Banks Asla, welcome to the world." Adorable!

15 Elizabeth Banks: Focused On The Baby, Not The Pregnancy

via: urbanmoms.ca

Elizabeth Banks crafted herself a successful life in the competitive entertainment industry, but there was one thing she couldn't quite make happen—having a baby.

After years of trying, because she really wanted to carry a child herself, she decided to use a surrogate—and ended up having two adorable baby boys through surrogacy.

After the birth of her second, Magnus, she shared about her experience, saying that "this experience has exceeded all expectations, taught us a great deal about generosity and gratitude, and established a relationship that will last a lifetime. I am also so very thankful to our family and friends for their support throughout this process, as well as the Center for Surrogate Parenting for helping make all this possible."

14 Nicole Kidman: Used A Surrogate For Her Third Daughter

via: newidea.com.au

When Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban decided they wanted to start a family, they managed to conceive and Kidman gave birth to an adorable baby girl, Sunday Rose. When they decided to expand their family once again, they ended up finding a surrogate to help make it happen, who gave birth to their daughter Faith. Kidman has admitted she wouldn't be opposed to growing their family even more, saying "I love, love children. I love raising children... they make me feel good and I love being around and I love the ups and downs, and I love watching them grow and the things they say and teach." Perhaps baby number three will come soon!

13 Andy Cohen: From Real Housewives To Real Dad

via: bravotv.com

Andy Cohen may be a dog dad, but he wanted to be a real parent as well—so, he ended up hiring a surrogate to help him become a father.

He actually spilled the beans on his show Watch What Happens Live.

The dad-to-be said that "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." We can't wait to see him as a dad!

12 Lucy Liu: Obsessed With The New Man In Her Life, Her Baby Boy

via: promiflash.de

Even though she's been in the entertainment industry for decades now, most people don't know a lot about Lucy Liu's private life. She may do appearances to promote her projects, but she takes her privacy very seriously and never reveals too many personal details about herself. However, she did share a shot of her adorable baby boy Rockwell on IG in 2015, confirming that her boy was carried by a gestational surrogate. She absolutely gushed about being a new mom on her appearances in the period shortly after and seems to be totally in love with the new man in her life.

11 Jimmy Fallon: Welcomed Two Daughters Via Surrogates

via: people.com

You may be familiar with Jimmy Fallon's fun-loving personality, highlighted on his late night show, but what you might not know is that he and wife Nancy Juvonen went through a lot of troubles with infertility. They kept the fact that they ended up hiring a surrogate for their daughters' privacy at first, because, as Fallon said, "we tried before, we told people and then it didn't happen... [this time] we said, 'we're not going to tell anybody.' It'd be just more fun if it's just private between me and my wife. And then we get to introduce her to everybody." Now, they get to introduce both of their cute baby girls.

10 Jordana Brewster: Surrogacy Was Her Path To Motherhood

via: people.com

You'll likely recognize Jordana Brewster from her role in the Fast and the Furious franchise, but you may not know that she had struggled with fertility before she managed to expand her family through surrogacy.

As she told Yahoo Parenting, "for me, it wasn't a choice — I needed to use a surrogate."

And she's open and honest about the experience, saying that while she does sometimes feel a little bit left out about not having been able to actually give birth to her children, she's happy with her decision and doesn't feel judged in the close circle of friends and family around her.

9 Gabrielle Union: New Mom To A Perfect Baby Boy

via: hellogiggles.com

All of a sudden in November of last year, Gabrielle Union shared an adorable baby girl on her IG account and announced to the world that she was a new mom. She and pro basketball player hubby Dwyane Wade welcomed their daughter, Kaavia James, and Union shared that "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!" Adorable—we've loved keeping up with her new mom posts on IG.

8 Zach Gilford And Wife Kiely Sanchez Used A Surrogate For Daughter Zeppelin

via: people.com

Most people will remember Zach Gilford from his role in Friday Night Lights and may recognize his wife Kiele Sanchez from Kingdom.

They're parents now, but it wasn't exactly an easy journey for them—they had lots of trouble conceiving, and eventually ended up having to go with a surrogate.

As the two told People after the birth of their daughter Zeppelin, "it's been a long, painful journey for us," and now, "Zeppelin is the light of our lives." Going through all the issues they did definitely isn't easy, and we bet they're so thankful to the amazing surrogate who helped them realize their dream of becoming parents.

7 Matt Bomer: Became A Dad Through Surrogacy

via: etonline.com

Matt Bomer may play a ladies' man on screen, but in real life, he's happily married to his hubby Simon Halls, who works as a publicist. After focusing on their work for a while, the two decided to expand their family and ended up finding a surrogate to make it a possibility.

Bomer now has three children—his oldest son, Kit, as well as twin boys, Henry and Walker.

Though he's built a successful profession in Hollywood, Bomer has always been a fairly private person and tries to keep his kids out of the spotlight and away from the paparazzi as much as he can.

6 Giuliana And Bill Rancic: Surrogacy For Their Boy Duke

via: closerweekly.com

Giuliana and Bill Rancic were both comfortable in front of the camera, but they really began sharing their personal lives with the world when they had a reality show for a while. They shared their struggles with fertility, and after multiple IVF attempts that weren't successful, Giuliana finally made the decision to go with a gestational surrogate—and that's how they got their adorable baby boy, Duke. The two of them both have crazy busy professional lives, but they always make time for their son, and it's so adorable to see them out and about. Now, the question is, will Duke end up becoming a businessman like his dad or a powerhouse in the entertainment industry like his mom?

5 Ricky Martin: Livin' La Vida Daddy

via: people.com

Ricky Martin has been in the spotlight for quite a while, and in 2008 he surprised the world by welcoming his twin boys, Matteo and Valentino, with the help of a surrogate.

At the time, he hadn't yet explained he was a married man, and people were a little surprised by his choice.

However, his boys ended up being a huge blessing in his life for multiple reasons and were actually the inspiration for him to start being open and honest about his life. As he said on his website, "to keep living as I did up until today would be to indirectly diminish the glow that my kids where [sic] born with."

4 Elton John: Surrogacy For His Sons, Zachary And Elijah

via: people.com

Elton John seemed to have it all for a while, with his hugely successful professional life, but there was something missing in his life—a family.

So, after a lot of consideration, and after attempts at adoption that didn't work out, he and his partner David Furnish decided to find a surrogate to help them become parents.

They did and ended up with their two sons, Zachary and Elijah. As the pop legend told T Magazine back in 2016, "we decided to go the surrogacy route and have children of our own. The dominoes fell very quickly. We had Zachary 6 years ago in December and then Elijah 4 years ago in January. It was only through fate, really."

3 Angela Bassett: Achieved Motherhood Through Surrogacy

via: people.com

Fertility treatments are hard for many reasons—they take their toll on your health, your finances, and even your emotional state. So, after a few ineffective treatments, Angela Bassett had enough, and she and her partner decided to look at other options, like surrogacy. They ended up hiring someone who gave birth to their twins, Bronwyn and Slater, back in 2006. Now, Bassett is the proud mom of tweens—and seems like she couldn't be happier, even going so far as to bring them with her to a few red carpet events so they get a chance to see her world. Adorable!

2 Katey Sagal: Surrogacy For Her Third Baby

via: aceshowbiz.com

Katey Sagal's story is pretty adorable. Back when she was on Married... With Children, she was a new mom who was raising her two children with then-husband Jack White. They ended up splitting, and she found love again with Kurt Sutter. Though Sagal had already had children, Sutter hadn't gotten that experience yet, and they discussed their options for expanding their family. Since Sagal was wary of actually carrying a child herself because of her age, they went through in vitro fertilization and decided to try their luck with a surrogate. It ended up being successful, and they had their baby girl Esme when Sagal was 52 years old.

1 Amy Smart: Solved Her Fertility Struggles With Surrogacy

via: people.com

You'll probably remember Amy Smart from her roles in romcoms like Just Friends, but you may not have known that she had a serious struggle with fertility.

She shared her story on IG, posting a photo of her baby girl Flora and captioning it with an honest confession: "after years of fertility struggles I give thanks today to our kind, loving surrogate for carrying her."

Smart and her hubby Carter Oosterhouse seem totally in love with their adorable baby daughter, and it must be so incredible to finally become a parent after years and years of trying to conceive.

Sources: Parents, Us Magazine, People, Ranker

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