Hollywood's Hottest Single Dads
In Hollywood, where relationships come and go with the speed of Grubhub deliveries, it is not uncommon for people to rack up a full roster of exes before they even hit middle age. A good number of these relationships result in children, so there are no shortage of single moms and dads floating around Tinseltown at any given time. According to Psychology Today, a single parent is someone who is unmarried, widowed, or divorced (and not remarried). These individuals do not have a legal partner, and when they are with their children, the child is their sole responsibility. Regardless of the custody arrangements, a person is considered a single parent when they parent alone in the instances when they child or children is with them.
Many Hollywood exes have great co-parenting relationships, which can make being single parents easier, but they still qualify regardless of how well they manage to coordinate with their child's other parent. That said, we did have some sexy divorced dads that did not make the cut. For instance, we could not help but notice how many celebrity dads were remarried within a very short time span, which made them ineligible for this list even if they were famously divorced. We also purposefully left off anyone in a messy custody battle, including Brad Pitt, Jason Sudeikis, and Jesse Williams, and aimed to include not just divorced dads but also widowed and never-married ones. Without further ado, here are 12 of the hottest single dads in Hollywood today.
Channing Tatum writes kids' books about being a girl dad
This list could totally just be us gushing about Channing Tatum, who may just be the cutest single father in the entire universe. Tatum has one child — daughter Everly, born in May 2013 — and co-parents her with ex-wife Jenna Dewan, who is remarried and has another child with actor Steve Kazee. Tatum and Dewan split in 2018 but appear to have a fantastic relationship and have no problem interacting for their daughter's benefit. Tatum is currently dating Zoe Kravitz, but the main female in his life is Everly, with whom he shares a very close bond despite initially being nervous to go it alone. "I didn't plan to be a single dad," Tatum said on "TODAY with Hoda and Jenna" in May 2023. "That was not in the cards, in my planning at least. And I was pretty nervous."
In that interview, Tatum said that one of the things creating nerves was the idea of having a daughter, which prompted him to do things like YouTube how to braid hair. That is at least partially why we love how enthused Tatum now is at being a girl dad — to the point where he even has a series of children's books based upon his relationship with Everly. The books, about a girl named Sparkarella and her father, are almost like a love letter from Tatum to his daughter, who has clearly changed him as a person. "What being a dad has sort of irrevocably changed in me is softness," he told Forbes.
Jamie Foxx is a single dad to two daughters
In 2021, Jamie Foxx created and starred in the Netflix original series "Dad Stop Embarrassing Me," about a man whose teenage daughter suddenly moves in with him and cramps his style. The show did not last long, but it certainly was not because Foxx did not know what he was talking about — he has had many years of experience embarrassing his two daughters. "It felt like the worst thing that could happen was him showing up at my soccer game in a tight leather jacket. 'Gosh, why is he doing this?! Nothing could be worse than this!'," Foxx's daughter Corinne, now an adult, told the New York Post around the time of the show's debut.
Corinne — who was an executive producer on the Netflix series — is Foxx's daughter with ex-girlfriend Connie Kline. She has followed in her father's footsteps and become an actor, and the two now have a very close relationship after therapy helped them learn to better communicate, per Entertainment Tonight. "We're incredibly close and I think we always had this yin and yang relationship where he was really over-the-top and I was more reserved and that's where in my teenage years a lot of conflicts happened," Corinne explained to The Post. In addition to Corinne, Foxx also has a daughter with ex-girlfriend Kristin Grannis. His second child, Anelise, was born 15 years after his first, which gave Foxx plenty of time to perfect his parenting skills before taking another stab at things.
Ryan Phillippe can't stop posting about two of his children
Ryan Phillippe is nearly 50 years old but looks at minimum a decade younger thanks to his youthful face, great head of hair, and immaculately sculpted bod. So, you are forgiven if you did not know that Phillippe was the father of two adult children — although, no one who follows the actor on Instagram could ever have missed that fact. Phillippe's grid is filled with photos of his older kids, particularly son Deacon. Deacon's older sister Ava is also heavily featured, as is Phillippe's ex-wife Reese Witherspoon, with whom he co-parents. The exes come together for all of their children's big events, including graduations, birthdays, and career milestones (like Deacon's album release party).
Phillippe and Witherspoon were married from 1999 to 2008, and their divorce shattered those who grew up in the 1990s and had been shipping them ever since "Cruel Intentions." In addition to his kids with Witherspoon, Phillippe has another daughter with actor Alexis Knapp, named Kai. Kai was born in 2011, after the end of Phillippe and Knapp's short-lived relationship, and there were initially questions about the child's paternity. Once Phillippe was determined to be the father, he showed up — at least for the kid's birth, for which he was present. Kai also had both parents' surnames at the outset, though she is often referred to nowadays as "Kai Knapp" when mentioned by media outlets. Phillippe is reported to have little contact with Kai, and he does not discuss her in interviews or feature her on his social media.
Colin Farrell is very devoted to his two sons
Colin Farrell has been in the public eye for decades and throughout that time, we have seen his public image shift from hard-partying bad boy to responsible, sober dilf. The current version of Farrell is much more focused on family and acting than living the Hollywood lifestyle, and there is no doubt that becoming a father is what helped Farrell shift his priorities. "My children have given me purpose in my life and I embrace it wholeheartedly," he told The Independent in 2015. "I was caught up in this whirlwind and I had the most amazing time of my life but it was also the kind of life that leaves you empty a lot of the time. I spent a large part of my career having more fun than any man has a right to have but I've left the party."
Farrell first became a father when his then-girlfriend Kim Bordenave gave birth to James Padraig in September 2003, and they shared custody of their son after their split. Farrell's second son, Henry Tadeusz, was born in October 2009 while the actor was in a relationship with Alicja Bachleda-Curús. The couple split up in 2010, but Farrell has continued to play a very active role in Henry's life as well. "My legacy is quite clearly the two sons that I've been raising, one for 19 years and another for 13 years, and the gift that they are in my life. Truly. Excuse the quaintness of that," Farrell said in a Vanity Fair article in early 2023.
Lenny Kravitz is so close with his daughter that they even share clothes
We love everything about the blended family unit that Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet have created, from the ease at which they come together as co-parents whenever their daughter is concerned, to the way that Kravitz befriended Bonet's second husband Jason Momoa. Kravitz and Bonet were married in November 1987, and Bonet gave birth to their daughter, actor Zoë Kravitz, the following year. They split in 1991 and divorced two years later but remained incredibly close. "Zoë's mom and I now are best friends," Kravitz told Oprah Winfrey in June 2013, on an episode of "Oprah's Master Class." "It's interesting because that's how the relationship started, but it makes you feel really good when you can do that."
Kravitz and his daughter are very close, and their bond has only strengthened as the years have gone by. In 2020, the eternally sexy rocker told People that their relationship resembles the one his mother (actor Roxie Roker) had with her father, and highlighted that he and Zoë "can talk about anything and everything." In fact, the two are so close that they even share clothes. The younger Kravitz has spoken about how she was at one time embarrassed by the way her parents dressed, but she now swaps t-shirts with her father and according to an interview he did with Details, has stolen all of his boas (via HuffPost). InStyle even has a full gallery of images featuring all of the times the father-daughter duo went out in public "twinning" it.
Bradley Cooper is a hands-on single father who doesn't rely on a nanny
Actor Bradley Cooper began dating model Irina Shayk in 2015, and the two welcomed daughter Lea De Seine in April 2017. They broke up two years after that but remain friendly and even went on a family vacation together in August 2022. The vacation sparked rumors of a reconciliation, and the pair were seen packing on the PDA a few months later, but since Cooper and Shayk have always been incredibly private about their relationship, we would not place bets on anything. They were seen together in public as recently as May 2023, when they were photographed chatting at the Met Gala, but neither one of them has commented upon their status.
When it comes to parenting Lea, both Cooper and Shayk have no problem being more forthcoming with the media. In 2021, Shayk confessed to Elle that she did not really understand the term "co-parenting" — which she just sees as parenting — and praised Cooper's fathering skills. "He's a full-on, hands-on dad — no nanny," she said in a separate interview with Highsnobiety's HighStyle. Cooper admitted, on the "Smartless" podcast, that becoming a dad helped him to build authentic self-esteem for the first time. "Every single thing is absolutely shaded by, or brought into glorious colors, by the fact that I get to be a father to a wonderful human being," he said. As if that cheeky grin and those marvelous curls did not make him hot enough, Cooper's dedication as a dad just adds to the package.
Taye Diggs is possibly engaged — but still a single dad for now
It was like a gut punch for fans when Taye Diggs and Idina Menzel announced their divorce, since they seemed like one of the few Hollywood couples who may have had a shot at long-term success. The pair met in 1995, while working on the original Broadway production of "Rent" (they also co-starred in the film version together) and went public with their relationship at a movie premiere in 1998. They married at the start of 2003, and welcomed a son, named Walker, six years later. After separating in December 2013, the couple established a co-parenting relationship that appears to have worked well for them. "I mean, it's not even about trust. We both love our son so much, that the best way to raise him is to provide him with whatever we can," Diggs told Us Weekly in 2017.
Diggs and Menzel still have a playful vibe between them, with Diggs even playfully referring to his ex as his "baby mama" on multiple occasions over the years — like when he praised her Super Bowl performance on Twitter back in 2015. In 2018, Diggs told Page Six his focus was on fatherhood, not remarriage, but he is rumored to be engaged to his partner Apryl Jones, who has been spotted wearing a big ole diamond. For now, however, he still qualifies as a single father and a good one at that. "Put the kid first and it really prioritizes all the other bull," he told Us Weekly when asked about co-parenting.
Andy Cohen wrote a book about becoming a single dad of two
Andy Cohen may be in his mid-50s, but he is living proof that age is nothing but a number. Not only is Cohen still a bonafide hunk, but he is also a vibrant personality with seemingly endless amounts of energy. He needs it, too, given that he is a late-in-life father who is raising two children on his own. And by on his own, we mean with a village of people, including a nanny — but no hubby, which qualifies him for this list. "I'm appreciative of the help that I have and I'm fortunate," Cohen told People magazine in 2022. "I'm not only a single dad, but I have five serious jobs. But the good news about my jobs is that I'm really able to be in and out of the apartment all day."
Cohen memorably announced the upcoming birth of his son on his show, "Watch What Happens Live," in December 2018, shocking the "Housewives" serving as guests as well as his devoted audience. Benjamin Allen was born in early 2019, and his sister Lucy joined the family in April 2022. In 2023, the popular host released "The Daddy Diaries: The Year I Grew Up," his latest book that centers on his everyday life as dad of two trying to juggle it all. "I want to be everything for them," Cohen said on "Today" while promoting the book. "As a single parent, there is the feeling of 'I need to be there' and I'm always kicking myself for time not spent with them."
James Marsden has three kids and, somehow, very few wrinkles
With his perfect bone structure, beaming smile, and baby blue eyes, James Marsden's face is basically a work of art. But that's just genetics, and we are more curious as to how the actor has been able to maintain his killer bod and his smooth skin as a single father of three. Parenting is, after all, stressful even in the best of scenarios. Even if Marsden does not have the wrinkles to show for it, he appears to be a hands-on dad who puts fatherhood at the top of his list of priorities. "Of all my achievements in life, being a father is the one thing I'm most proud of. It is the most fulfilling," he told Men's Health in 2018. "I'm always self-deprecating, but I don't have a problem saying that I am a great dad."
Marsden shares his two older children with his ex-wife Lisa Linde, to whom he was married from 2000 to 2011. The couple welcomed son Jack Holden in 2001, and daughter Mary James four years after that. Marsden had a third child, son William Luca, with ex-girlfriend Rose Costa, though their short-lived relationship had already ended by the time of William's birth in December 2012. While he has been in a relationship with singer-songwriter Emma Deign since 2015, Marsden is unmarried and, therefore, a single dad. Is he a cool dad, though? Well, maybe. "My kids have always been in the best way, kind of wonderfully underwhelmed with what I do," Marsden told People in 2023.
Liam Neeson raised his boys alone after tragedy struck
Actor Liam Neeson met fellow actor Natasha Richardson in 1993, when they were working on a Broadway revival of the play "Anna Christie." By the next year, they were married, and the year after that, they had their first child, son Micheál (who uses the surname Richardson). Their second son Daniel (who goes by Neeson) was born one year later in 1996, and they were your typical celebrity family for a long time. Then, tragedy struck when Richardson was in a skiing accident during a family vacation in 2009. The actor was only 45 when she died, leaving behind two kids and a husband who had to learn to raise them on his own.
Though his kids were teenagers when their mother died, Neeson understandably felt protective of his boys and filled his days with worries about their safety and happiness. "It's an ongoing joy being a dad. It's always a joy but it's a joyful worry," he told the Daily Mail in 2012. "When Michael was born, Meryl Streep, who is a pal, looked at my son sleeping and she said, 'You know you're a hostage now for the rest of your life?'. That's absolutely true, no matter what age they are, they're still going to be your little boy or your little girl. And you are a hostage to love." In February 2023, Neeson and Daniel made an adorable appearance on "Watch What Happens Live," in which Neeson admitted that his "birds and the bees" talk was their most awkward father-son moment.
Jeremy Allen White is a freshly single dad
With his acclaimed performance as chef Carmy Berzatto on the Hulu series "The Bear," Jeremy Allen White's career is skyrocketing. The actor has already won a Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award for Season 1 of the show, and he has three films ready to hit screens in the near future. But while his professional life is at a high, White's personal one has been going less smoothly. The actor's wife Addison Timlin filed for divorce in May 2023, after less than four years of marriage. The couple — who met in 2008 and dated for over a decade before marrying in 2019 — has two children, daughters Ezer and Dolores. White is a new single dad, but we know very little about his personal life due to his lack of an online presence.
That is not to say we do not know anything, thanks in large part to Timlin. On Mother's Day 2023, Timlin made an Instagram post about the difficulties of being a single mother, without making mention of White at all. After backlash from followers, she subtly changed the caption's mention of "single mom" to "co-parent," though she is technically both of those things. Because White is so dreamy, we have high hopes that he is properly handling his side of things, especially since he called his daughters his "best friends" in a 2022 InStyle interview. "I learn a lot from them. I feel like in a lot of ways, they're teaching me all the time how to be better," he said.
Garrett Hedlund is a sexy single daddy of one
Garrett Hedlund has reportedly dated a fair number of Hollywood stars, but his most notable ex is Emma Roberts, with whom he shares a young child. Hedlund and Roberts started dating in early 2019, very soon after Roberts and longtime beau Evan Peters called off their engagement. Roberts gave birth to their son, Rhodes, in December 2020, but the pair only parented together for a short while. Us Weekly announced their split in January 2022, and published an article indicating the breakup was due to Hedlund's ongoing addiction issues. Hedlund was arrested for public intoxication shortly after his split from Roberts, two years after his arrest for DUI.
Both Roberts and Hedlund are rather private and so we have little details about their co-parenting relationship. But based upon a May 2023 music video that Hedlund made for his song "Day One," celebrating parenthood and released in conjunction with Mother's Day, they appear to be on good terms (Roberts and Rhodes are featured toward the end of the video). Though the couple is careful with what they post regarding Rhodes — Roberts called out her mother for showing his face in February 2023, which they had not yet done at that point — there are small traces of the youngster on Hedlund's Instagram. He was most recently featured in a photo from Easter 2023, and before that in a December 2022 birthday tribute. That Hedlund is busy working on both music and acting gives us hope that he is tackling his issues, one day at a time.