Is Hallmark's Luke MacFarlane A Dad? Meet His Daughter Tess

Luke MacFarlane has gone from playing a father onscreen to actually experiencing daddy-hood with his partner, Hig Roberts. The openly gay actor surprised his fans last year when he announced that he and the alpine skier had welcomed their first child together via surrogate. Posting a snap of their newborn daughter on Instagram, the "Brothers & Sisters" star publicly introduced Tess Eleanor MacFarlane to the world. "Tess Eleanor Macfarlane ... We started life with some hectic days and received world class care. On Father's Day we got to take her home. Her Dads can't wait to introduce her to all the remarkable people and the beautiful world we live in," he said. His post came with additional shots and clips of the new father cradling Tess in his arms as he lovingly stared at the newborn. 

MacFarlane is not usually so open with fans when it comes to his personal life — especially when it concerns his romantic relationships. In a 2017 cover story interview for In Magazine, MacFarlane made it clear that he has no intentions of ever discussing his love life publicly, saying, "Yeah, I'd rather not. I don't like to talk about my personal life in interviews." He also told The Juilliard Journal in 2008 that the idea of letting the world into his private life scares him, explaining, "I've never been interested in revealing intimate details about my life." However, it appears that MacFarlane is starting to be just a bit more open with fans now that he is officially a dad.

Tess Eleanor MacFarlane was among the celebrity babies who were born in the year 2023. According to Luke MacFarlane, his daughter with partner Hig Roberts was born on June 4, 2023, via surrogacy. In his post announcing Tess' birth, friends and fans of MacFarlane expressed their joy for the new parents, with fellow Hallmark star Bethany Joy Lenz writing, "Luuuuke!! You were made for this. I'm so so happy for you." Actor Ali Sweeney also congratulated the couple, saying, "This is incredible news!! I am SO happy for all three of you!!!!!! Congrats." Meanwhile, Billy Eichner — who worked with MacFarlane on the 2022 romance comedy film "Bros" — expressed his support for the pair by leaving a series of red heart emojis under the post.

Speaking with the Advocate while promoting his new Apple TV+ series "Platonic," MacFarlane said he first got a taste of parenthood while working with a bunch of young actors on-set. "As an onset father, when you have a bunch of young adults on set with you, they are treated like every other actor, except they are very young," he explained. "You become a bit responsible for check-in and making sure they know their lines, what are you gonna do, and where are you going to move." But as much as he loved working with kids, MacFarlane said it can be a lot of work. 

Luke MacFarlane has always wanted to become a father. The actor previously discussed the idea of having his own family with Logo while promoting "Brothers & Sisters" with his co-star Matthew Rhys in 2010. In the show, MacFarlane played Scotty Wandell, a restaurateur who falls in love with Rhys' character, Attorney Kevin Walker, and they decide to get married and have kids together by way of surrogacy and, later on, adoption. When asked whether their roles in the series had made them consider the idea of becoming fathers themselves, Rhys said, "Yeah, I'd certainly like to be a parent." Meanwhile, MacFarlane answered: "Absolutely. One step at a time, I suppose."

At the time, MacFarlane also explained the importance of not just playing a gay couple onscreen, but a gay couple wanting to start a family of their own. "I think we're actually telling the story about how gay people do have babies, and that's a really interesting story. People don't know about surrogacy and [blastocyst] and stuff," he said. Would he mind raising a child who isn't related to him by blood? MacFarlane said not at all. "My family looks like a collection of strangers," the actor — who has a twin sister named Ruth Scott — explained. Either way, it's safe to say that having Tess is a dream come true for the actor.