Stars Who Had Kids When They Were Really Young

The following article includes mentions of sexual assault, child abuse, addiction, mental health issues, and attempted suicide.

Though many Hollywood celebrities pursue parenthood in their thirties and forties, there are a lot of stars who became moms and dads when they were very young — some still kids themselves! Their paths may have been challenging and unconventional (according to the CDC, teen birth rates have been on a steady decline in the U.S. since the early '90s), but these actors, musicians, and entertainment icons each, in their own way, overcame adversity and beat the odds to make an impact on the next generation.

Some of these legendary figures overcame heartache and trauma as teen mothers. Other A-list movie stars continued to grow their careers as they raised their little ones. And other celebrities put their babies up for adoption, only to encounter them again later in life. From athletes to musicians to reality stars, let's look back at the circumstances surrounding these often unexpected pregnancies and find out what these parents and kiddos are doing today. These are the stars who had kids when they were really young.

Bristol Palin made waves in 2008 when it was revealed that she was expecting a child at age 17. The news made headlines because her mom, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, was running for vice president of the United States as a republican preaching conservative Christian family values, such as abstinence. Bristol and then-boyfriend Levi Johnson tried making it work, welcoming Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston-Palin (above) in December 2008. The young parents split in 2010, after stirring up a whole lot of additional controversy, including spreads in Playgirl and a contentious custody battle, per E! News.

Bristol became an advocate for the Candie's Foundation, speaking out against teen pregnancy. In March 2015, she got engaged to U.S. Marine Dakota Meyer, but a couple months later, they called off the wedding just days before walking down the aisle. In June 2015, Bristol announced that she was pregnant with Meyer's child, assuring the world it was planned this time. In December 2015, she gave birth to daughter Sailor Grace Palin Meyer. By January 2016, she and Meyer were locked in a bitter custody war ... and by June 2016, they were married. Then they had another daughter named Atlee Bay Meyer in May 2017.

In 2018, Bristol split from Meyer and joined the cast of MTV's "Teen Mom OG," telling "Good Morning America" that she's "been a huge fan of the show forever" and that "God gave me a platform and I need to use it."

NBA all-star LeBron James grew up fast. By high school graduation, the standout athlete had already graced the cover of Sports Illustrated, and during his rookie year in the pros, he found out he was going to be a father. James' girlfriend, Savannah Brinson, was a senior in high school when she got pregnant. In a 2010 interview with Harper's Bazaar, she recalled that pivotal moment in their teenage lives. "I was thinking, 'What am I going to tell my parents? What's going to happen to his career?'" she said. "I was very scared. I was bawling. But he said, 'It's not going to slow me down, and it's not going to slow you down. We're going to keep doing what we have to do.'"

LeBron James Jr. was born in 2004; Bryce Maximus James followed in 2007; and daughter Zhuri James arrived in 2014. James and Brinson wed in 2013. Being an MVP to his children is important to LeBron, who has talked openly about his struggles growing up in a single-parent home. He launched the LeBron James Family Foundation and works with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America in an effort to connect kids with positive role models.

There's having kids young, and then there's Aretha Franklin. The soul legend passed away at age 76 in 2018 of pancreatic cancer, leaving behind four children, the first of which she gave birth to when she was still a child herself. Franklin was just 12 years old when she welcomed her first son, Clarence. He was fathered by a friend from school named Donald Burk and named after Franklin's preacher father, according to David Ritz's 2014 biography "Respect" (via The Sun). 

Aretha's father, C.L. Franklin, was a minister at the Bethel Baptist Church, which was once dubbed a "sex circus" by the late, great Ray Charles, according to the Daily Mail. Unfounded rumors even circulated that C.L. was the father of Aretha's baby. The Queen of Soul gave birth to another boy when she was 14 — just around the time that her career was taking off. Her second son was named Edward after his father, Edward Jordan, though there were unsubstantiated rumors that fellow soul singer Sam Cooke was Edward's real dad. 

The legendary singer later gave birth to two more sons: Teddy Jr., whose father was her manager and husband for a while, and Kecalf Franklin Cunningham, whose father was her road manager for a spell. All of Aretha's children have inherited touches of her musical genius.

Tabloids went berserk when Britney Spears' baby sister had a baby. Jamie Lynn Spears was just 16 and starring on Nickelodeon's "Zoey 101" when she revealed she was expecting with then-boyfriend Casey Aldridge in 2007. The kids network quickly, but cordially, distanced itself from Jamie Lynn's growing belly and her controversial on-again, off-again romance with Aldridge, who was nearly two years her senior. She gave birth to daughter Maddie Briann Aldridge in 2008. After splitting from Casey in 2010, Jamie Lynn moved to Nashville and eventually released a country album. In 2014, she married businessman Jamie Watson, owner of Advanced Media Partners.

When asked about the controversy surrounding her teen pregnancy, Jamie Lynn told Tinseltown Mom in 2014, "Being a mom in general is hard, no matter your age. So, I will never let my age be an excuse to be any less of the mother that my daughter deserves." She added, "I think the hardest thing was knowing there were young girls who looked up to me, and wouldn't understand this." 

Jamie Lynn told the blog she'd like to have more children someday — and later welcomed daughter Ivey Joan Watson in 2018 — but she doesn't want them to become child stars. "I would support anything my child is passionate about," she said. "But ... I would not let her sign one contract or make it 'work' for her until she was 18 and could make that choice herself. My job is to keep her protected from the 'grown-up' stuff till she is 18."

Rapper Lil Wayne was just 16 when his daughter, Reginae "Nae" Carter, was born. By the time Nae reached that age, she was already a fixture in the spotlight, having starred in a rather memorable episode of "My Super Sweet 16." Not only did Nicki Minaj perform live at her party, Nae also received two new cars from her dad — a BMW and a Ferrari. "I'm daddy's little girl, and he showers me with anything I want," she admitted (via MTV News). "I'm gonna shut Atlanta down."

Nae (who received a promise ring for Christmas from boyfriend Armon Warren in 2022) was the target of a death hoax that went viral in 2008. The prank claimed she perished in a car crash, and her famous father was forced to respond, calling the story "completely false and unfounded." Nae and daddy dearest have remained close. She's even featured on her dad's hit 2018 album, "Tha Carter V," laying down the chorus for "Famous."

Wayne now has four children by four different women. Speaking to GQ in 2011, the rap star said he planned to retire at age 35 so he could focus solely on his kids, though that landmark has come and gone, and he doesn't seem to be slowing down.

When Oprah Winfrey realized she was pregnant at only 14 years old, she tried to hide her growing belly. In an emotional video on "Oprah's Lifeclass," she spoke about her tumultuous childhood, which was rife with abuse, molestation, and rape. Winfrey's baby died in the hospital soon after its birth.

For decades, Winfrey kept her pregnancy a secret, until a relative sold the story to a tabloid in 1990 for $19,000. "Only my family and closest friends knew," Winfrey stated in response in O magazine (via the New York Post). She had feared the truth would damage the career she'd worked so hard to achieve. "I imagined that every person on the street was going to point their finger at me and scream, 'Pregnant at 14, you wicked girl ... expelled!'" Instead, to Winfrey's surprise, "No one said a word ... not strangers, not even people I knew. I was shocked. Nobody treated me differently. For 20 years, I had been expecting a reaction that never came."

Though Winfrey has no biological children, she has dedicated herself to improving the lives of children at risk, particularly young girls. In 2007, she launched the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.

Most people recognize Roseanne Barr for her unapologetic stand-up comedy, self-titled sitcom "Roseanne," and firing from the series' 2018 reboot amid controversy, but did you know this firecracker of a funny gal struggled mightily as a teenager? She dropped out of high school and was living nearly destitute when she gave birth to her first daughter at age 18 and made the difficult decision to put the infant up for adoption.

In the years that followed, Barr tried to protect her child's privacy, but as the comedian's fame intensified, the press uncovered her secret and even tracked down her daughter in 1988. Barr reportedly pleaded with the media and paparazzi to kill the story, unfortunately to no avail, per the Chicago Tribune. Barr and her firstborn, Brandi Brown, have since developed a warm and tight-knit relationship. Recalling their reunion for People in 1989, Barr said, "She's a really cool kid. I saw a lot of me in her. She's intuitive, trusts her perceptions and feelings and listens to what's not spoken. That's how I've lived my life."

Barr's brood now includes three daughters, three sons, and grandkids, too.

"American Idol" winner Fantasia Barrino endured some incredibly dark times prior to fame. At age 14, she was reportedly raped at her high school and taunted by some classmates about the attack. "I didn't even cry my way home," she told VH1's "Behind the Music" (via MTV News). "I was numb, very numb, confused. I just felt nasty. Disgusting." 

Barrino entered a rebellious stage after her ordeal, partying hard to hide the pain. This partying led to an unexpected pregnancy — the future star was just 17 when she realized she was carrying Brandel Shouse's baby. "He was somebody I was crazy about," Barrino said. "The first guy who showed me attention." They brought their daughter, Zion, into the world together, but their relationship later disintegrated.

Life after "American Idol" has been a roller coaster for Barrino. Appearing on the show reportedly kickstarted a cycle of depression that led to an attempted suicide in 2010, but she thankfully managed to work through this mental health struggle. The following year, Barrino welcomed her second child, Dallas Xavier, into the world. She married Kendall Taylor in 2015 and has made it her mission to help other struggling young mothers and women find happiness like she has. "Love is there," Barrino told Essence. "It's out there and there's somebody for everybody."

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.

Speaking with The Tot, supermodel Natalia Vodianova spoke of growing up in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, a city that has a rich cultural heritage but is encircled by what she called "very poor and dangerous suburbs." As such, the proud mom revealed that her childhood was a million miles away from the life her kids live today. "My sister, Oksana, has cerebral palsy, and for my mother, looking after her was very difficult," Vodianova said. "My father left when I was little. It was a very tough upbringing." However, watching her mother struggle didn't deter Vodianova from starting her own family at a young age.

"I was only 19 when I gave birth to Lucas, my first-born," she said. "His birth was an intense but very beautiful experience." The supermodel declined an epidural, insisting that the birth be a natural one, believing it would help strengthen herself as a new mother. She has since adjusted that way of thinking. "I never went back to that 'Mother Nature' style again, but I was so happy that I got to experience what it was like for women centuries ago," she said.

Vodianova now has five children. Lucas was followed by Neva, Viktor, Maxim, and Roman, who gave the family quite a scare when he arrived in 2016. "I had placenta detachment three months into pregnancy and had to lay down for a month and a half to keep Roman healthy," the model and philanthropist revealed to The Tot.

Reality star Emily Maynard was shattered when she lost her boyfriend in a plane crash at age 18, but the emotions were compounded when she found out she was pregnant with his child shortly after his passing. The North Carolina girl gave birth to their daughter, Ricki, on her own, but she refused to give up on finding love. Maynard appeared on Season 15 of "The Bachelor" and won, receiving an offer of marriage from Brad Womack. It didn't last, however, and neither did her subsequent engagement to Jef Holm, who she met when she returned to "The Bachelorette" in 2012. At that point, Maynard started to believe that she would never be a bride.

"I gave in to the idea that maybe marriage and that life was not for me," she told People in 2017. "I really had to come to terms with the fact that maybe it was going to be just Ricki and me forever. Then I met Tyler, and I knew that was not the plan." The new Mrs. Tyler Johnson wasted no time expanding her family — they had three boys in less than three years. "I've always wanted a lot of kids," she said. "I made it clear on our first day, 'Listen, my clock's ticking, and I'm ready to get on this!'"

Whoopi Goldberg was a 17-year-old in rehab when she fell for her counselor, Alvin Martin, and got pregnant. "Marrying seemed like a good idea at the time," she told the Daily Mail in a 2009 interview. The marriage didn't last long, so Goldberg moved with baby Alexandria to California to scratch out a living as an aspiring actor. After eight years of what she described as "living on the edge, existing on welfare," Goldberg began landing serious roles, including an Oscar-nominated lead in Steven Spielberg's "The Color Purple" and her Oscar-winning turn in "Ghost."

Like her mother, Alexandria Martin became an actor, producer, and a young mom. According to the Daily Mail, she was only 14 when she gave birth to a daughter named Amarah Skye. Now that Goldberg's grandchildren are getting older, she has joked that she's hitting the brakes. "I accepted the grandmother thing in my 30s," she said in 2009, "but great grandchildren I'm not doing!" Of course, Goldberg became the proud great-grandmother of Charli Rose in 2014.

Despite having no prior acting experience, New Zealander Keisha Castle-Hughes was cast to star in 2002's "Whale Rider." She was a revelation as the young heir to a Maori tribe, putting in a performance that the Academy couldn't ignore — the 13-year-old was nominated for best actress, becoming the youngest star to make the shortlist in that category at the time. Charlize Theron wound up winning that Oscar, and Castle-Hughes returned to a relatively normal life in New Zealand — until she made headlines for her life off-camera. 

Castle-Hughes was only 16 when she revealed that she was carrying her 19-year-old boyfriend's child. The Kiwi media went after her hard, dubbing her "New Zealand's Lindsay Lohan" and publicly shaming her for becoming a teen mom. "I kind of felt like a dirty girl who had done something wrong," she told Vanity Fair. "No one was happy for me. I didn't want to become the poster girl for teenage pregnancy, but I wasn't focused on that or what other people were thinking, I just did the best I could." 

The actor — who now counts "Star Wars" and "Game of Thrones" among her credits — said she wouldn't change a thing, telling Vanity Fair, "Having Felicity was the best thing that ever happened to me."

Former NBA and reality TV star Lamar Odom was only just coming to the end of his teenage years when he found out that his girlfriend was pregnant. According to the Daily Mail, his daughter, Destiny (above), was born in 1998, the year before he was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers. Odom and his partner, Liza Morales, welcomed their second child, Lamar Jr., into their family in 2002, and a third child named Jayden in 2005. Tragically, Jayden succumbed to sudden infant death syndrome (the unexplained passing of a seemingly healthy baby, usually during sleep) at six months old.

Dark days followed. "I leaned on my spirituality," Morales told People. "I leaned heavily on my family, my friends." Odom turned to cocaine to help dull the pain, as he later detailed in The Players' Tribune, and in 2015, the basketball great had suffered a series of strokes and heart attacks during a near-fatal overdose.

Along the way, Odom convinced Khloé Kardashian to marry him – a lifestyle shift that was hard on his daughter. "When your dad's an NBA player that's already enough, but when he's marrying a reality TV star, things are so public and you don't have a private life anymore," a 17-year-old Destiny told People in 2017. Odom and Kardashian divorced in 2016.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

"Modern Family" star Sofia Vergara gave birth to her son, Manolo Gonzalez-Ripoll Vergara, in 1992 when she was just 19 years old. Manolo's father was her high school sweetheart, and the pair still co-parent. They even posed for photos together at their son's graduation from Boston's Emerson College in May 2015.

Manolo has dabbled in modeling and acting. According to HuffPost, by the time of his graduation, he had already acted in Head & Shoulders commercials (yes, he inherited his mom's magical hair), produced his own YouTube series called "My Life with Toty," and appeared in "Vergaraland," a reality series with his mother aired exclusively via Snapchat.

And although he's old enough to be a dad himself, it seemed like Manolo could become a big brother when he walked his mom down the aisle at her November 2015 wedding to "Magic Mike" actor Joe Manganiello. Prior to the ceremony, a 42-year-old Sofia told Redbook that she's not opposed to having more children. "Joe is younger than me," she said. "He's never had kids. How am I going to say no. I tell him if we're going to do this, we have to do it, like, now, because I don't want to be 50 with a baby."

Supermodel Niki Taylor was still a teenager when she gave birth for the first time, welcoming twin boys Hunter and Jake at the age of 19. "I always wanted a family and wanted to have kids early," Taylor told Hello! magazine. "I love being a kid, and I love my kids. They are everything." Things didn't work out with the twins' father (former football player Matt Martinez) but Taylor has continued to expand her brood. 

In 2006, she wed NASCAR driver Burney Lamar. "I looked at Burney and said to myself, 'This is the guy I'm going to marry,"' she told Us Weekly. They have two kids of their own together. Son Rex and daughter Ciel (above) appear to be close to their older brothers. Some of those kiddos are already following in their mother's footsteps. Hunter has walked the runway at Men's Fashion Week in New York, and Ciel took part in her first photo shoot by age 7. "She definitely would love to model," Taylor told the New York Post. "I didn't teach her, she just automatically is good [at posing]. We did a shoot together a while back for Russian Allure, and she loved it."

Shirley Temple rose to fame during the height of the Depression, becoming a welcome escape for the millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet. As a child star, she was Hollywood's biggest draw in the late '30s. "As long as our country has Shirley Temple, we will be alright," President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared at the time (via the Independent). "It is a splendid thing that for just 15 cents, an American can go to a movie and look at the smiling face of a baby and forget his troubles."

Better times lay ahead for the United States, but Temple had already peaked. It seems audiences wanted to see the cherub-faced child, so when the actor started to grow up, her opportunities diminished. At age 17, she said yes to a marriage proposal from soldier-turned-actor John Agar. They gave birth to a daughter named Susan before separating after about four years of marriage. Temple later gave birth to a son named Charles Jr. (pictured) with her second husband and "true soulmate," former naval officer Charles Black.

Temple and Black remained married until his death in 2005. Temple passed away in 2014 at age 85. "As a mother, she was devoted and generous, although she could be a little bit stern if we didn't behave," daughter Susan told Closer Weekly. "But family was a really, really important part of her life. She was all about her children and her husband."

Singer Dev had her daughter, Emilia, in December 2011 when she was 22, and she documented the experience with a self-titled MTV special. Dev told PrideSource in 2013 that being a mom hasn't curbed her lifestyle much. "I love being able to travel with my daughter or bring her to the studio or sit at home and watch Bubble Guppies for 10 hours on repeat," she said. "But what's really cool is that I get to go and still be sexy and still be 24 and still get to celebrate. I want my daughter, one day, to feel just as powerful and sexy. I can have family time and I can also wear hot pants and it's f***ing sick. That balance is awesome."

Dev also revealed that her daughter had been born with a defect in her abdominal wall thanks to a condition called gastroschisis, per Pop Dirt, which made childbirth particularly risky. Luckily, Emilia's congenital condition didn't stop her from growing into a happy young girl who can still be seen by her mom's side on Instagram.

Solange Knowles is probably still best-known for attacking Jay-Z in an elevator, which is a shame considering she's proven herself as an artist in her own right. Like her superstar sister, Beyoncé, Solange started singing and recording material at a young age, but all that had to be put on the back burner when she got pregnant at age 17 with her son, Julez. 

"It was one of the most bittersweet moments of my life, because I was so in love with Julez, and having spent a lot of time on the road, I yearned to be in one place, to have the opportunity to really ground myself with him," Solange told Elle. "And it was just Julez and me most of the time. It was hard to imagine being able to progress in my career in any way." Her marriage to Julez's father, Daniel Smith, didn't last, but all three still get along. Julez attended Coachella 2018 with his dad, who has often stepped up to help Solange co-parent.

Solange has dabbled in acting as well as music, continuing to evolve as an entertainer despite the nontraditional Hollywood timing. "Just going through a marriage and a divorce — which I essentially did by 21 — will give you an insane amount of perspective on life," she told Harper's Bazaar.

It may not surprise you that Charlie Sheen has a bunch of kids. It's usually his two daughters with Denise Richards (Sam and Lola) or his two sons with Brooke Mueller (Max and Bob) that end up in the news whenever he faces controversy, but what many people don't realize is that Sheen has a fifth, much older child. Cassandra Estevez was born when her dad was still a fresh-faced 19-year-old coming into his own in Hollywood. Sheen passed the acting bug onto her (he came to watch her perform on stage while attending Loyola Marymount University), but she didn't make her way into the Hollywood scene. 

Sheen was all smiles when he walked his eldest down the aisle in 2010, and despite his turbulent personal life, Estevez has stood by her father. "I love my dad is really all I can say right now," she told E! News in 2011, adding that the time wasn't right for her to come forward with her story. "Someday I will, but not now." We're still waiting for that story, but in the meantime, Sheen has proven himself more than capable of endlessly generating his own headlines.

Reese Witherspoon met her first husband, fellow actor Ryan Phillippe, at her 21st birthday party. "I think you're my birthday present," she brazenly told him (according to her father.) The pair hit it off and a whirlwind romance followed. Witherspoon was said to have been around six months pregnant when they tied the knot in June 1999, shortly after filming teen drama "Cruel Intentions" together. The "Big Little Lies" star was 23 when she gave birth to Ava Phillippe, who could legitimately pass as her twin.

"I think the way Ava and I are most alike is our strong opinions and our empathy," the Oscar-winning actor said in 2018. "From the time that she could speak, Ava has always had her own ideas, and I love to watch her express herself. She also cares deeply about her family and the world around her." Ava has even become the face of Witherspoon's Draper James clothing line.

Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe also welcomed a son named Deacon in 2003 before they separated. She welcomed her second son into the world almost a decade later, giving birth to Tennessee James (her first child with second husband, talent agent Jim Toth) in 2012. She's still acting on the regular, of course, but Witherspoon has also carved out a multi-faceted reputation as a producer.

The youngest member of the Jenner-Kardashian sisters was 20 when she had her first child. After hiding her pregnancy for nine months, Kylie Jenner announced the news in 2018 with the 11-minute YouTube video titled "To Our Daughter," introducing her daughter, Stormi Webster, to the world. The reality TV star also revealed that the father was boyfriend Travis Scott. "It's genuinely what I wanted ... to be a young mom," Jenner told Paper magazine the following year, reflecting on her first pregnancy. "I thought, 'This is what I want to do,' and if people accept it or don't accept it then I'm okay with every outcome."

And Jenner had her family's support as a young mother. "She wanted to start a family, she wanted to start it young. Fortunately, she's in a position where she can have a child and the child will be well taken care of," Caitlin Jenner reflected on the UK talk show "Loose Women" (via E! News), adding that Kylie — who welcomed a son in February 2022 — had the financial security she needed to be a mother. "You're better off waiting and there's no rush. I had my first child at 29, and I kind of had everything done."

Before she ever owned a guitar, Loretta Lynn was a struggling teen housewife who had left home and given birth to the first of her six children at age 16. "I've always loved being a mom more than anything," the country star insisted on Instagram in 2021, observing that she formed an intense bond with her children as a teenage mom. "Sometimes it seemed like we were raising each other as young as I was!" Her eldest, Betty Sue, was a songwriter who tragically died in 2013 due to complications from emphysema, per Today.

"She was first. It was Betty Sue who made me a momma," Lynn later wrote in that same Instagram post. Recalling those early years, the Kentucky singer added that Betty Sue was "more than a daughter; she was a best friend," thanks to their close age difference. "She's been gone for nine years and it feels like I haven't seen her or heard her voice in forever," Lynn continued. "How I'd love to sit down with her to talk a while, laugh, and sing together just one more time." 

While Betty Sue was 64 when she died, Lynn was understandably still struck down by grief. "Young or old, no parent should ever have to bury a child," she stated.

The Hanson brothers became overnight celebrities with their hit "MMMBop" in 1997 when middle brother Taylor Hanson was only 14. And the musician didn't just achieve fame at a young age: he also became a father in 2002 — when he was 19 and his new wife, Natalie Hanson, was 18. As MTV News reported, baby Jordan Ezra came into the world on October 31 of that year, five months after the couple's wedding. "We are so excited to start a family," Taylor told reporters at the time. "Having Ezra is the best thing we've ever done. Life and art are all about these moments."

He also insisted that welcoming a kid had altered his outlook. "Having a baby is a life-changer. It gives you a whole other perspective on why you wake up every day," Taylor told People a year later, joking about how different he felt from his brothers, Isaac and Zac Hanson. "They're awesome as uncles. But they haven't changed many diapers." Taylor and Natalie now have a clan of seven kids, per People: Jordan Ezra was joined by Penelope, River, Viggo, Wilhelmina, Indiana, and Maybellene.

"The job of being a dad is to sacrifice everything you want for that kid," Taylor explained to the outlet in 2022. "I may be in the middle of meeting some famous musician, but, sorry, I've got to call my daughter and talk to her about her day."

Anna Nicole Smith was only 18 when she had a child with her first husband. Born in Texas, the model had been kicked out from her home near Houston at age 15 and moved in with her aunt in a small town called Mexia. "When she went to school here, in Mexia, she was miserable," her childhood friend, Jo McLemore, later told ABC News. "She was having a hard time with being bullied." The future star subsequently dropped out of school and spent her time hanging around Jim's Krispy Fried Chicken, where she met the fry cook Billy Smith. The pair started dating and soon married. "Billy was also a high school dropout," McLemore said. "They were so young. He was 16. She was 17. Smith had her first child, Daniel, at 18."

When Anna later became a Playboy model, she made headlines by controversially marrying 89-year-old business tycoon J. Howard Marshall, making him Daniel's stepfather. "I loved him so much for what he did for me and my son," Anna told Larry King in 2002, per CNN. "I've never had love like that before." 

Her son met a tragic early death, however, when he overdosed at age 20 in 2006. A memorial was held for Daniel in Mexia by Anna, his biological father, Billy, and his extended family. Anna was understandably tormented by the loss of her son and died of an accidental prescription drug overdose less than a year later.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Rod Stewart lived up to his rock star reputation by having eight kids over the span of 47 years, creating a dramatic age gap between his youngest and eldest children. "I have to be several different fathers because of the different age groups of my kids," Stewart told People in 2021. "You really have to treat all of them as individuals with individual problems." He also reflected on how his priorities had changed since he first became a father. "What makes me happiest now is seeing all my kids and my wife with big smiles on their faces," the singer added.

Stewart first had a child as a teenager with his art school girlfriend, who was later adopted. The pair were only properly reunited decades later when daughter Sarah Streeter was 46. "She was put up for adoption when I was 17 or 18, I think," Stewart remarked on "The Joy Behar Show" in 2010 (via ABC News). "I was absolutely stone broke." Although Streeter reportedly found out her famous dad's identity at age 18, they started to have a real relationship later in life after her adoptive mom died. 

"Now I'm getting to know him more I think I understand what went on," Streeter commented. "Rod has actually come into my life in a big way since mother's gone, and I don't think that's a coincidence. Now we're at the start of a new chapter, and that's wonderful."

Kim Zolciak-Biermann loves to point out how much her daughter, Brielle Biermann, looks like her, thanks to the atypical age difference between the pair. "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" alum was only 18 when she had her eldest daughter, who has since been adopted by stepdad Kroy Biermann, per E! News. 

"Man, if you guys only knew how scared I was when I found out I was pregnant with her!" Kim joked on Instagram in 2016, alongside a picture of the mother and daughter looking like doppelgängers. She added that despite her fears, the birth of Brielle was "one of the best things that EVER happened to me" in hindsight. "I also will never forget how supportive my parents were when I told them I was pregnant!" Kim observed.

In another post, the reality star reflected on how much her life was altered by being a teen mother. While she noted, "I wouldn't trade it for anything," Kim admitted that she still dealt with stress and anxiety about her children's welfare, revealing that she was sometimes unable to sleep from worrying about her kids. "It's like I have my heartbeat beating outside my body," she described. "BUT it's God's greatest gift and I have NEVER, not for one second, taken that gift for granted."

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

Suzanne Somers is best known for playing Chrissy Snow on the classic sitcom "Three's Company," but before her acting career took off, she was a teenage mother. According to Us Weekly, the actor's marriage to Bruce Somers only lasted three years, in contrast to her long-lasting relationship with Canadian entertainer Alan Hamel. But that first marriage still gave Somers her only son, Bruce Jr.

"I gave birth to Bruce one month after my 19th birthday," the sitcom star wrote on Facebook in 2018, recalling how she made a vow in the delivery room to give her new baby a good life. "I worried being still a teenager that I didn't have the skills," Suzanne admitted, adding that little Bruce looked just as nervous as her. "I have spent my adult life trying my best to live up to that promise." The actor has described her son as "everything a man should be," calling him "a great husband, great father, profoundly successful and innovative and liked by everyone."

"When I look at the fine person he has become, I feel fulfilled as a person, as a mother, to have given life to one of the finest people I have ever had the privilege of knowing," the proud mom concluded, adding that she was grateful for "the profound privilege of loving him with all my heart."

Country singer Ted Nugent was a teenager when he and his girlfriend put up two kids for adoption. "We were very young and we were in love/lust," Nugent later explained, per The New Yorker. "More love than lust, but plenty of lust. And, oh boy! There's just a tsunami of adventure cravings at that age." They gave the babies to Catholic charities, and they were both adopted. His first son, who was born in 1968, didn't meet the singer until well into adulthood, after his younger sister, Louisa Savarese, tracked their dad down.

"His first words to me were 'Hello, son,'" Nugent's son, Ted Mann, told the New York Daily News in 2011, recalling how the musician had invited him out to his Texas ranch. "Within an hour of knowing him, he said, 'Let's go shoot some guns.'" Mann, who had become a New York restauranteur, was initially stunned by the revelation that his father was a celebrity and admitted that it was hard not to "just sit in my house staring at YouTube videos of him running around like a crazy person." He also invited Nugent to his restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and showed him around the city. 

"I've had a smile on my face for the past half a year," Mann added. "It's just been cool. He's kind of pumped up too."

Bindi Irwin touched a lot of hearts when she named her first child in honor of her late father, "The Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin.

"Our graceful warrior is the most beautiful light," the then-22-year-old wrote on Instagram in 2021, sharing a picture of her newborn baby, Grace Warrior Irwin Powell. "Grace is named after my great-grandmother ... her middle names, Warrior Irwin, are a tribute to my dad and his legacy as the most incredible Wildlife Warrior." Bindi added that there were "no words to describe the infinite amount of love in our hearts for our sweet baby girl," reflecting on the fact that little Grace was coincidentally born on the first anniversary of Bindi and her husband, Chandler Powell's, wedding.

Her mother, Terri Irwin, tweeted that Steve would have been overjoyed to welcome his granddaughter to the world, adding that Grace was "the next generation to continue his mission and message of conservation." And it seems like she's already inherited her late grandfather's love of animals: as The Daily Telegraph reported one year later, baby Grace spent most of her time crawling around with a giant tortoise named Igloo whom she had befriended. "[Steve Irwin] would've been a good, good grandpa," Bindi assured ET. "I don't think we would've ever seen our daughter. He would've just whisked her away into the zoo and it would've been perfect."

As a writer who thought it was important to tell young people the truth, Maya Angelou was open about her experiences as a teenage mother. "When I was 16, a boy in high school evinced interest in me, so I had sex with him — just once," she recalled in a 2001 essay titled "The Decision That Changed My Life: Keeping My Baby" (via Facebook), adding that she quickly discovered that she was pregnant. "I went to the boy and asked him for help, but he said it wasn't his baby and he didn't want any part of it." 

Although she was terrified, Angelou couldn't cope with the thought of getting an abortion, so she hid the pregnancy for months instead. Three weeks before her due date, her mother found out. "Do you love the boy?" Angelou's mother reportedly asked. When the teenager replied no, she declared: "Then there's no point in ruining three lives. We are going to have our baby!" Angelou added that her mother never made her feel ashamed about her decision.

"Guy was a delight from the start — so good, so bright, and I can't imagine my life without him," the writer added, admitting that they struggled in the early years when Angelou was working as a 17-year-old cook and waitress. "We lived hand-to-mouth, but it was really heart-to-hand," she insisted. "Having my son brought out the best in me and enlarged my life." When she later discovered that she couldn't conceive anymore, Angelou declared that her teenage pregnancy had been a miracle.

Brandy was already an established singer and actor when she had her first child in June 2002, but the multi-talent had a secret. The then-23-year-old claimed to be married when she announced her pregnancy on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," despite never actually tying the knot with her baby's father, producer Robert Smith. As MTV News reported, Smith revealed the truth in several radio interviews after he split from Brandy.

"At that time, being pregnant out of wedlock was not a trend," Brandy later explained on "Oprah: Where Are They Now" in 2014 (via HuffPost). "It was a sin." After Winfrey jokingly confronted her about the lie, "The Boy is Mine" hitmaker admitted that she felt the need to protect her own reputation at the time. "I felt the pressure of having to be perfect. And I was scared," Brandy confessed. "I thought that everything that I have worked hard for and everything that I worked to build — the image that I worked so hard to build — was threatened."

"I'm really sorry for that," Brandy added. "I mean, you just don't lie to Oprah!"

Tom Jones cemented his apparent reputation as a womanizer when he publicly acknowledged his love child for the first time in 2008, per Wales Online, nearly two decades after having an affair with model Katherine Berkery. "It wasn't something I had planned," he insisted of their son, Jonathan. It turns out that the star's first child was equally unplanned: Jones married his girlfriend, Linda, at 17 after she got pregnant with their first son, Mark.

"It gave me more drive. Because when you have a wife and child, you become a man very quickly," Jones later reflected in the Independent, recalling how much his life changed when he became a teen father. "I was about to turn 17, and she was just 16 when Mark was born. And all of a sudden it was like I was a foot taller straight away; it's a strange thing." Despite their slightly rushed wedding and his admitted infidelity, the "It's Not Unusual" singer stayed with Linda for 59 years. 

"All of those things, she lived through with me," Jones observed after her 2016 death. "She knew what I was trying to do, and she was 100 percent behind me. She said, 'Whatever I've got to do to help you get to where you want to go, or where we want to go, I will do it, we will do it.'"

Fans of One Direction were surprised when a 23-year-old Liam Payne announced that he was going to become a father in 2017. He and his then-girlfriend, Cheryl, who was 10 years his senior, had their son, Bear, that March. "It's a moment that I will never forget for the rest of my life," Payne wrote on Instagram at the time.

But in the 2019 documentary "Ant Middleton and Liam Payne: Straight Talking," Payne admitted that he struggled with this huge adjustment. "Becoming a dad at such a young age, it's such a difficult thing," he confessed (via the Mirror). "And I think I built fatherhood up so much in my head that it kind of messed me up to start with." The former 1D hitmaker added that he was scared by the level of responsibility, observing of Bear and his ex: "I think it spooked me out early on, and I was just worried I would not be enough to look after the both of them."

Payne also opened up about how much fatherhood had changed his life in his infamous 2022 interview with Logan Paul, praising Cheryl for handling their co-parenting situation so well. Although Payne revealed that he had already financially set his son up for adult life, he insisted that he didn't want Bear to follow in his footsteps. "The scariest thing for me is him waking up one day and going, 'I want to be famous,'" he observed, adding, "I know what it did to me. ... I also know that you can't put the lid back on."

Before she became a singer-songwriter, Patti Smith got pregnant at age 19 and put the baby up for adoption. "I was raised at a time when sex and marriage were absolutely synonymous," she recalled in her 2010 book "Just Kids," adding that "there was no available birth control and at nineteen I was still naive about sex." Smith decided not to involve the baby's 17-year-old father, who she described as "a boy even more callow than I."

"I knew there was nothing he could do. I also knew I was incapable of tending to an infant," she wrote, observing that her options were limited as a young woman in 1966. "I had sought the assistance of a benevolent professor who had found an educated couple longing for a child." Smith made up her mind to maintain her health and strength for the baby, leave teaching college, and pursue her dreams as an artist in New York City. 

Although she achieved fame and fortune, the "Horses" musician — who later welcomed two children with her late husband, Fred Smith — still thinks of the child she placed under adoption. According to an interview with The Australian Women's Weekly in 2019, Patti has prayed for them every day since their birth.

Naomi Judd's teen pregnancy led to one of the most famous mother-daughter teams in music history when the singer gave birth to Wynonna Judd at age 17, per PBS, only two weeks before her high school graduation. "My mama was an extraordinary parent under duress," Ashley Judd wrote for USA Today following the death of her and Wynonna's mother in 2022. "... But motherhood happened to her without her consent." The actor added that her mother shouldn't have had to handle that burden by herself. "She experienced an unintended pregnancy at age 17, and that led her down a road familiar to so many adolescent mothers, including poverty and gender-based violence."

For her part, it was decades before Wynonna learned her real dad's identity since she was raised believing that she and her younger sister Ashley shared the same father. "I was 30 years old and I found out, you know, part of my life that I thought this man who was my biological father is not. And it's Ashley's father," Wynonna explained on "Radio Andy." "You know what? I had a choice, I had to decide whether I was better or bitter."

Sadly, the younger Judds singer didn't manage to meet her biological dad before his death, although she discovered her half-brother, Michael, for the first time in 2020. "I pray he'll greet me in Heaven," Wynonna wrote of her father on Twitter in 2016.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).