To Celebrate National Single Parents Day, Here Are 21 Celebrity Moms and Dads Who Are Crushing It

Mar 21, 2019 8:00 am

By Emy LaCroix

It doesn’t matter how many nannies, assistants, or housekeepers you have — being a single parent is still difficult. Whether they’re widowed, doing it all on their own because the other parent is an absentee, or even coparenting successfully, it’s still tough to raise your kids on your own, but these 21 celebrities are doing a damn good job with it. From Khloé Kardashian to Diddy and more, scroll through the gallery below to see some amazing single moms and dads.

1 of 21

Angelina Jolie

It’s clear that Brad Pitt wants to play a bigger role in his kids’ lives, but that doesn’t change the fact that they still spend the majority of their time under the care of their mom. Angie travels all over the world with her not-so-little ones in tow, and fosters all of their creative interests like a champ.

2 of 21

Bristol Palin

This Teen Mom OG star is now raising three kids from two different fathers by herself. Dakota Meyer is totally still part of their lives, but Bristol spends the most time with them after her divorce.

3 of 21

Britney Spears

Britney has done an amazing job with her two beautiful boys, despite a rocky start. As a matter of fact, when her kids were young she lost custody to ex Kevin Federline. Though details of their custody arrangement at this point are still unclear, it’s obvious she spends tons of time with them and loves her boys very much.

4 of 21

Colin Farrell

“I’m no longer excited by the idea of working on films back-to-back and living the high life in the best hotels in the world. I’m a loving father who takes his responsibility very seriously and I am completely devoted to giving my sons the best life possible,” the doting dad once told Ok! Magazine. “My children have given me purpose in my life and I embrace it wholeheartedly. 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.”

5 of 21

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano is a father of four kids, and yet the public only knows the mother of one of them! Until he got with his girlfriend Georgina, he was a single father to his son. Then, just before his girlfriend gave birth, he welcomed two children via surrogate! It’s rare that we see a man have kids alone, which makes him even more special.

6 of 21

Halle Berry

“[I’m] taking a little break [from dating],” Halle said in 2018. “I’ve been enjoying that. I’m just with my kids and I’m really taking time to think and reflect, and trying to figure out how to make different choices and just have a minute to be with myself.”

7 of 21

Jamie Foxx

Jamie is head-over-heels for his daughter Corinne, and the two are super close. Not only do they post pics together all the time, but she also worked alongside him on Beat Shazaam season 2!

8 of 21

January Jones

To this dad, January has never revealed the father of her child. Instead, she raises son Xander all on her own. “It’s good to have strong women around a man to teach him to respect women,” she said in Red in 2017. “He doesn’t have a male person saying ‘don’t cry’ or ‘you throw like a girl,'” the actress explains. “All those s–tty things that dads accidentally do.”

9 of 21

Katie Holmes

Katie went to extreme lengths to become a single parent after her relationship with Scientologist Tom Cruise soured. She’s done everything to protect her daughter Suri, and they couldn’t be any closer!

10 of 21

Khloé Kardashian

Koko did everything in her power to avoid being a single mom, including forgiving ex Tristan Thompson for cheating on her when she was about to give birth. Unfortunately, his second bout of infidelity in February 2019 was too much to forgive. Luckily, she has tons of support from her family, and she couldn’t be any more obsessed with her sweet daughter True!

11 of 21

Liv Tyler

“I always dreamed of being a mother ever since I was a young girl,” she told Marie Claire UK in 2012. Despite raising her first child alone, she did a damn good job with him. “I’m always trying to figure out what’s best for [Milo] as a person,” she said. “The kind of person I want him to be. The values I want him to have. Much as I love my friends and LA, I want him to have more of an East Coast upbringing. The sense of community. Walking to school four blocks away.”

12 of 21

Madonna

Madonna had two biological children and adopted a son with her ex Guy Richie, but went on to adopt three more children on her own after they split up! Now with her brood of six, she’s still the best mom they could ask for.

13 of 21

Michelle Williams

Michelle tragically became a single parent when Heath Ledger died in 2008. The couple had allegedly split before he passed away, but being completely alone is certainly worse than simply being separated. Michelle has done an amazing job raising their beautiful daughter on her own, with the help of godparents Busy Philipps and Jake Gyllenhaal.

14 of 21

Mindy Kaling

Fans were shocked when Mindy revealed she was pregnant, because she wasn’t connected to anyone. And guess what? She still isn’t! Mindy has kept her baby’s paternity a secret and is raising her child how she sees fit.

15 of 21

Ricky Martin

Ricky used a surrogate to have twins of his own in 2008. Since then he has gotten married and had a third child via surrogate, but he did a great job raising his babies alone until he met Jwan Yosef in 2016.

16 of 21

Sandra Bullock

Sandra has adopted two children on her own. “When I look at Laila, there’s no doubt in my mind that she was supposed to be here,” she told People. “My family is blended and diverse, nutty, and loving and understanding. That’s a family.”

17 of 21

Sean Combs

Though Diddy and his baby mama Kim Porter broke up in 2007, but they remained close friends and coparents until she tragically died in 2018. Diddy is a devoted father to his kids, and has only grown more protective in her absence.

18 of 21

Sheryl Crow

“Adopting my boys — that’s just been the biggest everlasting event that has informed everything, and really for the better,” Sheryl told People about her boys. “I didn’t want to spend any more nights away from home,” Crow says. “When you have kids, your priorities definitely change. I really felt consistency is the most important thing.”

19 of 21

Sofia Vergara

“I was really young when I divorced [Manolo’s] father, so I raised him trying to set the best example and give him the best that I could,” she said of her now-adult son. “When people compliment me on him, on how well mannered, how charming, funny and well-behaved he is, it makes all the sacrifices worthwhile.”

20 of 21

Taraji P. Henson

“I think we try to do our best. And yes, we can do it all, but I wouldn’t wish being a single parent on my worst enemy,” Taraji told Redbook in 2016. “It is not easy.”

21 of 21

Usher

Believe it or not, Usher has had full custody of his two sons after a court battle with Tameka Foster in 2013.

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