Childless Celebs: A-Listers Stars Who Don't Have Kids Reveal Why Youngsters Will NEVER Be For Them — From Anjelica Houston to Anna Kendrick and Helen Mirren
Nov. 4 2024, Published 9:30 p.m. ET
Anjelica Huston
Speaking with The Guardian, Anjelica Huston shared not having a child "was probably for the best."
She said: “I would probably have been miserable. When I talk about my mother and not wanting to echo that relationship, I think it would’ve probably been very much the same way. I would have been a stay-at-home mum, and he’d have been off, doing what he did. And that’s never really been me, either. I’m too noisy. I suck up too much air, myself.”
The Addams Family actress was married to Robert Graham from 1992 until his death in 2008.
Anna Kendrick
Now 39, Anna Kendrick has been open about not wanting to have kids as she thinks "children are not for me."
She said: “You know, if I have kids, it’s just another kid that your kid is going to have to fight when the water wars come. The zombie apocalypse is coming, and with my genes I don’t think [my children] would really last.”
The Pitch Perfect star, however, admitted on the "Armchair Expert" podcast that she made embryos with her unidentified "toxic" ex-boyfriend before ending their relationship.
Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken and his wife, Georgianne Walken, have been married for over 50 years but they never had any kids, as he believed he would not be as successful as he is now if they became parents.
He explained: “I’m sure many of the kids I knew as a child would have continued in show business, but they had kids of their own, had to do something dependable. I didn’t, so I could get by even in periods of unemployment."
Dolly Parton
Like many other celebrities, Dolly Parton does not have any children with her husband, Carl Dean — something she doesn't regret.
In her interview with Saga Magazine, the "Islands in the Stream" songstress said having kids was not one of the "burning things" for her.
She added: “I had my career and my music and I was traveling. If I’d had kids. I’d have stayed home with them, I’m sure, and worried myself to death about them.”
She also revealed on The Oprah Conversation on Apple TV+ that she would not be able to do certain things if she had kids.
Helen Mirren
In 2013, Helen Mirren spoke candidly about being child-free during her interview with British Vogue.
She said: “It was not my destiny. I kept thinking it would be, waiting for it to happen, but it never did, and I didn’t care what people thought… It was only boring old men [who would ask me]. And whenever they went, ‘What? No children? Well, you’d better get on with it, old girl,’ I’d say ‘No! F--- off!'”
Jennifer Aniston
After going through heartbreak after heartbreak, Jennifer Aniston learned how to handle things amid pressure to have children.
She said: “I don’t have this sort of checklist of things that have to be done and if they’re not checked then I’ve failed some part of my feminism or my being a woman or my worth or my value as a woman… You know, I’ve birthed a lot of things."
In 2016, she penned a Huffington Post op-ed where she discussed the non-stop pregnancy speculations and slammed tabloids for claiming she was having a child at the time.
Part of her article read: “Here’s where I come out on this topic: We are complete with or without a mate, with or without a child. We get to decide for ourselves what is beautiful when it comes to our bodies…. We don’t need to be married or mothers to be complete. We get to determine our own 'happily ever after' for ourselves.”
John Cena
John Cena has long declared he does not want to have a child.
During his appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, the wrestler-turned-actor explained why he would like to remain child-free.
He said: "I really enjoy my life. I have been riding a lightning bolt for quite some time now. I have been given opportunities to do some things that man, I didn’t even dream of, and I had some pretty lofty dreams."
Kamala Harris
Vice President Kamala Harris does not have kids, but she is the "Momala" of her two stepchildren, Cole and Ella Emhoff.
Keanu Reeves
Keanu Reeves, who has been dating Alexandra Grant since 2019, told Esquire in 2017 he would not have any kids because he was already in his 50s. The John Wick actor, however, lost his daughter, Ava Archer, due to stillbirth in 1999.
Kim Cattrall
In 2003, Kim Cattrall revealed to O, the Oprah Magazine how she dealt with questions about having children.
She said: “I try not to listen to the shoulds or coulds, and try to get beyond expectations, peer pressure, or trying to please — and just listen. I believe all the answers are ultimately within us. I realized that so much of the pressure I was feeling was from outside sources, and I knew I wasn't ready to take that step into motherhood.”
Catrall also shared on BBC Radio that there would be another way to become a mother aside from having a name on a child's birth certificate.
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue's cancer diagnosis led her to not to have children. Despite sharing her thoughts in her interviews, the public continuously grilled her on the topic.
She said: "Trust me, there’s a point when the next person who says, ‘Well, there are so many options,' you want to scream. Of course, it’s great there are options. It’s marvelous! But when you’re dealing with all the other stuff and things that you took for granted are taken away from you, it’s like, yes there are options, but…”
The "Can’t Get You Out of My Head" singer was given the all clear in 2006 after undergoing radiotherapy, chemotherapy and a partial mastectomy.
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio has a long dating history, but he has yet to tie the knot with someone and welcome kids.
But in his interview with Parade, he expressed his desire to start a family.
He said: “In saying that, I realize I am contradicting everything I’ve said before. I absolutely believe in marriage."
Mickey Rourke
Iron Man 2 actor Mickey Rourke has been married twice — to Carré Otis and Debra Feuer — but never had kids.
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey does not have kids with her long-term partner, Stedman Graham. She informed Good Housekeeping U.K. she would not have been a good mother to babies if she ever had kids.
She said: "I don't have the patience. I have the patience for puppies, but that's a quick stage! But this is so rewarding."
Seth Rogen
Both Seth Rogen and his wife, Lauren Miller, knew having kids wasn't in the cards for them.
The actor said: "I wouldn't be able to do all this work that I like. People are always like — it's something I think I was uncomfortable answering this before — but they were like, 'How do you do so much?' The answer is I don't have kids. ... I have nothing else to do."
Rogen also disclosed that Miller, whom he wed in 2011, wants kids less than he does.