It’s been well documented that not all famous people love being celebrities. Some absolutely hate their fame, while others eat it right up and crave the limelight. Some stars are really into sharing the details of their lives, and a lot of them like to keep things private. Most Hollywood celebs, however, are in agreement that they want their innocent kids to be left alone. These are some of the stars who are the most protective of their kids…
Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson passed away nearly nine years ago, and his kids have grown up a lot since then. His daughter Paris Jackson is frequently spotted on the best red carpets, but it wasn’t always that way. Back in the day, Michael was known for the crazy lengths he went to in obscuring his kids’ identities. He made them wear masks or veils in public, which led to some truly absurd paparazzi pictures. Probably the best disguise ever was when they had to wear Spider-Man masks. Keeping their privacy is important, but I’m pretty sure this didn’t make the kids feel any more normal, just a guess.
George & Amal Clooney
George Clooney waited a long time to become a father, and now that he has, he wants to be super private about it. Amal Clooney gave birth to their twins in June of 2017, and the couple has kept their kids very private. Last year, George responded angrily after a magazine invaded their privacy to get pics of the kids: “[they] scaled our fence, climbed our tree and illegally took pictures of our infants inside our home.” This sounds terrifying, and no one should have to deal with it. Clooney promised to prosecute the photographers, and I don’t blame him.
Bethenny Frankel
Bethenny Frankel is best known for sharing her life on The Real Housewives of New York City, but certain things are off limits. Bethenny’s daughter Bryn has never appeared on the show, and is only spoken about in general terms. This likely has to do with Bethenny’s nasty divorce and custody battle, which have resulted in stalking charges against her ex. When dealing with issues like this, it’s best not to mess around with TV cameras. Hopefully Bryn is able to enjoy a normal childhood without worrying about the drama.
Kristen Bell & Dax Shepard
In recent years, many stars have become outspoken about the toll the paparazzi takes, particularly on children. Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard have helped lead the fight against unauthorized photos. Their efforts led to several publications vowing to stop publishing the kids’ photos, which is an important step. Bell has spoken in interviews about how terrifying it is to be walking with your kids and hear strange men shouting at you for a picture. This couple’s two kids are definitely in good hands.
Adele
Even though Adele has built her career on singing about relationships, she remains an intensely private person. When she gave birth to her son, Angelo, in 2012, no one even knew about the pregnancy until the last two months. She waited a long time before announcing the baby’s name and has never posted a photo of him. In fact, she and her husband once sued a publication for publishing paparazzi photos of their son. Just because Adele sings about her life doesn’t give us permission to intrude in on it.
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez is usually generous with the press, but not when it comes to her kids. She’s a good sport about taking pictures and answering questions, but her beautiful twins are not an acceptable topic. She’s spoken in interviews about how photographers camp outside her house, and the can’t respect that they often seek out photos of her family. Taking photos while walking down the street is one thing, but cameramen hanging out at private homes to take pics of kids is just gross. Everyone has the right to enjoy their private space.
Kerry Washington
To this day, we have no idea what Kerry Washington‘s kids look like. On Scandal, they hilariously tried to cover up her most recent pregnancy with lamps, bags, and coats, but her real-life motherhood has been a more successful coverup. Washington’s wedding to former NFL player Nnamdi Asomugha happened in secret, and they’ve taken a similar approach to raising their kids. In the world of Hollywood, it’s pretty impressive that not a single photo of their kids has ever surfaced. Maybe someday we’ll see them, but don’t hold your breath.
Nicole Richie
Let’s just say Nicole Richie has come a long way from her days on The Simple Life with Paris Hilton. She’s a successful businesswoman, has amazing style, and also seems like the perfect mom. She’s been married to Joel Madden since 2010, and they have two beautiful children together. The couple isn’t afraid of posting social media pictures of their kids now and then, but it’s definitely limited. Nicole’s public persona is all about being fun and spontaneous, but she’s not taking any risks when it comes to raising her kids right.
Halle Berry
Halle Berry has used her star power to try and get the government to pay attention to important issues. In 2013, she testified before California legislators in support of legal restrictions on the paparazzi. “These are little innocent children who didn’t ask to be celebrities. They didn’t ask to be thrown into this game, and they don’t have the wherewithal to process what’s happening.” Halle understands that she’s in a position to help make a change, and she’s fighting for a better future for her and her Hollywood colleagues.
Jessica Biel & Justin Timberlake
There’s no doubt that Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake really love their son, but they don’t talk about him too much. Silas was born in April 2015, but glimpses of him have been few and far between. Instead, his parents usually keep it professional and shy away from revealing too much about their family life. We’d love to see more of this cutie, but also it’s obviously his parents’ call. Who knows, maybe he’ll follow in his dad’s footsteps and appear on the Disney Channel in a few years!
Zoe Saldana
Zoe Saldana doesn’t mind showing the world her gorgeous kids, but she tries to be mindful of how she does it. When she posts them on social media, it’s usually from an angle that hides part of their face, so that they still remain somewhat private. She’s been open about her concerns, saying “I just don’t want 16 years from now to get ‘You are so disrespectful. You invaded, you exposed me, and I wasn’t ready.” That’s such a respectable way of thinking about it. Zoe also surprised the world by announcing recently that she had a third child via surrogate, which she kept a complete secret until after the baby arrived.
Ashton Kutcher & Mila Kunis
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis were both pretty young when they got famous on That ’70s Show, and maybe their two kids will follow in their footsteps. For now, however, they want to keep things as private as possible. One time, photos of their daughter Wyatt got published without their permission, and Ashton was very unhappy about it. He tweeted that he wants his children’s identities kept private for safety reasons, which makes total sense. If no one knows what your kids look like, it makes it much harder for them to be targeted.
Kristin Cavalleri
Kristin Cavalleri might have another E! reality show in the works, but we don’t expect to get any shots of her and NFL quarterback Jay Cutler’s little ones. The Hills star has only ever shown the back of her three kids’ heads on social media and refuses to give the public a full-on glimpse of them. She’s even said she wouldn’t approve of her children doing a Laguna Beach-esque reality show, telling Us Weekly, “I wouldn’t let them do a reality show until they were 18 and they could make their own decision.”
Jennifer Garner
It can be tough to separate the kids from the drama of the parents. The divorce of Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck became very public after rumors surfaced he was allegedly cheating with their nanny. But just because the parents are going through a tumultuous time doesn’t mean kids are fair game for discussion. Garner is very protective of her three children, and she also testified in 2013 about the detrimental effects of the paparazzi. “My three children are private citizens and more than that — at one, 4 and 7 years old — they’re just little kids.”
Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman is one of the best actresses in the world, but she likes to keep her personal life private. Seeing her pregnant at an awards show is pretty much the most info you’ll ever get about her kids. She and her husband Benjamin Millepied rarely speak about their relationship or their children, but Natalie has said that motherhood has changed her for the better. Natalie isn’t highly sensitive about photos of her with her kids getting published, but she’s also not out there posting lots of pics. Sometimes it’s okay to fall somewhere in the middle of the photo privacy spectrum, as long as you’re also protecting their rights.
Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are one of the cutest couples in Hollywood, and they light up any red carpet together. They’re not nearly as open with their kids. Both times they’ve had a baby, they’ve waited months before even announcing the name. As you can imagine, it takes something really special for the couple to bring them out in public. They made their official debut when Ryan got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Ryan spoke about the privacy surrounding his kids, saying that he doesn’t want them to grow up and be critical of the choices their parents made. These kids are going to have as normal a life as possible.
Ryan Gosling & Eva Mendes
It’s hard to find any couple in the world as private as Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling, let alone two A-list stars. They’ve only ever attended a couple events together, and they tend to skip red carpets altogether. When it comes to their kids, forget about it. A few paparazzi photos of their two daughters have leaked over the years, but the couple remains intensely private. Unlike many celebrity couples, they’re not on Instagram bragging about their kids or posting adorable shots. I’m dying to see cute pictures of Ryan Gosling being a dad, but it seems like it’s not going to happen.
Emily Blunt & John Krasinski
Emily Blunt and John Krasinski have never been too secretive about their relationship, even working together in the hit A Quiet Place. That being said, they feel differently about their two daughters. When their first daughter, Hazel, was born in 2014, John introduced her to the world with a photo on Twitter, saying that pictures of kids should only come from the parents. That’s a not-so-secret jab at the tabloids. Even today, John’s Instagram is full of cute pictures with Emily, but their kids are nowhere to be found.