Recently, it seems like there’s a new celebrity announcing they’re expecting or there’s some rumor being ignited about someone being pregnant every other day. While some A-list pregnancies are controversial because the mama-to-be is in her teens, others are eyebrow-raisers because the woman in question is deemed by the public as “too old” to carry children.
While it’s true that conceiving a baby over the age of 40 increases the risk of pregnancy complications, there’s a stigma simply because it’s rarer – and biologically more difficult – to get a bun in the oven when you’re over the age of 40. But plenty of women beat the odds and give birth to happy, healthy babies in their 40s.
16. Susan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon is a woman who shows that you can be an older mom and still have a big family. She had her first child, Eva Amurri, with Franco Amurri when she was 39 years old. In 1989, Susan had son Jack Henry Robbins with Tim Robbins. She was 42 at the time. In 1992, the couple had another son, Miles Robbin, making Susan 45 years old when she gave birth for a third time.
15. Halle Berry
Halle Berry is one mama who had her first child when she was in her 40s. She gave birth to daughter Nahla Ariela Aubry on March 16, 2008, making her 41 at the time. She welcomed her second child, Maceo Robert Martinez on October 5, 2013, when she was 47 years old. She opened up on Ellen about the shock of her second pregnancy, “I was, you know, on my way … this is probably way TMI, but I was really, you know, kinda premenopausal so to have this happen was a huge [shock].” Yeah, we’ll say!
14. Salma Hayek
Like Halle, Salma Hayek was another one who became a mom for the first time in her 40s. The Mexican-American actress welcomed Valentina Paloma Pinault with now-husband Francois-Henri Pinault in September 2007 when she was 41 years old. She has previously said that she thought she was too late to become a mom. Never say never… She also revealed that she wasn’t surprised about the pregnancy, but was surprised she was able to get pregnant without the use of any IVF or anything like that.
13. Tina Fey
Tina Fey welcomed her first daughter, Alice Zenobia Richmond when she was still in her 30s. Five years after giving birth to Alice, Tina and husband Jeff Richmond welcomed Penelope Athena Richmond on August 10, 2011. Do the math and you’ll see that the comedienne was 41 when she gave birth for a second time.
12. Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman had adopted two children, Isabella Jane Cruise and Connor Anthony Cruise, when she was with Tom Cruise in the 1990s. After separating from Tom and marrying Keith Urban, she got pregnant with daughter Sunday Rose Kidman Urban and gave birth in 2004 when she was 41. Keith and Nicole later welcomed a second daughter, Faith Margaret Kidman Urban, via surrogate on December 28, 2010.
11. Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore and Bart Freundlich welcomed their first child, Caleb Freundlich on December 4, 1997. In 2002, they welcomed daughter Liv Freundlich, making Julianne another member of the “moms who had a kid at 41” club. FYI: Liv already looks like a mini me of her mama.
10. Meryl Streep
There is a lot of Meryl Streep DNA floating around given the legendary actress has four kids with husband Don Gummer: Henry Wolfe, Mamie Gummer, Louise Gummer and Grace Gummer. Meryl had three of the kids in her thirties, but Louisa was born on June 12, 1991, just ten days shy of Meryl’s 42nd birthday.
9. Marcia Cross
Marcia Cross had a TV family when playing Bree Van de Kamp on Desperate Housewives. And it was while she was on the show she became a mother in real life. Marcia gave birth to twin daughters Savannah Mahoney and Eden Mahoney on February 20, 2007, making her 44 years old at the birth. She and partner Tom Mahoney had only gotten married in 2006 and her real pregnancy was written in as a fake pregnancy to the show so they didn’t have to bother with hiding her baby bump.
8. Beverly D’Angelo
Beverly D’Angelo, aka Ellen Griswold from National Lampoon’s Vacation, gave birth to twins Olivia Pacino and Anton James Pacino on January 25, 2001. The actress was 49 at the time. In case you haven’t figured it out, the twins’ father is in fact Al Pacino. There were rumors that Beverly had used donor eggs to carry the twins, but nothing was every confirmed.
7. Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson made headlines when it was revealed that she was pregnant at 50. There were reports that the pregnancy wasn’t the easiest, but she gave birth to a healthy son named Eissa Al Mana with partner Wissam Al Mana on January 3, 2017. If you’re wondering, the couple was working with a fertility specialist.
6. Mariah Carey
Forget about 40, it seems that 41 years old is one of the magic ages for celebrities having babies. Take Mariah Carey for example. The singer gave birth to twins Moroccan Scott Cannon and Monroe Cannon on April 30, 2011 when she was — yes — 41 years old. It was reported that it was a difficult pregnancy with Mariah and then-partner Nick Cannon having to deal with infertility issues, gestational diabetes, miscarriages, and preeclampsia.
5. Rachel Zoe
Mom-of-two Rachel Zoe had her first son, Skyler Morrison Berman, with husband Rodger Berman when she was 39 – just shy of the 40-year-old cutof. In 2013, the super stylist announced that she was pregnant with the couple’s second son at 41 years old. She gave birth to Kaius Jagger Berman in December 2013.
4. Brooke Shields
Everybody knows Brooke Shields for her famous modeling gigs from the 1980s and for those gorgeous eyebrows, but were you aware that she had a baby in her 40s? The model gave birth to daughter Rowan Francis Henchy in 2003 when she was still in her 30s. Following the birth of her daughter, she was candid about experiencing postpartum depression. In 2006, Brooke and partner Chris Henchy welcomed a second daughter, Grier Hammond Henchy. Brooke was 41 at the time.
3. Geena Davis
Before you ask, Geena actually doesn’t fall into the “41” club. The Thelma and Louise actress had her first child, Alizeh Keshvar Davis Jarrahy, on April 10, 2002 when she was 46. Two years later, Geena and husband Reza Jarrahy welcomed twins Kian William Jarrahy and Kaiis Steven Jarrahy on May 6, 2004, making her 48 years old. It has been reported that the actress didn’t undergo fertility treatments.
2. Jennifer Connelly
Jennifer Connelly is another actress who doesn’t seem to age. She, along with her equally ageless husband Paul Bettany, welcomed a daughter, Agnes Lark Bettany, in 2011 when Jennifer was 40. The actress previously had son Kai Dugan in 1997 with David Dugan. Additionally, Jennifer and Paul had son Stellan Bettany in 2003.
1. Gwen Stefani
When Gwen Stefani was married to Gavin Rossdale, they had three sons together. Kingston James McGregor Rossdale and Zuma Nesta Rock Rossdale, were born in 2006 and 2008, respectively, when the No Doubt singer was still in her 30s. On February 28, 2014, she gave birth to Apollo Bowie Flynn Rossdale when she was 44 years old. Given that Gwen looks decades younger than her age, we won’t be surprised if you never picked up on the fact until now.