Hollywood is full of controversies. Many celebrities died young, many from Aids or Parkinson’s, Cancer, Died alone, Alzheimer’s, COVID-19, and Plane crashes. Although motherhood as a famous celebrity has always been quite celebrated. But things become complicated when it comes early. There have been multiple instances in the entertainment industry when young celebrities embraced motherhood. A lot of famous names are on the list. So, let’s explore these personalities and how they tackled the issues that came along with them.
1. Sofia Vergara
On September 16, 1991, Sofia Vergara, at the age of 19, became the mother of Manolol Vergara. A year prior to the birth, Vergara had married Joe Gonzalez.
Later, when Vergara was asked about her views on pregnancy, she commented that she wouldn’t want to go down the path again despite the technical advancements that have made the process easier.
2. Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou, an American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist, had her first child, Guy Johnson, at 16. When she was expecting, early pregnancies were quite looked down upon. However, she had a good supportive system that helped her tackle the challenges.
While talking with Oprah Winfrey, Dr. Angelou revealed that raising a baby and managing her career was difficult. However, the only person who made it easier for her was Vivian Baxtor Johnson, her mother.
3. Loretta Lyn
At just 16 years of age, Loretta Lyn became the mother of a daughter, Betty. She got married to her husband, Oliver Vanetta Lynn, at 15!
The late country music star had 4 children at the age of 20! Given the scale of her popularity, Lyn also found it difficult to juggle between her family and career. There were multiple instances when she had to miss out on important family holidays.
4. Anna Nicole Smith
Anna Nicole Smith’s early life was full of ups and downs. She married at 17, had her first child at 18, and was separated from her husband shortly after this.
5. Jamie Lynn Spears
Jamie Lynn Spears became a mother at 15, and this event eventually ended up impacting her mental health. Later, Spears revealed that it was a very dark period for her because everyone around her reminded of the grave consequences. People even suggested she go down the abortion pathway. However, the star remained steadfast in these hard times.
Of course, the backlash was extreme because, at that time, Spears was the main star of Zoey 101.
6. Whoopi Goldberg
Many know Whoopi Goldberg as a phenomenal actor, comedian, author, and television personality. However, many people fail to recognize her personal struggles.
Goldberg publicly spoke up about abortion laws in 1991. To support her statement, the star announced that at the age of 14, she was forced to use an extreme way to abort. And by the age of 25, she had to go through several abortions because the preventive measures at that time were not successful enough.
7. Niki Taylor
At age 19, Niki Taylor welcomed her twins. This was a tough phase of her life because motherhood at a young age came with various challenges.
Things were extra tricky for Taylor because she was also in an unsupportive marriage. She divorced her husband in her early 20s and had two young children to raise. However, the star mentioned that now she’s in a much better and loving relationship.
8. Naomi Judd
Naomi Judd and Wynonna Judd are two personalities who go hand-in-hand. However, people fail to look past their success and the challenges that led them to this level of fame.
Naomi Judd got pregnant with Wynonna Judd when she was just 17 years old. Later, as her marriage was falling apart, Naomi knew she had to secure herself financially. This prompted her to enroll in nursing school. These tough years made the Judd family strong. Wyonna pretty much developed an interest in her field during this time. And the rest is history!
9. Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple was a teen-bride and a teen-mom. She got married at 17 and had her first child at 19. The late actress eventually separated from her husband because of ‘mental cruelty.’
Being a child actress, Temple was known in the public. She was a household name that people looked up to.
10. Bristol Palin
In December 2008, Palin made headlines when she became the teenage mother of her son Tipp, who was 18 years old.
Bristol’s mother, Sarah Palin, who was the Republican vice presidential candidate at that time, made the news official. She publicly announced that Bristol and the young father of their grandchild will have their family’s utmost support.
11. Keisha Castle-Hughes
At the age of 17, Keisha Castle-Hughes gave birth to her first daughter Felicity-Amore Hill in 2007. Later in an interview, the actress reflected that things worked out for her because she had an amazing support system.
12. Fantasia Barrino
The talented singer Fantasia Barrino made headlines in the music industry with her impeccable vocals. But long before a musician she became a mother at the age of 17 to her daughter, Zion.
Around this time, she had dropped out of school and moved in with her abusive partner. It was a rough phase of her life as everything around her was giving up on her. But Barrino worked hard and became the singer that we know today.
13. Solange Knowles
In 2004, Solange Knowles, then 17, married Daniel Smith and welcomed her first child.
Like many other teen-mom celebrities she spoke up about her fair share of struggle. To make things sound less harrowing, she explained that prior to the birth many things seem impossible. However, after the baby is in this world, everything pretty much falls back into its place.
14. Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey, the self-made star, came from a humble background. Opening up about the past, she revealed that at a very young age she was molested which resulted in her getting pregnant at the age of 14. Unfortunately, her child was born prematurely and passed away in infancy.
Being a young child herself, Winfrey had to hide her pregnancy to avoid the backlash. The general public first learned about Winfrey’s pregnancy in 1990. Around this time, Winfrey was worried that the news might affect her career. However, nothing like this happened.
15. Emily Maynard
Maynard became a mother at 19. It was an unfortunate time for young Emily because the father of her child passed away in a plane crash. Shortly after this incident, she discovered she was expecting her first child. When the baby was born, Maynard named her Ricki in his honor.
She talked about how her initial years as a single mother were made extra hard because of postpartum challenges.
16. Jenelle Evans
On 2nd August, 2009, Jenelle Evans welcomed her first child, Jace Vahn, at the age of 17. It made headlines back in the day, because in this duration Evans was busy with her film ‘16 And Pregnant.’
Evans had her first child with Andrew Lewis. However, after a few years, the couple went separate ways.
17. Evelyn Lozada
Reality star Evelyn Lozada experienced her first pregnancy at the age of 17. She named her child Shaniece. While talking about her motherhood with BET, the star touched on her pregnancies. She compared motherhood at 17 and at 40. Lozada recalled that when she was a teenage mom, she was quite fearless, which made her fierce and willing to take on challenges.
18. Natalia Vodionova
The successful Russian model Natalia Vodionova is an icon in the industry. However, many don’t know that she had to juggle her growing career and motherhood.
Natalia got pregnant with her first child at the age of 19. She welcomed her son Lucas with ex-husband Justin Portman. Reflecting on her journey, the star revealed that the decision seemed natural to her.
19. Jourdan Dunn
The run-way star, Jourdan Dunn, became pregnant at the age of 18 with her son, Riley. An year prior to this pregnancy, Dunn was already breaking barriers and making herself a brand. According to the star, the most surprising moment for her was when she found out about her pregnancy.
Surprisingly, Jourdan Dunn embraced motherhood and simultaneously polished her career.
20. Aretha Franklin
The famous late American singer, songwriter, and pianist Aretha Franklin became a mother at 12! She gave birth to her first child and named him Clarence. The star later revealed that her son’s father was Edward Jordan.
Moreover, 2024 has been a good luck charm for several celebrity moms who welcomed their babies in 2024. So, that was a brief run-down of all the celebrities who became mothers in their teens. Stay tuned for more such celebrity-related news!
