Famous People You Probably Never Knew Were Adopted (2024)

Faith Hill

The country star wasadopted as an infantand raised outside of Jackson, Mississippi, with two older brothers. Her first foray into the music world was singing in the Baptist church her family belonged to. The rest, as they say, is history.

Nicole Richie

Nicole was raised in California by music legend Lionel Richie and his then-wife Brenda Harvey-Richie. Nicole's biological parents are often said to be friends of the couple and aone-time bandmate of Lionel, but it's never been confirmed. She was legally adopted at age nine.

Kristin Chenoweth

Chenoweth wasadopted at five days oldand raised by her adoptive parents, Junie and Jerry Chenoweth, in Oklahoma. The singing powerhouse started preforming at an early age in the church circuit before she even entered high school.

Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe was born to an unmarried mother and was soonplaced in various foster homes. At the age of 11, she lived with a family friend, Grace McKee Goddard, who eventually became her legal guardian. Monroe famously gotmarried when she was 16in order to get out of the foster care system.

Jenna Ushkowitz

The formerGleeactress wasadopted from Seoul, South Korea, when she was three months old. She was raised in East Meadow, New York, with her older brother, Gregg. She's the co-founder ofKindred: The Foundation for Adoption, which provides adoptees and their families with support, services, and resources.

Jamie Foxx

The actor wasadopted by his maternal grandmotherafter his parents split when he was just seven months old. He grew up in Terrell, Texas, and can trace his acting and singing career all the way back to singing in his local church choir.

Debbie Harry

The Blondie singer wasadopted by Richard and Catherine Harrywhen she was three months old. Long before she made a name for herself as a punk singer-songwriter at New York institutions like CBGB's and Max's Kansas City, she sang in church choirs in Hawthorne, New Jersey, where she grew up.

Ray Liotta

Actor Ray Liotta was adopted at six months oldby Mary and Alfred Liotta, who owned an auto parts store and were active in local politics. He was raised in Newark, New Jersey and has a sister, Linda,who was also adopted.

Sarah McLachlan

McLachlan wasadopted at a young ageand grew up in Nova Scotia, Canada. She tookvoice and guitar lessonswhile growing up. At the ripe old age of 17, she got her first recording contract offerwith her band, October Game. Even though that deal fell through, we all know she hit it big just a few years later.

Melissa Gilbert

The formerLittle House on the Prairiestar wasadopted at birthand raised in a show business family. Her adoptive parents (Paul Gilbert and Barbara Crane) were both actors, so it's no surprise that Melissa became a child star when she was only 10.

Kelly Preston

Preston's biological father tragically drowned when she was only three years old, and hermother remarried Peter Palzis, who later adopted Kelly. She was raised in Hawaii and Australia and eventually settled in California, where she attended the University of Southern California and studied drama and theater.

Frances McDormand

Actress Frances McDormand was born in Chicago, Illinois, and wasadopted at a young age. Her siblings were also adopted by the McDormand family, andthey moved frequentlyas Frances grew up. Frances began acting in Pennsylvania, where she graduated form high school and went on to study at theprestigious Yale School of Drama.

Colin Kaepernick

The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback was raised byadoptive parents Rick and Teresa Kaepernickafter being adopted in 1987 at five weeks old. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and hisbirth mother, Heidi Russo, was only 19 years old at the time.

Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi

TheJersey Shorestarwasborn in Santiago, Chile, and adopted at six months old by Helen and Andre Polizzi, who raised her in Marlboro, New York. Snooki has always known about the adoption and talked about it in avideo on her YouTube channel: "I was always meant to be with my adoptive parents⁠—which I hate saying adoptive parents because they're my parents, it's weird."

Steve Jobs

Steven Paul Jobs was born to Joanne Schieble and Abdulfattah Jandali in 1955. As an infant, he was given up for adoption and raised by Clara and Paul Jobs in California. At the age of 27, he was able touncover more informationabout his biological parents, who he found out later married and had another child together.

Simone Biles

At the age of three, Simone Biles and her sister, Adria, were placed in the foster care system. "Growing up, my biological mom was suffering from drug and alcohol abuse and she was in and out of jail," Biles said onDancing With the Stars. Shortly after Biles entered foster care, her maternal grandparents stepped in. Ron and Nellie Biles broughtSimone and Adria to live with themin Texas and in 2003 they legally adopted their grandchildren.

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela was only 12 years old when his father passed away from lung disease. Afterward, as a tribute to his father, Mandela wasadopted by Chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo, the leader of the Thembu people. He moved from his small village to the Chief's residence in the capital, where he received his education.

Lee Majors

By the age of two, both of Lee Major's parents, Carl and Alice Yeary, had passed away in separate accidents. He wasadopted by his paternal aunt and uncleand moved to Kentucky to live with their family.

Ice-T

Born Tracey Lauren Marrow, Ice-T was eight years old when his mother passed away and 12 years old when his father suffered a fatal heart attack. Afterwards, he moved to Los Angeles tolive with his aunt, who later legally adopted him.

Tim McGraw

Born to Betty Smith in 1967, Tim McGraw grew up under the belief that his stepfather, Horace Smith, was his biological father. He was 11 years old when he found out thathis father was actually professional baseball player, Tug McGraw, who left his mother when she was pregnant.

George Lopez

After George Lopez's father left when he was two months old and hismother leftwhen he was 10 years old,his maternal grandmother, Benita Gutierrez, cared for him. Gutierrez and her husband, Refugio, raised Lopez in Los Angeles.

Andy Dick

Comedian Andy Dick was born in Charleston and adopted at birth by Allen and Sue Dick. Dick was 40 years old when he met his birth parents—his mother, anunwed teenager from Texas, was sent to South Carolina to give birth. "There was a book about adoption calledThe Primal Wound," Dick toldHollywood Newsin 2014. "The first sentence says, just so you know, you have a primal wound that will never heal. I closed the book and never read it."

Sonny "Skrillex" Moore

Skrillex, whose real name is Sonny Moore, found out whenhe was 16 years oldthat he was adopted by family friends of his biological parents.

Jack Nicholson

Growing up in New Jersey in the 1940s, Jack Nicholson was raised by Ethel May and John Nicholson, whom he believed were his parents. It wasn't until he was 27 years old and aTimereporter interviewed himthat he discovered that Ethel May and John were his grandparents and his mother was June Nicholson, who he believed was his sister. By the time the actor discovered the truth, both his grandparents and biological mother had passed away.

Keegan-Michael Key

Keegan-Michael Key grew up in Detroit, Michigan, after being adopted at birth. His adopted parents divorced when he was young and his father later remarried. The comedian was 25 years old when hemet his birth motherfor the first time.

Gerald R. Ford Jr.

President Gerald Ford was 12 years old when he discovered that his "father" was actually his stepfather, who had legally adopted him as a child. He also learned his mother changed his name, which wasoriginally Leslie Lynch King Jr.to Gerald R. Ford Jr., after his stepfather.

Gary Coleman

Child star Gary Coleman wasadopted at birth by Sue and W.G. Coleman. Sadly, the actor ended up suing his adoptive parents over mismanaging his money while he was working as a child actor and was not in communication with them at the time of his death in 2010.

JC Chasez

When JC Chasez was born in 1976 and hisbiological mother knew she couldn't care for him, she turned to her former foster parents, Roy and Karen Chasez. They raised the future NSYNC singer andlegally adopted him when he was five years old.

Michael Oher

Former NFL offensive tackle Michael Oher was adopted by the Tuohy family as a high school student in 2004. Ohercame to know the Tuohysafter attending their children's high school, Briarcrest, in Memphis. The family's story caught the attention of Hollywood and inspiredThe Blind Side.

Bill Clinton

When Bill Clinton's father passed away three months before he was born,his mother turned to her familyto care for her baby when she went to study nursing in New Orleans. When she returned, she was remarried to Roger Clinton, who raised the future president as his own. When Bill Clinton was 15, helegally changed his surnamein honor of his stepfather.

Apl.de.ap

The Black Eyed Peas singer was born intopoverty in the Philippines. When he was 14 years old,an American sponsor, Joe Ben Hudgens, brought him to the United States and legally adopted him.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt was 10 years old when she and her two younger brothers were put into the care of their grandmother, Mary Ludlow Hall, and sent to live with her in Manhattan, New York. Her mother died of diphtheria when she was eight and her father, the younger brother of Theodore Roosevelt,died two years after her mother passed away.

Daunte Culpepper

Daunte Culpepper's biological mother was serving time in prison while she was pregnant with the future NFL star. When Daunte was only one day old, he was adopted by Emma Culpepper, who raised more than 15 adopted children throughout her life. "It was the best thing that happened to me in my whole life," Dauntesaid in an interviewwhen his adopted mother passed away in 2007. "I never really had a man in my life. She was my mother and my father."

John Lennon

John Lennon wasfour years old when his parents divorcedand, with hismother unable to care for him, he went to go live with his aunt, Mimi. He was 18 when his mother passed away in anautomobile accident in 1958.

Lance Armstrong

Lance Armstrong was born in Plano, Texas, in 1971 and was given the name Edward Gunderson. His mother, Linda, remarried when he was a young child and he waslegally adopted by his stepfather, Terry Armstrong.

Liz Phair

Singer Liz Phair was born in New Haven, Connecticut, before she was adopted by Nancy and John Phair and raised in Illinois. Her brother is also adopted. "My parents were very responsible. They said, 'We wanted you more than anything in the whole world.' They were perfect about it," Phair toldWomen's Healthin 2006.

Richard Burton

Richard Burton was born Richard Jenkins to an impoverished family in South Wales. He was the 12th of 13 children and lost his mother at the age of two. His father, a coal miner, couldn't care for him, so he went to live with his oldest sister, Cecilia. In 1943, he wasinformally adopted by his teacherand guardian, Phillip Burton, and when he turned 18 he took the surname Burton.

Eric Clapton

After his mother became pregnant at 16, Eric Clapton's maternal grandparents stepped in to raise him. The musician grew up thinking hisgrandparents were his parentsand they served as his legal guardians until he turned 18.

Ingrid Bergman

Hollywood film star Ingrid Bergman was only three days old when she lost her mother. Her father, Justus Bergman, was her primary caregiveruntil he passed awaywhen she was 12 years old. Ingrid then went to live with her aunt and later with her uncle and his family.

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