10 Celebrities Who Decided to Not Have Kids

Many Hollywood celebrities have decided to not have kids, and they are also not afraid of revealing their reasons for why they don’t want them. A lot of them have received harsh criticism from the media and the public for their decision. Despite nobody really having the right to judge if you want to have kids or not, these celebrities justified their decision with more than one powerful argument. The reasons they gave vary from celebrity to celebrity, but they are all equally valid and worthy of consideration. They range from being scared of giving birth to protecting the environment.

Bright Side wants to reveal some of these reasons and talk about how these 10 courageous celebrities have decided to not become parents. We can tell you, it’s for sure food for thought.

1. Jennifer Aniston

After a rumor started circulating among the tabloids saying that she was pregnant, actress Jennifer Aniston, known for her role as Rachel in Friends, wrote an article and made a few statements that not only were extremely empowering, but that she has also repeated several times during interviews to show her conviction. You can read the original text here.

During an interview with Vogue in 2016 (the same year), the famous actress stated that she was upset by the public’s fixation with celebrities physical appearance and the presence or lack of kids in their lives. And in 2018 she added that when a woman decides not to become a mother, society sees her as a selfish person for wanting to focus on her career. “Maybe my purpose on this planet isn’t to procreate” is one of the most significant statements she gave during the interview that touched the world. She also expressed her discontent with the popular image women get when they decide not to marry or not to have children after a certain age, something that doesn’t happen with men who find themselves in the same situation. Her call to follow one’s dreams despite what society says, gives us food for thought.

2. Jon Hamm

Jon Hamm was in a relationship with actress Jennifer Westfeldt, also a Grey’s Anatomy scriptwriter, up until 2015, the same year in which she ended their relationship because she and Hamm disagreed on the topic of whether to have kids. The Mad Men star lost his mother at the age of 10 and his father at the age of 20, which explains why he doesn’t feel prepared to face the challenge of fatherhood, as he declared in Us Weekly. “I’d make a terrible father,” he concluded. On the other hand, he is very engaged with animal causes.

He and now ex-girlfriend Westfeldt adopted Cora, a mixed-breed dog, 17 years ago. In 2015, when he won the Emmy for his performance as Don Draper in Mad Men, he actually thanked his pet in front of the whole audience. That very same year, during an interview with People magazine, he confessed that doing that changed his life forever. Today, he has even joined forces with ShelterMeTV to promote animal adoption, specifically for mixed-breed dogs, instead of buying a purebred.

Many women wouldn’t mind having children with Jon Hamm one bit, who in 2012 was chosen as one of the hottest men alive by People magazine, together with actors Ryan Reynolds and Jesse Williams. Nevertheless, Jon Hamm might be right to focus all his time and efforts in promoting the animal cause. Do you agree with him?

3. Matt Dillon

Rather than being crazy and stupidly in love, like his character from There’s Something About Mary, actor Matt Dillon has been really picky when it comes to love.

We know that Cameron Diaz was his first true love, like he declared during an interview with CBS News, and that his relationship with her led him to reevaluate his most fundamental life choices, including marriage and having children. Nevertheless, after their break up, even if we’ve seen him “holding hands” with other girls, Dillon has basically remained single.

Still, when it comes to marriage, the actor that turned 56 in 2020 can (and probably will) still surprise us because since 2015 he has maintained a committed relationship with actress Roberta Mastromichele. Like he declared during an interview with the Daily Mail in 2017, they got engaged, and in 2019 they were seen on a very romantic date in Rome, but there’s still no clear date for the hypothetical, but still highly anticipated, wedding.

4. Renée Zellweger

When, in 2015, actress Renée Zellweger reemerged on the public scene by proudly walking around the streets of London with a big pregnant belly, fans were completely astonished. Many of those fans asked themselves why and how the actress changed her mind regarding having kids. Unfortunately, —or not— the baby bump that was on its way of becoming the scoop of the year wasn’t real. Zellweger was just wearing a pregnant costume that was part of the attire for Bridget Jones’ third release, Bridget Jones’ Baby. The Texan actress told Us Weekly that she accepted the role because of the personal admiration she had for the character. She said that her alter-ego, Jones, is always beyond social expectations and social pressure and that she always gets over what people think of her. The actress also thinks that having kids is chaos she’s just happy being an aunt, since she gets to leave. Even though in this part of the trilogy, the character is taken in the adventure that is maternity, Zellweger continues to think that a woman doesn’t need to have kids to find happiness.

5. Christopher Walken

Made popular by many movies and clips, among which Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon of Choice” where he showed his tap dance skills, actor Cristopher Walken, a born and raised New Yorker, has been happily married since 1969. He has a marriage that is to be envied: he and his wife live happily with their cats instead of having children, like he himself confessed to The Sacramento Bee during an interview. He also attributed his emotional and professional success precisely to him and his wife not wanting to have kids. When the journalist asked about his expectations for the upcoming years, the actor, who has dedicated his life to acting in movies and theaters —with German ascendance from his father’s side and Scottish from his mother’s side— said: “I’d like to continue (acting). I have no children, no hobbies.” He then added that, aside from cooking, acting is what drives him. He accepts any type of character, just for the sake of it and the pleasure of doing what he likes.

When it comes to cats, he feels closer to them than to people, he confessed in an exclusive interview during the promotional campaign for Nine Lives with Sensacine.

6. Kim Cattrall

Famous British actress Kim Cattrall confessed that about 20 years ago she had to choose between in-vitro fertilization and continuing to work on Sex and the City, where she played Samantha. Like we now know, she went for the second option. Despite sometimes regretting her choice, she confessed the following to Vanity Fair: “I think that maternal instinct is something that all women have, but obviously destiny, time, and luck don’t allow all of us to become a mother.” She also added that she has now become a mentor for younger actresses. “I don’t want to be your biological mom, but this allows me to be something in between a mother, an aunt, and a friend that is giving me back much more than what I give.”

7. Helen Mirren

This beloved British actress that is currently 74 years old declared during an interview for The Telegraph that not having kids, for our culture and especially for women, is a taboo. Whereas for Vogue UK (as quoted in Mail Online) added: “What? No children? Well, you’d better get on with it, old girl,” I’d say, “No! F*** off”!"

In a more comfortable setting with Mail Online, Mirren confessed that since she was very young, she suffered from tokophobia (the irrational fear of having to give birth), which is a more common condition than you might think. The tenacious actress said that, when she was a kid, she overheard her mom speaking on the phone with someone and telling them the details of her last labor, how painful it was, and since then, she hasn’t been able to forget it. Mirren, who has been married to director Taylor Hackford since 1997, might not have made it to where she is today in her career if she had become a mother.

8. Dolly Parton

The iconic Dolly Parton has designed her own doll line together with her theme park called Dollywood which can be compared with Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and thanks to which, she has become a role model for girls (and adults) all around the world.

But despite the fact that the singer and businesswoman has focused all her energy on making a successful career, she has also managed to find a successful balance with her philanthropist activities through the Dollywood Foundation, created to promote reading and country music, give grants and scholarships, and to financially help a great number of NGO, non-governmental organizations, that are dedicated to helping children and adults in need.

9. Winona Ryder

Actress Winona Ryder who, from one day to the next, became recognized as a pioneer icon of the Gothic subculture thanks to her part as Lydia Deetz in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice, has at times expressed her wish to become a mother, but now that she has turned 45, she has realized that motherhood might be something that belongs more to the characters she plays in movies and series, than to her daily life. She confessed to liking kids, and to being very warm and affectionate with them. That was one of the reasons that led her to work on Netflix’s Stranger Things, where she’s surrounded by kids. But overall, she believes that having children is a lot of work and if she decides to have one, she will have to take a break from work, which she fears will ruin her career.

10. Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio, famous for his relationships with women younger than 25, as the Daily Mail revealed, has declared himself an ardent defender of the environment and vegan cause. He has openly campaigned against animal abuse and for a greener future. His more than active participation via his Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation is very well-known and it could have even negatively affected his long-awaited Oscar award, which finally arrived with The Revenant.

DiCaprio uses commercial flights instead of flying using a private jet, he drives a hybrid-electric car, and has installed solar panels to power his house, according to the biography written by Douglas Wight. His speeches about politics and climate change are also very well-known. Even as he won the Oscar in 2016, his speech was centered around climate change.

When Rolling Stone interviewed him on January of that same year and asked about his thoughts on marriage and fatherhood, he said: “Do you mean do I want to bring children into a world like this? If it happens, it happens.” On the other hand he also said that because he had a difficult childhood, interacting with kids and seeing them suffer is the last thing he would like to see happen.

Did you know what these celebrities thoughts were on the matter of parenthood? What do you think about it? Do you agree with not having children or do you see no conflict between raising children and starting a professional project or a hobby? Let us know in the comment section!

Preview photo credit Mary Evans Picture Library / East News