Choosing when is the best time to have a child is a personal decision. While some women want to have their children young, others prefer to wait until they are older. Many factors influence these decisions, including personal preferences, the stability of a relationship, finance, careers, lifestyle, and health.

Taking all these factors into consideration sometimes means that women decide not to have a child until they are in their 40s. Of course, there are also women who have struggled to conceive for many years, and they become a parent for the first time much later than they had originally planned. Here are 20 female celebrities who had children in their 40s.

20. Mary Stuart Masterson

Mary Stuart Masterson is a theater, film, and television actress who is best known for films such as ‘Fried Green Tomatoes,’ ‘Immediate Family,’ ‘Some Kind of Wonderful,’ ‘At Close Range,’ Benny & Joan,’ and ‘Chances Are.’ The actress has been married three times.

She was married to George Carl Francisco from 1990 to 1992. She was then married to filmmaker Damon Santostefano from 2000 to 2004. However, Masterson did not have any children with her first two husbands. Masterson’s third husband is actor Jeremy Davidson. She gave birth to their first son, Phineas Bee, at the age of 43. Masterson then gave birth to twins, son Wilder and daughter Clio, when she was 45.

19. Helen Hunt

Actress Helen Hunt had waited to get pregnant until she was in her 30s, then found it much more difficult to get pregnant than she had anticipated. She and her then-boyfriend, producer Matthew Carnahan, actively tried for a baby for several years with no success. They had begun to talk about the option of adoption when Hunt became pregnant in 2003. When she gave birth to their daughter, Makena Lei, Helen Hunt was 40. Unfortunately, Hunt and Carnahan split in 2017.

18. Tina Fey

Tina Fey is a Golden Globe-winning comedian and actress who made a conscious decision to have her second child in her 40s. In 1994, Fey met and began dating pianist and composer Jeff Richmond. The couple married in 2001, and they have two daughters, Alice Zenobia and Penelope Athena.

Their second daughter was born when Fey was 41. The couple made the decision to have a baby at that time as they wanted to prioritize having a family over their careers.

17. Molly Ringwald

Molly Ringwald is an actress best known for her role in the cult coming-of-age film ‘The Breakfast Club,’ The actress married French writer Valery Lameignere in 1999, and they divorced in 2002. Ringwald has no children from that marriage. Ringwald then married Greek-American writer and book editor Panio Gianopoulos in 2007.

Prior to their marriage, the couple became parents to a daughter in 2003. Although the couple had no problems conceiving their daughter, they found it much more difficult the second time around. After having surgery to remove fibroids, the couple had twins Adele and Roman in 2009 when Ringwald was 41.

16. Geena Davis

Actress Geena Davis is a mother of three, and she gave birth to all three of her children in her 40s. In an interview with Good Housekeeping Davis said she believes becoming a mother at this stage in her life made her a better parent. All three children are from her fourth marriage to plastic surgeon Reza Jarrahy.

Their daughter, Alizeh, was born in 2002. They then had twin sons, Kaiis and Kian, and 2004. Davis and Jarrahy are no longer together. Although Jarrahy filed for divorce, Davis claims that their marriage was never legal.

15. Iman

Like many women, Iman has experienced parenthood at different life stages. She first became a mother in her 20s when she had her daughter with Zulekha from her marriage to NBA star Spencer Haywood. There was then a huge gap before she became a mother for the second time.

Iman married the late pop star David Bowie, and they had a daughter, Alexandria, together when Iman was 45. Bowie and Iman had tried for a baby and failed to conceive naturally, so they tried IVF and considered adoption. Eventually, Iman fell pregnant naturally, and she described it as a miracle.

14. Rachel Zoe

Fashion designer Rachel Zoe and her husband Rodger Berman had their first son, Skyler when Zoe was 39. Zoe admitted that the pregnancy was unplanned but that they were delighted. The couple was unsure if Zoe would be able to fall pregnant again. Fortunately, three years later, they welcomed their second son, Kaius, when Zoe was 42.

13. Gwen Stefani

Gwen Stefani was famously in a serious relationship with fellow No Doubt band member Tony Kanal for seven years. She then met Gavin Rossdale, the lead singer and guitarist of Bush, in 1995, and they married in 2002, although they divorced in 2016. Together, the former couple has three sons.

Their first son was born in 2006, followed by a second in 2008. When their third son was born in 2014, Stefani referred to him as her miracle baby as she was 44. Stefani began a relationship with country music artist Blake Shelton in 2015, and they married on his Oklahoma ranch in 2021.

12. Madonna

Madonna was married to actor Sean Penn from 1985 to 1989, although she has no children from that marriage. Between 1985 and 1997, she was in a relationship with fitness trainer Carlos Leon, and they had a daughter, Lourdes ‘Lola’ Maria Ciccone Leon, who was born in 1996.

Madonna’s second marriage was to film director Guy Ritchie, and they were married from 2000 to 2008. It is from this marriage that Madonna had her biological son, Rocco, who was born in 2000. Madonna was 42 when her second child was born. The internationally famous singer also has four adopted children; David Banda, Mercy, and twins Stella and Estare.

11. Kim Basinger

Despite marrying twice and having a long-term partner, Kim Basinger has only one child and did not become a mother until she was in her 40s. The actress was first married to Ron Snyder from 1980 to 1989. She then married actor Alec Baldwin in 1993. Basinger and Baldwin have one daughter together, Ireland, who was born in 1995 when Basinger was 41.

The couple divorced in 2002. Since 2014, Basinger has been in a relationship with hairstylist Mitch Stone, whom she met when he styled her hair on a movie set.

10. Eva Mendes

Eva Mendes is an actress, model, designer, and businesswoman who is known for her roles in films such as ‘2 Fast 2 Furious,’ ‘Ghost Rider,’ ‘Last Night,’ ‘The Other Guys,’ and ‘Girl in Progress’. She was married to George Augusto from 2002 to 2010 but had no children from that marriage. Mendes then married actor Ryan Gosling in 2011. Their first daughter, Esmerelda, was born when Mendes was 40, while Mendes gave birth to their second daughter, Amada when she was 42.

9. Salma Hayek

Actress and producer Salma Hayek is married to French billionaire and Kering CEO Francois-Henri Pinault. The couple met in 2006 and became engaged in March 2007. In September of the same year, Hayek gave birth to their daughter, Valentina Paloma, at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.

At the time, Hayek was 41-years-old. The couple then married in Paris on Valentine’s Day 2008, then renewed their vows in Venice later in the same year. Hayek believes that becoming a mother in her early 40s has made her a better parent as she was in a good place in her life and felt fulfilled.

8. Jennifer Connelly

Jennifer Connelly is a mum of three who had one child in her 20s, one in her 30s, and one in her 40s. She first became a mum in 1997 when she was in a relationship with photographer David Dugan, and they had a son together. Connelly then married actor Paul Bettany in 2003 in a private family ceremony in Scotland.

Their son was born in 2003, followed by their daughter in 2011. Connelly was 41 when she had her youngest child. Connelly, Brittany, and their family originally lived in Tribecca but now live in Brooklyn Heights.

7. Meryl Streep

Another celebrity who had kids in her 40s is Meryl Streep. The actress and singer is married to sculptor Don Gummer, and the couple has four children together.

Their only son, Henry Wolfe, was born in 1979. The couple then had their first daughter, Mary Willa ‘Mamie,’ in 1983, followed by another daughter, Grace Jane, in 1986. Streep’s youngest daughter, Louisa Jacobson, was born in 1991 when Streep was 41. Meryl Streep’s son is a musician, while her older two daughters are actresses, and her youngest daughter is a model.

6. Brooke Shields

Brooke Shields was married to tennis player Andre Agassi from 1997 to 1999, but they had no children together. The actress then married television writer Chris Henchy in 2001. They have two daughters together, and their second daughter, Grier, was born when Shields was 40.

Shields says that they struggled to conceive and had multiple rounds for fertility treatments and IVF. Shields is now a spokesperson for Fertility Lines, which provides information and support for those who are struggling with infertility.

5. Nicole Kidman

When Nicole Kidman was married to Tom Cruise, she suffered a traumatic ectopic pregnancy. The experience led Kidman and Cruise to adopt two children, Isabella and Connor. Towards the end of their marriage, Kidman fell pregnant naturally but suffered a miscarriage.

Kidman had given up hope of conceiving naturally when she married Keith Urban, so she was surprised to become pregnant and then give birth to daughter Sunday Rose in 2008 when she was 41. Four years later, the couple had their second biological daughter, Faith Margaret, via a surrogate, says Women’s Health Magazine.

4. Christie Brinkley

Christie Brinkley had her first son, Alexa Ray Joel, in 1985 from her second marriage to musician Billy Joel. She then had another son, Jack Paris Brinkley, in 1995 from her third marriage to real estate developer Richard Taubman. Although she already had two children, model Christie Brinkley began to have problems when trying for a third child.

She suffered two miscarriages, and she and her fourth husband, Peter Cook, were devastated. They decided to try IVF and went on to have their daughter Sailor Lee in 1998. At the time, Brinkley was 44-years-old.

3. Susan Sarandon

Susan Sarandon and her then-boyfriend Franco Amurri, an Italian filmmaker, became parents in 1985. Sarandon gave birth to their daughter, Eva, when she was in her late 30s. The actress was then in a relationship with Tim Robbins, and the former couple had two sons together.

Sarandon gave birth to Jack when she was 42, and she was 45 when Miles was born. In an interview with Time Out New York, Sarandon said that she had been diagnosed with endometriosis when she was younger and thought that she could not have children.

2. Halle Berry

Award-winning actress Halle Berry was in a relationship with French-Canadian model Gabriel Aubry when she gave birth to a daughter, Nahla when she was 41. She was then shocked to discover she was pregnant again six years later during her relationship with French actor Olivier Martinez.

At the time, Berry was premenopausal, so the unplanned pregnancy came as a shock. Berry gave birth to her son, Maceo, when she was 47.

1. Julianne Moore

According to Harper’s Bazaar, one female celebrity who had a child in her 40s was actress Julianne Moore. The actress had her son, Caleb, in her late 30s. Moore and her film director husband, Bart Freundlich, then had a daughter, Liv, together when Moore was 41.

Talking about her parenting style, Julianne Moore says that she tries to keep her children grounded and to make sure they live a regular life.

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