Celebrities Who Didn't Have Children

To Be Or Not To Be A Parent

More and more these days, people are choosing not to have children or otherwise not having them, and Hollywood is no exception. These celebrities haven't had kids.

Kidsgal

Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus hasn't had children, and apparently doesn't want them. In 2019, she said, "Until I feel like my kid would live on an earth with fish in the water, I'm not bringing in another person to deal with that."

Miley Cyrus in black t-shirt Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Kim Cattrall

SATC bombshell Kim Cattrall chose not to have children, and was open about her decision. As she put it back in 2003, "I realized that so much of the pressure I was feeling was from outside sources, and I knew I wasn't ready to take that step into motherhood."

Kim Catrall in green speaking to press Canadian Film Centre, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

John Cena

WWE star and actor John Cena and his wife do not want children, even as Cena is a big Make-a-Wish Foundation supporter and a lover of children. But Cena has said, "I think just because you might be good at something is not a strong enough reason to do that."

John Cena and wife at a premiere Silvia Elizabeth Pangaro, Shutterstock

Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton never had children throughout her long career. She has said, "I often think, it just wasn't meant for me to have kids so everybody's kids can be mine."

Dolly Parton Tour 2011 lacafferata, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey may be the most famous child-free person in the world. Her own quote on the matter? "If I had kids, my kids would hate me. They would have ended up on the equivalent of the Oprah show talking about me; because something [in my life] would have had to suffer and it would've probably been them."

Oprah Winfrey Bill Ebbesen, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Helen Mirren

For Helen Mirren, not having children was less of a choice and more of the way things went. In 2013, she said calmly, "It was not my destiny. I kept thinking it would be, waiting for it to happen, but it never did, and I didn't care what people thought."

Helen Mirren (Golda, Berlinale 2023) in pink Martin Kraft, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Renée Zellweger

For Renee Zellweger, having children was just never at the top of her mind. As she put in in 2008, "Motherhood has never been an ambition. I don't think like that."

Renée Zellweger (Berlin Film Festival 2009) Siebbi, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Jared Leto

Thirty Seconds to Mars singer and Dallas Buyers Club actor Jared Leto as admitted he doesn't want children, mostly because of his career: "I think it's really important to be present if you have children. I have a lot of...things to take care of."

Jared Leto at Comic Con Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Betty White

In 2011, when asked her feelings on never having children, legendary actress Betty White said, "No, I've never regretted it. I'm so compulsive about stuff. I know that if I had ever gotten pregnant, of course, that would've been my whole focus. But I didn't choose to have children..."

Betty White at s_bukley, Shutterstock

Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio quite famously has never "settled down" and had children. In his rare comment on the matter in 2016, he replied, "Do you mean do I want to bring children into a world like this?"

Leonardo Dicaprio Berlinale 2010 Siebbi, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Tracee Ellis Ross

When it comes to her decision not to have children, music royalty Tracee Ellis Ross is happy. As she put it in 2018, "I'm, like, 'I think there are a lot of babies, isn't that part of what's going wrong, there's too many?' Some people could be working on the world being a better place, or just being happy."

tracee ellis ross in red a katz, Shutterstock

Portia de Rossi

Ally McBeal actress Portia de Rossi decided not to have children, saying, "There comes some pressure in your mid-30s, and you think, 'Am I going to have kids so I don't miss out on something that other people really seem to love? Or is it that I really genuinely want to do this with my whole heart?' I didn't feel that my response was 'yes' to the latter."

Portia de Rossi at event Kathy Hutchins, Shutterstock

Margaret Cho

Comedian Margaret Cho has always seemed solid in her desire not to have children, and she was typically hilarious about it. She once quipped, "I have no maternal instincts whatsoever. I am barren. I am bone-dry. When I see children, I feel nothing. I ovulate sand."

Margaret Cho in black Charlie Nguyen, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Keanu Reeves

Actor Keanu Reeves has talked openly about the way his path to fatherhood, or lack thereof, turned out. As he put it in 2017, “It’s too late. It’s over…I’m 52. I’m not going to have any kids.”

Keanu Reeves in gray suit Governo do Estado de São Paulo, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Chelsea Handler

Show host and comedian Chelsea Handler doesn't have kids and has expressed that she doesn't want them. "I don't think I'd be a great mother," she said in 2013, "I don't have the time to raise a child."

Chelsea Handler 2012 David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Aisha Tyler

Aisha Tyler is one of the celebrities who did want children, but who tried without seeing results. Nonetheless, she is at peace with how it turned out, saying, "I wanted families [and] couples to know that it was a valid choice not to get on this crazy merry-go-round of IVF and tens and tens of thousands of dollars."

Aisha Tyler in white Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Dita von Teese

Burlesque superstar Dita von Teese is retro in every way...except defining her life through having children. After her tumultuous marriage to Marilyn Manson, she admitted, "He could hardly take care of himself, let alone a child, so I changed my views, adapted accordingly, thought: It's okay not to have children. Now I'm just going to watch how my life unfolds and see what happens. I'm not going to be less of a person if I don't have children."

Dita von Teese in black Andrea Raffin, Shutterstock

Janeane Garofalo

Reality Bites actress Janeane Garofalo is sharply funny, and her take on motherhood is much the same. She said in 2011, "As much as I enjoy other people's children, my dogs have always been for me and my boyfriend our babies."

Janeane Garofalo at premiere of BIG FISH Everett Collection, Shutterstock

Jay and Mavis Leno

Talk show host Jay Leno's wife Mavis has decided not to have children, and on no uncertain terms. The pair have been married for decades without children, and as Mavis put it once, "It’s perfectly obvious the women are the ones trapped. I remember telling my mother when I was 7 or 8 that I was never going to get married or have children. To me, this is the way women get caught."

Mavis Leno, Jay Leno Michael Mattes, Shutterstock

Fiona Apple

Musician Fiona Apple was incredibly succinct back in 2012 when she discussed not having children: "I’ve never wanted kids."

Fiona Apple Sachyn, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Christopher Walken

Christopher Walken once explained that his decision not to have children was because he needed to focus on his career and taking care of himself: "I'm sure many of the kids I knew as a child would have continued in show business, but they had kids of their own, had to do something dependable. I didn't, so I could get by even in periods of unemployment."

Christopher Walken 2012 Tabercil, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally

Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally are a comedic power couple, and though they did try to have children, it didn't work out. Nonetheless, Mullally admitted being OK with this: "[W]e tried, but I was a little long in the tooth for that sort of thing. But we didn’t turn it into a soap opera. We tried for about a year or so, and it didn’t happen, and took that to mean it wasn’t meant to be."

Megan Mullally & husband Nick Offerman Featureflash Photo Agency, Shutterstock

Jennifer Westfeldt

Kissing Jessica Stein actress Jennifer Westfeldt once had a high-profile, child-free relationship with Mad Men actor Jon Hamm, and she seems as confident as ever in her decision not to have children. In 2012, she said, "The chance that [I'll] regret it doesn't seem like a compelling enough reason to do it."

Jennifer Westfeldt at event Ross, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Ashley Judd

Double Jeopardy star Ashley Judd has always been open about not wanting children in order to better focus on the health of the world. "I figured it was selfish for us to pour our resources into making our 'own' babies when those very resources and energy could...help children already here."

Ashley Judd in blue Everett Collection, Shutterstock

Ricky Gervais

Comedian Ricky Gervais doesn't think he'd be a good father, and doesn't want children. As he joked, "I’m the sort of person who has to check three times that I’ve shut the door, so I’d probably stare at a kid all day to check it was breathing.”

Ricky Gervais in black t-shirt Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Lily Tomlin

Lily Tomlin is very happy with never having kids. "That's perfectly fine for somebody who wants to," she's said. "But at that time I didn't want to—and I'm glad I don't—have any children."

Lily Tomlin in jacket Kathy Hutchins, Shutterstock

Stevie Nicks

Legendary Fleetwood Mac frontwoman Stevie Nicks never had children (and neither did her bandmate Christine McVie). Nicks has said, "It's like, 'Do you want to be an artist and a writer, or a wife and a lover?' With kids, your focus changes. I don't want to go to PTA meetings."

Stevie Nicks in red dress Eva Rinaldi, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Kylie Minogue

Aussie pop icon Kylie Minogue did want children, but her cancer diagnosis made things complicated and she never ended up having any. In 2018, she said, "Of course I wonder what that would be like but, your destiny is your destiny...It would be a lie to say there's not a bit of sadness there, but I don't get caught up in it."

Kylie Minogue Andrea Raffin, Shutterstock

Anjelica Huston

Anjelica Huston never had any children, but her feelings on the matter are complicated and ambivalent. She's said in the past, "There have been times when I wanted children and other times I've been grateful not to have them."

Anjelica Huston in black Kathy Hutchins, Shutterstock

Alison Brie

Community actress Alison Brie and her husband Dave Franco have not had children, and see their cats more as their babies. "I don't really want to have kids," she's said. "It would be nice, but I think of all the things that would be so stressful."

Alison Brie in pink Gage Skidmore, Flickr

Gloria Steinem

Feminist icon Gloria Steinem never had children, and she credits the feminist movement with helping her see she didn't need to follow an accepted path. As she said, after thinking she "should" be heading that way, "the women's movement came along and made me realize I was actually happy and that there were more ways to live than one."

Gloria Steinem Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Sarah Silverman

Sarah Silverman is another comedian who didn't have children. She once said in 2010, "I want to have kids when there's nothing else I want more." Apparently, that never happened.

Sarah Silverman Joan Garvin, CC BY 2.0 , Wikimedia Commons

Sarah Paulson

Prestige actress Sarah Paulson says that she was too impulsive to go through with having children, saying, "I was afraid that I would have children and then regret it."

Sarah Paulson in white Gage Skidmore, Flickr

Marisa Tomei

Marisa Tomei didn't have children, and doesn't seem to regret it: "I don't know why women need to have children to be seen as complete human beings," she once said.

Marisa Tomei At Berlinale 2023 Elena Ternovaja, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Rachael Ray

Celebrity chef Rachael Ray is another celebrity who decided to focus on her career rather than childcare, saying, "I work too much to be an appropriate parent."

Chef Rachael Ray Debby Wong, Shutterstock

Jennifer Aniston

Jennifer Aniston has long been under "Is she pregnant?" scrutiny. She revealed in 2022 that she had once undergone IVF treatments and tried for a long time to get pregnant, but never did. Today, she confirms "The ship has sailed" and that she is happy with who she is, with or without a child.

Jennifer Aniston at an event Kathy Hutchins, Shutterstock

Katharine Hepburn

Katharine Hepburn is one of the few examples of women from Old Hollywood who never had children, and didn't seem to want them. In her classic blunt fashion, she was once quoted saying, "I would have been a terrible mother because I'm basically a very selfish human being."

Katharine Hepburn in black oneredsf1, Flickr

Ellen DeGeneres

Ellen DeGeneres is married to Portia de Rossi, so it's no surprise that she also decided not to have children. She explained her reasoning: "the amount of work that that is and responsibility—I wouldn't want to screw them up."

Portrait Photo of Ellen DeGeneres in dark outfit, smiling. PBS Communications, Flickr

Winona Ryder

Beetlejuice actress Winona Ryder has never had children, though she did admit to once thinking about it. As she said back in 2014, "I was talking to my dad last year and saying, 'What if I can't have a kid?' and he said, 'There are other ways to have children in your life'."

Actress Winona Ryder in black dress Andrea Raffin, Shutterstock

Seth Rogen

Seth Rogen and his wife are happily child-free by choice. When asked if he thought children would make him happier, Rogen answered quickly, “I don't think it would. I've been around obviously a lot of children, I'm not ignorant to what it’s like."

Seth Rogen speaking Gage Skidmore, Flickr