Parenting solo is no easy feat.
Women may find themselves in this position for a variety of reasons: they got divorced, they adopted children on their own, or their partner tragically passed.
Regardless of the reason, these single moms handle their situation with grace.
Here are 10+ single moms in Hollywood who can do it all.
1. Michelle Williams
The actress is a single mother, but sadly, not by choice. That’s because her daughter’s father, Heath Ledger, passed away in 2008.
“It’s a real luxury to have a moment when I’m not scrambling,” she told Elle UK .
2. Denise Richards
Since her divorce from Charlie Sheen, the actress has been granted full custody of their two daughters.
This hasn’t been easy, especially as a working mom, but she told The Local Moms Network that “you have to push you through.”
Denise went even further into single motherhood in 2012 when she adopted a baby girl named Eloise.
“I felt like I wasn’t done having children, and I’ve always wanted to have a large family,” she told People .
3. Katie Holmes
Since the star’s controversial divorce from Tom Cruise, her daughter, Suri, always comes first.
“My child is the most important person to me and her upbringing is paramount to my work right now,” she told Town & Country in 2017.
4. Gwyneth Paltrow
The star is the mother of two children, Apple and Moses.
While she’s tackled single parenthood since her conscious uncoupling from Chris Martin, her comments on the subject have rubbed some people the wrong way.
That’s because she said that being a working mom is tough and that “regular moms” have it easier.
She told E! :
“I think to have a regular job and be a mom is not as, of course there are challenges, but it’s not like being on set.”
5. Charlize Theron
The South African actress is the mother of two adopted children. As you can tell from the conveniently placed heart emoji, Charlize is very careful about respecting her children’s privacy.
The way Charlize approaches parenting is by using the resources around her.
Her secret to managing parenthood on her own is leaning on her mother, Gerda, for co-parenting.
“I knew that I would have to have my mom help me if I was going to do this as a single parent,” she told Elle , according to E! News .
6. January Jones
When the actress discovered she was expecting her first child back in 2011, the prospect of raising the child alone didn’t scare her.
“I was prepared mentally — and I was excited about it,” she told Net-A-Porter’s The Edit _.
7. Mindy Kaling
Mindy’s secret to parenting alone has been actually realizing that she’s not alone.
“I’m surrounded by family and friends who love and support me,” she said during a Dartmouth commencement speech.
8. Bridget Moynahan
In 2006, the model discovered that she was pregnant with Tom Brady’s child while he had started to date Gisele Bündchen.
This wasn’t an easy scenario, but she was committed to raising her son, Jon, on her own.
9. Padma Lakshmi
Since the Top Chef host was raised by a single mom, she felt well-equipped to tackle the same scenario on her own.
“I was told I couldn’t have children, so every day I am kissing the sky with happiness about it,” she told The New York Post .
10. Malin Akerman
The actress split with her husband when their son, Sebastian, was just seven months old. But instead of getting sad over this, she looked on the bright side.
“I get to have so much special time with my son now,’ she told People .
11. Sheryl Crow
After ending her engagement to Lance Armstrong and beating breast cancer, the singer adopted two children.
“All of my decisions are based around what’s best for my kids,” she revealed to Parade about balancing work and motherhood.
12. Mary Louise Parker
The Weeds star said “challenge accepted” to single motherhood when she split with her ex, Billy Crudup. Together, they share a son, William.
She also decided to take the leap and adopt her daughter, Ash, solo in 2007.
She told *People* that she faced her fears to accomplish both.
“I finally just decided, ‘Okay, I’m going to do this, and it’s going to be really hard because I’m single, and I’m going to do it anyway,'” she said.
13. Mia Farrow
Get this: the Rosemary’s Baby star has raised 14 children, both adopted and biological!
Sadly, one of her adopted children, Soon-Yi, thrust Farrow into scandal when she had an affair with Farrow’s ex, Woody Allen.
14. Angelina Jolie
This fiercely independent star don’t need no man. For her, it’s always family first .
“As I go to sleep at night, I think, ‘Did I do a great job as a mom or was that an average day’?”
15. Madonna
“I hope I’m a role model,” Madonna once said about parenting her six kids alone.
“And I hope I inspire women and give them strength to deal with life no matter what comes their way.”
16. Sandra Bullock
A lot of good came from her messy divorce to Jesse James: She adopted two children soon after.
“When I look at Laila, there’s no doubt in my mind that she was supposed to be here,” Bullock told People about Laila, who she adopted in 2015.
15. Halle Berry
Halle has said that being a single mother is one of the greatest things that’s ever happened in her life.
She said that over the course of the last three years , she’s learned a lot from her children.
16. Kate Winslet
Kate Winslet admits that being a single mother can test you, but in the end, it’s her proudest accomplishment:
“That’s the wonderful thing about mothers,” Kate said on The Today Show , “is that you can because you must, and you just DO.”
18. Katie Couric
Katie tragically lost her husband to cancer in 1998. As well as mourning the loss of her husband, she also needed to be there to support her children.
She laments that even though those times were challenging , she’s incredibly appreciative for all the joy her kids have brought her.
19. Minnie Driver
When Minnie became a mother it brought everything in her life to a grinding halt. She chose to raise her son, Henry, alone and has never once looked back.
As Minnie puts it, there’s nothing in this world that compares to the love and affection she feels for her son.
20. Liv Tyler
From the time that Liv was a small girl, she dreamed about having children of her own.
Her divorce from then-husband Royston Langdon was incredibly difficult , but Liv said she found renewed strength in her young son, Milo.
21. Kate Moss
Kate Moss is stricter than most parents, a fact that she’s immensely proud of.
In order to enforce rules properly, Kate says that your children have to fear you, at least to some degree.
Do you agree or disagree with Kate?
22. Jennifer Garner
Ever since she split from her ex-husband, Ben Affleck, Jennifer has dedicated herself to being a full-time mom.
In order to help pass the time while in lockdown, Jennifer and her kids have been baking up a storm in the kitchen.
23. Khloé Kardashian
Ever since officially ending things with Tristan Thompson , Khloé has fully embraced every aspect of being a single mother.
When things get hard, Khloé leans on her family and incredible support system for assistance. We think she’s killing it as a mom!
24. Jewel
Jewel has said that the most important lesson she learned as a single parent was to eliminate the myth of perfectionism from her mind.
Balancing home and work life is an art, not a science . There is no right or wrong way, only what works and what doesn’t work.
25. Sofía Vergara
Sofia raised her son, Manolo (now 26 years old), almost completely on her own. At the time of Manolo’s birth, Sofia was only 22.
She’s said that Manolo became her motivation to survive and to become successful as an actress.
26. Kristin Davis
Kristin is the mother of two children, both of whom she adopted . She fully embraces life as a single mother and welcomes the challenges that it brings.
She says that her only regret was not trusting her own maternal instincts sooner.
27. Diane Keaton
Diane Keaton is another actress who chose the life of a single mother. She, just like Kristin Davis, also has two adoptive children : a daughter named Dexter and a son named Duke.
Diane was in her 50s when she chose to become a mother.
28. Connie Britton
Connie adopted Eyob from Ethiopia in 2011. She lost both of her parents within a three-year span and was spurred to start a family of her own.
She said she never worried whether or not a man would come into the picture. This was simply something she felt compelled to do.
29. Taraji P. Henson
Taraji isn’t afraid to mince words and to express her true feelings. She has said that being a single mother is one of the hardest things imaginable and that she wouldn’t wish such a daunting task on anyone.
As far as she’s concerned, a kid needs both parents.
