Celebrity Stepparents Who Are Close With Their Stepkids
For the Bring It On star, she was fully aware that her signature on the dotted line represented an agreement to more than just her marital vows to NBA icon Dwyane Wade. The former professional basketball player had three kids from previous relationships by the time he and Union-Wade tied the knot, and the actress shared on a 2021 episode of the We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle podcast, 'I knew that when I married him, I was married to them.'
Like Union-Wade, Jada Pinkett Smith was determined to show up as a positive parental figure for Will Smith's son Trey. The Girls Trip actress wrote on Facebook in 2014, 'When I married Will, I knew Trey was part of the package. Period! If I didn't want that, I needed to marry someone else.'
And though Blake Shelton has no kids of his own, his relationship with his own stepdad influenced how he perceives his bond with Gwen Stefani's three sons. The country singer told People in 2021, 'I love my stepfather and I look up to him and he's like a father to me, so I have a good inspiration in my life for how to do this and the kind of stepdad I want to be, and I take it very serious.'
Scroll on to read more on stepparenthood from these stars and many more.
More from SheKnows
Diddy's Twins Jessie & D'Lila Make a Statement at Prom Amid Father's Legal Issues
Best of SheKnows
I'm 29 Weeks Pregnant, & Comfortable Sandals Are a *Must* This Summer—These Are the Best Ones on the Market
Recent Baby & Toddler Product Recalls Every Parent and Caregiver Should Know About
The Best Bras for Your Teen — & How to Shop Together Without Dying of Embarrassment
Heather Rae El Moussa is stepmom to husband Tarek El Moussa's kids Brayden and Taylor whom he shares with ex-wife Christina Haack.
The TV personality — who is also mom to son Tristan is constantly fawning over her stepkids, and it's so sweet to see. In 2024, she wrote the most heartfelt birthday tribute to Taylor.
'You have grown up to be such a beautiful, driven, sophisticated young lady,' El Moussa said. 'I love watching you with Tristan and I am so lucky that I get to have you as my beautiful bonus daughter, I've loved every moment with you. I love you so much, happy birthday sweet girl. 💗🥳'
Before she welcomed her daughter Kaavia with Dwyane Wade, Gabrielle Union-Wade was stepmom to the NBA icon's daughter Zaya and sons Zaire and Xavier. The Bring It On alum said on a 2021 episode of the We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle podcast, 'I knew that when I married him, I was married to them.'
Union-Wade continued, 'What I realized very quickly is you will never, ever — I don't care if the other parent is dead — you will never be able to replace the other parent. Don't try to replace the other parent. That is not your job.' The movie star asserted, 'Your job is to be consistent. If you're a disciplinarian in your own life, continue to be that. Just be consistent so they know who you are.'
Time and again, we've seen Union be a huge cheerleader for her stepkids, especially Zaya. She is constantly complementing the teen's new looks on Instagram, and the two even 'gossip' about love interests together.
Before Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly welcomed their two children, Connelly welcomed a son named Kai with her ex. Despite the couple being private about their family life, Bettany did reveal that he got Kai's name tattooed on him, alongside his two other children and Connelly's first names.
Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn share a son of their own, Wyatt, but the Guardians of the Galaxy alum is also dad to his son Boston and stepdad to Hawn's movie star kids, daughter Kate Hudson and son Oliver Hudson. Russell is famously close with Kate, who shared an incredibly touching Father's Day post in his honor in 2022.
Alongside a sweet throwback photo, The Knives Out: Glass Onion star wrote on Instagram, 'Fun, adventurous, passionate, determined, honest, devoted, amazing father and the best head of hair in Los Angeles! Lucky us! Love you Pa! Happy Fathers Day.'
Hawn responded in the comments, 'Honey I showed this to daddy. Here's his message …' Russell wrote, 'Birdie, mommy just showed me this picture, this perfect Father's Day present. I've never seen it before. Wow … it's a killer.'
The Christmas Chronicles actor continued, 'Lotta water under the bridge … it's kinda hard to see it though cause all that water seems to somehow have found its way into my eyes … thanks for making me the luckiest father in the world sweetheart. I love you, Pa.'
By the time Cardi B and Offset began dating, the Migos rapper was already dad to a daughter, Kalea, and two sons, Kody and Jordan. The 'Money' rapper has always embraced being a stepmother, even after she and Offset welcomed a daughter, Kulture, followed by a son, Wave, and another daughter whose name hasn't been revealed. Cardi occasionally shares photos of their blended family, and in 2022, Offset sang her praises as a stepmom.
'It's a blessing to be able to have [the kids] altogether, and to have a wife who's open and treats them as if they're her kids,' he said during an interview with Essence before he and Cardi B split in 2024. 'It could be an issue, but I don't have to go through that, and that's beautiful.'
When Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck married, they each had several children from previous relationships. Lopez shares twins Emme and Max with her ex-husband Marc Anthony, and Affleck and his ex-wife Jennifer Garner are parents to daughters Violet and Seraphina and son Samuel.
Modeling top-tier blended family dynamics, the Shotgun Wedding actress sang the praises of the Justice League star's parenting abilities. During a 2023 appearance on Today, Lopez said, 'He's a wonderful, wonderful father. And a father figure to [Max and Emme] as well, because he has his own three beautiful children, and then there's us.'
The entertainment multi-hyphenate continued, 'He's fantastic. He really steps up to the challenge of what [stepparenthood] is and what that means, and they love him. They love him. And they appreciate him, and so do I.'
Likewise, it's important to Jennifer Lopez to be a pillar of support and source of love for Ben Affleck's children. She told Vogue in 2022, 'What I hope to cultivate with our family is that his kids have a new ally in me and my kids have a new ally in him, someone who really loves and cares about them but can have a different perspective and help me see things that I can't see with my kids because I'm so emotionally tied up.'
Lopez filed for divorce in 2024, and the A-listers finalized the divorce in 2025.
Just two months after Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady got together, the former supermodel learned her new boyfriend was expecting a baby with his ex-girlfriend Bridget Moynahan. The trio came together to welcome Jack into the world. The NFL quarterback and Bündchen had a daughter, Vivian, and a son, Benjamin, a few years later.
In 2018, Bündchen explained the dynamic between herself, Brady, and Moynahan to People. 'It wasn't the ideal situation for anyone — there's no manual to prepare you for that,' she said. 'But I'm so grateful for [Bridget]. I know this was hard, but I couldn't imagine my life without [Jack]. I call him my bonus child.' Bündchen added, 'He opened my heart in ways I didn't even know my heart could expand. I fell in love with him.'
Bündchen and Brady divorced in 2022, and the model welcomed a baby with boyfriend Joaquim Valente in 2025.
Jada Pinkett Smith has always prioritized a close relationship with her stepson Trey. In 2014, the Matrix star wrote about the dynamic between herself, her husband Will Smith, and Trey. Pinkett Smith shared on Facebook, 'When I married Will, I knew Trey was part of the package. Period! If I didn't want that, I needed to marry someone else.'
She added, 'I can't support any actions that keep a man from his children of a previous marriage … We can't say we love our man and then come in between him and his children. THAT'S selfishness — not love.'
The now-estranged couple also share a son and a daughter, Jaden and Willow.
Russell Wilson is stepdad to Ciara's son Future. Of stepparenthood, the NFL player said during an appearance on Good Morning America, 'Being a stepdad … has taught me, really, what love is like, what life is really like, [and] how God intends us to love.'
Wilson and Ciara share three additional children, daughters Sienna and Amora, and a son named Win.
Though he and Melanie Griffith separated in 2015, Antonio Banderas forged a lasting bond with her children, son Alexander and Fifty Shades of Grey star Dakota Johnson. In fact, Johnson presented her former stepdad with the Hollywood Actor Award at the 2020 Hollywood Film Awards, and she gave a touching speech in his honor.
Johnson told the crowd, 'He loved my mother, and my siblings and I so big, and so fiercely and so loud, that it would change all of our lives together.' Afterward, Banderas told E! News, 'I thought and felt that all of those years.'
The Spy Kids alum added, 'But I knew that it was a confirmation that all of those years that Melanie and I spent together, they were years that was not only just about Melanie and me, they were about the family. They were worth it all.'
Blake Shelton doesn't have any kids of his own, but he adores being stepdad to Gwen Stefani's three sons Kingston, Zuma, and Apollo. In 2021, the country singer told People, 'I have a stepfather in my life who's one of my heroes. I love my stepfather and I look up to him and he's like a father to me, so I have a good inspiration in my life for how to do this and the kind of stepdad I want to be, and I take it very serious,' Shelton explained.
The Voice judge added, 'But I also have a blast with it, I'm not gonna lie. I don't take it so serious that I'm not enjoying this time because I really am, especially now that we're five years into this thing … I can't imagine my life without these kids now.'
Before Matt Damon and Luciana Barroso welcomed three daughters together — Isabella, Gia, and Stella — the Good Will Hunting star became stepdad to Barroso's daughter Alexia. Damon and Alexia are so close that, when the movie star got the names of his younger three daughters tattooed on him, he also got his stepdaughter's name inked into his skin.
Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet decided to part ways after 14 years of marriage, but the Aquaman star is still close with his stepdaughter Zoë Kravitz. In fact, when Bonet couldn't attend The Batman premiere, Momoa took their daughter and son, Lola and Nakoa-Wolf, to support their big sister's debut as Catwoman.
On the red carpet, the Game of Thrones alum said, 'We're just so proud. Lisa couldn't be here so we're representing, me and the babies. We're very excited to just be here … It's still family, you know?'
Before Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas had their son Dylan and daughter Carys, the Wednesday actress was stepmom to the Ant-Man star's son Cameron.
Zeta-Jones made sure to start on the right foot with Cameron — he told the Daily Mail in 2009, 'When she came into our family it could so easily have gone another way. You hear stories all the time about the younger stepmother pushing away the kids from a previous marriage, but from the first day I met her, she said, 'I want us to be friends, and I want you to know that you are a huge part of our family and are welcome any time.'' He added, 'She has been as good as her word … I've never seen my father as happy as he is with her. It's cool to see.'
Though Kate Bosworth and Michael Polish are no longer married, the actress is still very close to his daughter Jasper, whom Bosworth has been stepmom to for over a decade. During a 2022 appearance on The Talk, Bosworth shared, 'I have watched her grow up from about 12 years old until, she's 24 now, and she is the light of my life. She really is. I'm so proud of her.'
Of her relationship with Jasper's mom, she added, 'We kind of shattered the stereotype of like evil stepmother pitted against biological mother. I'm very close to Jasper's biological mom … and I think it's really all about love.'
Before they welcomed a son, Santiago, Eva Longoria was solely stepmom to José Bastón's kids: daughters Natalia and Mariana and son José. The Desperate Housewives alum told E! News in 2017, 'Right now I am a stepmom to three amazing kids, and I've had my hands full, and they are amazing and wonderful … It's been a lot of fun, a lot of fun being a stepmom.'
In addition to her mega-star daughters Beyoncé and Solange Knowles, Tina Knowles-Lawson is also stepmom to Richard Lawson's actress daughter, Bianca. Knowles-Lawson frequently cheers for Bianca's accomplishments, once calling her 'my beautiful bonus daughter' on Instagram.
When Barbra Streisand married James Brolin, she became stepmom to his three kids: daughter Molly and sons Jess and Josh. Avengers star Josh Brolin spoke to Good Morning America in 2018 about Streisand's excitement over his baby on the way. He told the hosts, 'She's, like, in our face. She's calling all the time, emailing all the time, she has name suggestions. We got her a bracelet that says 'Grandma' on it, she started crying. She's into it, man, really, really into it. It's great.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
28 minutes ago
- USA Today
Noah Lyles staring down Kenny Bednarek was great cinema for track
Just when track and field starts to fade from the consciousness of the average casual like myself, here comes Noah Lyles injecting new life into the sport with another of his antics that force you to pay attention. On Sunday, it was Lyles staring down Kenny Bednarek as the two crossed the 200m finish line at the U.S. track and field championships after Lyles walked down his fellow Olympian to earn the win. The race itself was phenomenal. Bednarek had Lyles beat -- until Lyles hit another gear for the final few yards and pulled ahead. But what Lyles did in victory -- and how Bednarek reacted -- is why anyone is talking about it today. The stare down made for a colddddd photo finish, but Bednarek understandably wasn't here for it -- especially with Lyles seemingly slowing down in front of him to make sure Bednarek acknowledged what just took place. As the NBC broadcaster said, "the little look over and the discussion after is to make sure that he asserts his dominance." So, Bednarek gave Lyles a little shove, and the two exchanged words all the way into the post-race interview. It was absolute cinema. Admittedly, as much fun as I'm having with this today, I find these kind of gimmicks from Lyles to be somewhat off-putting. From him going after NBA players over shoes and "world" championships to his Yu-Gi-Oh! card pulls. There's a thin line between endearing braggadocio and annoying attention-seeking, and Lyles leans more toward the latter for me. But in an individual sport like track that only reaches mainstream audiences through stars, the tactics an athlete uses to cut through the noise are less important than whether they actually back it up once they do. And Lyles usually backs it up. That's why he has a perpetual license to taunt as much as he wants. On Sunday, it made for a moment we're still talking about the next day. More importantly, it made the next meeting between Lyles and Bednarek appointment viewing, with Bednarek saying "next time we line up, Ima win." We can't wait to see him try. An MLB Speedway Classic champion crowned After a false start Saturday, MLB's Speedway Classic finally got off the ground Sunday and ended better than it started when fans on social media were comparing the event to the disastrous Fyre Festival. In the end, the Atlanta Braves came away with the win over the Cincinnati Reds, and even picked up some hardware for their troubles. No really, the Braves got a trophy for this thing. A giant trophy at that. Social media had a ball with this one too, because of course it did. We have a trade The top team in the WNBA just got a little better Sunday, as the Minnesota Lynx pulled off a trade to acquire DiJonai Carrington from the Dallas Wings. Minnesota had to give up promising young forward Diamond Miller in the deal, but Carrington gives the team a veteran on the wing who's playoff-tested and ready to contribute to winning right away. FTW's Meg Hall graded the deal favorably for the Lynx: "Bringing in Carrington does a few things for Reeve's squad. First, it adds valuable guard and wing depth. Carrington is more comfortable as a wing, but could take over point guard duties if necessary. She can even start if they need her to, which is huge. With that in mind, veteran Kayla McBride has to be jumping for joy right now. Carrington will fit nicely as depth behind her, and because she's an excellent defender, it takes a lot more pressure off McBride to have to be everything all at once." Quick Hits: New place, same entrance ... Fantasy keepers ... and more This was For The Win's daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here.
UPI
an hour ago
- UPI
WWE 'SummerSlam': Cody Rhodes defeats John Cena, Brock Lesnar returns
Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Cody Rhodes was able to defeat John Cena for the Undisputed Championship in the main event of WWE's SummerSlam. Cena and Rhodes battled each other in a hard-hitting Street Fight to close out the two-night wrestling extravaganza on Sunday. SummerSlam took place in front of a sold-out crowd at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Cena, who has spent his final year as a competitor in WWE as a villain, turned back the clock and returned to his more heroic, virtuous days, much to the crowd's delight. The bout was a rematch from April's WrestleMania 41. The highly-competitive match featured Cena and Rhodes brawling throughout the arena and using various weapons. Cena grabbed crutches from injured NBA star Tyree Haliburton, who was sitting ringside, and used them to attack Rhodes. Rhodes pulled out all the stops, including the use of the Piledriver, a historically banned move in WWE. Cena later responded by sending Rhodes through the announcer's table with an Attitude Adjustment. The highlight of the match came when Cena carried Rhodes through the elevator shaft that the American Nightmare uses during his entrance. Cena, after getting off the elevator, slammed Rhodes down hard onto the entrance ramp with another Attitude Adjustment. Rhodes, starting to grow frustrated, removed the bottom turnbuckle from the ring and used the metal plating to attack Cena. Rhodes performed three Cross Rhodes moves in a row, but Cena still wouldn't stay down. Cena later delivered an Avalanche Attitude Adjustment from the second rope, but it wasn't enough. Rhodes sent Cena through a table, followed by one final Cross Rhodes, to win the match and become the new Undisputed WWE Champion. Cena and Rhodes congratulated each other after the match. Cena was cheered loudly and was showered with gratitude from the crowd as the wrestling veteran competed in his last SummerSlam event. As Cena took in the love from the WWE audience, Brock Lesnar made a surprise return and made his way to the ring wearing a dark cowboy hat. Lesnar, without saying anything, immediately attacked Cena and knocked him out with an F5. Lesnar, an old rival of Cena's, was last seen in 2023.
The Verge
an hour ago
- The Verge
Finally a contract for the one that started it all.
Posted Aug 4, 2025 at 3:04 PM UTC Finally a contract for the one that started it all. Workers at Raven Software have finally secured their first union contract winning for its members guaranteed wage increases, protection against mandatory overtime known as crunch, and more. The win comes three years after quality assurance workers at the Call of Duty support studio organized the Game Workers Alliance in collaboration with the Communications Workers of America. The GWA would become the first union organized at Activision Blizzard before Microsoft acquired the publisher in 2023. The organization efforts at Raven heralded a string of unionization drives within Activision Blizzard, Microsoft, and beyond. Raven Software Workers Secure First Contract at Microsoft [ Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates. Ash Parrish Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All by Ash Parrish Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Entertainment Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Gaming Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Labor Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All News Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Tech
