Who Needs a Husband? 18 Celebrity Moms Tackling Single Parenthood

Being a mom isn't easy, but it's especially difficult when you don't have a partner to help. Be it due to a divorce, a death, or just fierce independence, about 24 percent of children in the US are raised by only their mothers, including children of celebrities. See which famous faces — from A-list actresses to chart-topping pop stars — have mastered single motherhood.

Meg Ryan
Getty | Pablo1

Meg Ryan

Meg Ryan adopt daughter Daisy five years after her divorce from Dennis Quaid. The couple shares custody of their son, Jack.

Diane Keaton
Getty | Jason LaVeris

Diane Keaton

Despite being single, Diane Keaton adopted her daughter, Dexter, when she was 50 years old. Five years later, she adopted her son, Drew.

Edie Falco
Getty | Eugene Gologursky

Edie Falco

For Edie Falco, having a husband and biological children wasn't important. She said:

"I'm just not one of those people who thought having biological children was that important. To me, it was more about wanting to raise a child. I have this dog named Marley, and it is a kind of love I had never known. I have a hard time believing Marley did not come from my body. I know that sounds insane, but I feel that connected to her. She made me realize I wanted to adopt children."

She followed her dream and adopted Anderson and Macy in 2005 and 2008, respectively.

Denise Richards
Getty

Denise Richards

Denise Richards has done a beautiful job raising her daughters, Sam, Lola, and Eloise. However, she has made an effort to spend family time with ex-husband Charlie Sheen.

Linda Evangelista
Getty | Amy Sussman

Linda Evangelista

Awkward! Linda Evangelista's then-4-year-old boy, Augustin James, is the son of Salma Hayek's husband, François-Henri Pinault. (Hayek and Pinault were reportedly "on a break" when baby Augie was conceived.)

Katie Couric
Getty | Andrew Toth

Katie Couric

After losing her husband to cancer in 1998, Katie Couric became a single mother to daughters Elinor and Caroline.

Sandra Bullock
Getty

Sandra Bullock

It took four years of paperwork, home visits, and more before Sandra Bullock finalized her March 2010 adoption of little Louis. Though she began the process when she was married to Jesse James, she finalized it as a single parent.

Kristin Davis
WireImage

Kristin Davis

In October 2011, Kristin Davis announced that she had adopted baby Gemma Rose without the help of a partner.

Mary-Louise Parker
Getty | JCWB1

Mary-Louise Parker

After a series of broken engagements, Mary-Louise Parker adopted Caroline "Ash" Aberash from Africa. The baby joined William, her son with former flame Billy Crudup.

Charlize Theron
WireImage

Charlize Theron

At 36 years old, Charlize Theron announced that she adopted a baby boy. According to her rep, the actress "is the proud mom of a healthy baby boy named Jackson."

Sheryl Crow
Getty | Frederick M. Brown

Sheryl Crow

In 2007, Sheryl Crow adopted her oldest son, Wyatt. Three years later, she added another son to her family with the adoption of Levi.

Padma Lakshmi
Getty | Jason Kempin

Padma Lakshmi

After years of struggling with endometriosis, Padma Lakshmi gave birth to a baby girl, Krishna Thea Lakshmi, in February 2010. Though Lakshmi tried to keep the paternity a secret during her pregnancy and after the birth, Lakshmi's ex Adam Dell was revealed as the father soon after the birth.

January Jones
Getty | SMXRF/Star Max

January Jones

January Jones is so proud to be a single mom that she won't reveal the identity of Xander's dad.

Connie Britton
Getty | Stephen Lovekin

Connie Britton

In November 2011, Connie Britton announced that she had adopted son Yoby from Ethiopia. The Nashville star said she never thought she’d have a baby on her own, but life doesn’t always go according to plan.

"If you hold hard and fast to the plan regardless of where you're at, then you go against the flow of your life. Even after a long, difficult day, coming home and being with Yoby just washes any stress away."

Michelle Williams
Getty | NCP/Star Max

Michelle Williams

After Heath Ledger's tragic death in 2008, Michelle Williams became a single mother to daughter Matilda.

Sofia Vergara
Getty | Paul Redmond

Sofia Vergara

Sofia Vergara has been raising her son, Manolo, by herself since his first birthday in 1992.

Madonna
WireImage

Madonna

After eight years of marriage, Madonna divorced from Guy Ritchie and became a single mother to Lourdes Ciccone Leon, Rocco Ritchie, Mercy James, and David Ciccone Ritchie.

Jenny McCarthy
Getty

Jenny McCarthy

Funny lady Jenny McCarthy is the single mother of son Evan, who was diagnosed with autism.