Celebs' Kids Who Had Babies When They Were Just Teens
Celebrities are often larger than life, and way more fabulous. They show up to walk red carpets looking like perfection, they make us laugh and cry with their performances onscreen, and they share tidbits of their lives through social media and interviews. But behind the curtain, even celebrities are real people with real families. Sometimes, they even have family drama. You might be surprised to find out that some of your favorite celebs are already young grandparents.
All the celebs on this list have children who had their own children before their 20th birthday. At least one person on this list became a grandparent before they turned 35! Seeing as everyone Hollywood wants to stay eternally young, that's taking it to a whole other level. Take a look at these celebs and their kids who had babies while they were all just teenagers, and see if you're surprised by the names on the list.
Whoopi Goldberg's daughter Alex Martin
Whoopi Goldberg was still a teenager herself when she had her daughter Alex Martin in 1973. The little girl, born when Goldberg was 18, was the product of Goldberg's six-year marriage to Alvin Martin. Daughter Alex followed in mom's footsteps and became a mother herself at age 16, turning Goldberg into a grandmother at the tender age of 34 in 1989. A short 24 years later, Goldberg became a proud great-grandmother at age 58.
At the time, Hello! magazine reported on the happy occasion. Goldberg shared a video of herself feeding the newborn, named Charli Rose, along with a message that began "everyone meet the new addition to my family." Alex Martin has appeared in such films as Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, American Intellectuals and Strange as Angels. Her first film appearance was in The Color Purple in 1985. In the 2000s, Martin became involved in film shorts as a producer, according to her IMDb page.
Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol
Sarah Palin became an overnight sensation in 2008 when then-presidential candidate John McCain announced her as his running mate against Senator Barack Obama in the upcoming election. The entire Palin family found themselves in the spotlight, with the details of their lives suddenly under the microscope. And for about five minutes, they looked like a picture-perfect American family.
But, like every family, this one had its issues. Palin announced in September 2008 that Bristol, then 17, was pregnant. The McCain camp and the Palin family chose to release the private news to shut down a rumor. CNN and all major news networks reported that Sarah Palin was accused of not being the biological mother of her then-fourth-month-old baby — rumors surfaced that the child was actually Bristol's. As Bristol was about five months pregnant at the time of the September announcement, math and biology make this impossible.
In the age of social media, we can keep up with Bristol and her son, Tripp, on Instagram. E! News reported on Bristol's images in 2018, posted in celebration of the 10-year anniversary of the positive pregnancy test that changed her life.
Mama June and her daughter Anna
Mama June of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo fame has two children who were teen mothers, Lauryn and Anna. June herself was a teen mom. According to People, June was just 15 when she gave birth to her oldest daughter Anna. In 2012, Anna (known as "Chickadee") gave birth to her own daughter, Kaitlyn, at age 18. Grandmama June cared for the newborn during the day while Anna finished her senior year of high school. When asked about the child's father, Anna told People that he will not be involved and refused to name him.
A feature about "Mama" June Shannon published by Cosmopolitan revealed that the reality TV star as born in Georgia in 1979. She dropped out of high school when she became pregnant with Anna, later earning her GED. Altogether, Shannon has four daughters. Jessica is between Anna and Lauryn in age, and Alana (Honey Boo Boo herself) is the youngest.
Mama June's younger daughter Lauryn Pumpkin
In December 2017, Lauryn "Pumpkin" Shannon, Anna's younger sister, gave birth to her own baby girl named Ella Grace Efird at the age of 18. Shannon married her longtime boyfriend in May the following year, according to TMZ. She spoke to Us Weekly about giving birth and being a new mom in early 2018, revealing that Mama June was with her during the delivery, along with the baby's father and his mother.
"I'm not going to say it's easy being a young mother. It is a hard process, but I've grown into it," Shannon said. When she spoke to Us Weekly, Shannon was looking toward the future and planning on attending cosmetology school. She hopes to have four children total, and said the entire Shannon family helped with baby Ella Grace. Sisters Alana (Honey Boo Boo herself) and Jessica both helped out during the first few weeks of the baby's life, with all three sisters and the baby living at home with Mama June.
Terrence Howard's daughter Aubrey
Terrence Howard doesn't look like anyone's idea of a grandfather, but the Empire star welcomed baby Hazel to his family in 2013. The actor was 44 when his daughter Aubrey, then 18, gave birth on December 26th of that year, according to VH1 – though he joked to VH1 that he was 58, presumably a more grandfather-like age. "I don't think the baby looks anything like my daughter. I don't think it's her baby," he joked with reporters at the time.
No matter who little Hazel looks like, she has a rich history to draw upon. According to Biography.com, Howard developed his love of acting through his great-grandmother. She was a New York stage actress performing under the name Minnie Gentry. Howard got his start in TV before gaining widespread notice and critical acclaim in The Best Man in 1999. As of 2015, Howard has burned up the small screen as Lucious Lyon in Empire. The show, which revolves around a record label, is a perfect place for Howard, a self-taught piano player and guitarist who has always had a love for music.
Ice T's daughter LeTesha
Ice T's oldest daughter LeTesha Marrow was born in 1976 when the rapper was still just a teenager himself. At the time, he was dating LeTesha's mother Adrienne, whom he later married. LeTesha, who goes by the shortened name Tesha Marrow, is a radio show host and actress. When her son (Ice T's first grandchild) was born in 1995, she was only 19 years old.
TMZ reported that Elyjah Marrow was arrested in 2014 at age 19 and charged with involuntary manslaughter after the death of his roommate. Police reports said that the gun had accidentally discharged, leading to the death of Daryus Johnson, 19. Elyjah was indicted in relation to this death in June 2015, as reported by People. Marrow was also indicted on several other counts, including possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, theft by receiving stolen property, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony reckless conduct.
As of 2015, Marrow was released on bond while awaiting his trial date, according to AJC, but there has been no news of him since. AJC reported that Marrow was previously seen on "Ice Loves Coco," a reality show starring his famous grandfather.
Mike Epps' daughter Bria
Mike Epps, a comedian and actor known for several high-profile film roles, has plenty to be proud of. But the star is particularly proud of his four daughters. In a People magazine interview, Epps said that he's "been blessed" with his daughters, who are all "really good girls and really, really smart." The oldest is Bria Epps, born in 1993. Bria's daughter Skylar was born a short 19 years later in 2012. In a 2016 tweet wishing the little girl a happy birthday, Bria referred to Sklar as "the love of my life."
In a 2015 Facebook post, Epps captioned a picture of him, Bria and Skylar with: "these are my babies!" Epps and daughter Bria have had issues in the past, however. TMZ reported that Bria filed a police report against her famous father in 2012 when she was 18. In the report, she alleged that Epps had threatened her after the two argued. At the time, Bria told TMZ the argument began over an appearance her father made on The Wendy Williams Show. Epps "shouted out" to two of his children, but left Bria out.
The family unit seemed to grow stronger after Skylar's birth. Bria occasionally tweets out funny videos and photos featuring her daughter and father together that show a very loving (and laughter-filled) relationship.