Who Are Charlize Theron's Daughters, Jackson And August?

This article references violence, alcoholism, racism, abuse, and sexual assault.

The stunning Charlize Theron is more than just a charismatic actor with striking blue eyes, glowing skin, and an athletic build. Yes, she's a versatile performer who has earned multiple prestigious awards, including a best actress Oscar for "Monster." However, it's her unwavering passion and dedication to equality and motherhood that make her special. Born and raised in apartheidera South Africa, Theron is a dedicated champion of various causes and charities, including Oxfam, the International Red Cross, and the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project. Her long-standing commitment to justice and inclusion also motivated her to adopt two African-American children. Adoption is a common choice among celebrities, as we've seen with Sandra Bullock, Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness, and Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.

At the time of this writing, the "Mad Max: Fury Road" star is the single parent of daughters Jackson Theron, 14, and August Theron, 11, raising them to be kind and fearless agents of change. Born a boy, Jackson identifies as a girl and uses the pronouns she/her. This small, tight-knit family is seldom spotted in public. Still, we've managed to learn a little bit about their personalities, preferences, and relationships with one another from the actor's interviews and social media accounts. Let's delve into the specifics, from her personal struggles with motherhood to her daughters' personalities, interests, and notable appearances.

Choosing to adopt requires some serious thought. You have to consider factors like your ability to raise a child in a safe and comfortable environment. Fortunately, the rich and famous can easily provide for orphaned and foster kids, and some of those heartwarming stories are real tearjerkers. For Charlize Theron, who has led a tragic life amid episodes of racial violence, family abuse, and sexual harassment, that decision was naturally ingrained in her. "I was always honest with my partners, that adoption was how my family would look one day," she told People in 2018. "This was definitely not a second option for me. It was always my first." Back in 2016, she shared an Instagram photo of her children's adorable hands on World Adoption Day, captioning it with, "If we continue to open our minds and hearts, maybe we will find ourselves in a world where every child has the loving family they deserve."

Right from the start, the "Apex" star was focused on achieving her goals: a successful career and a nurturing home. That's because she was raised as an only child, and her abusive dad struggled with alcoholism and bouts of rage. Plus, growing up in South Africa, she was exposed early on to segregation, brutality, orphaned kids, and underprivileged communities. As she recalled to The New York Times in 2026, "I saw things that I shouldn't have seen at a very young age."

When did Charlize Theron file for adoption, and was the process as smooth as she'd hoped both times? In March 2012, notable outlets like People reported that she had just become a mother to a healthy baby, Jackson. The "Prometheus" star, who was 36 at the time, had already stated that she was hoping for a family, but she also insisted she wasn't interested in marriage. A source told Us Weekly back then, "She is glad to be able to do it on her own now and is so happy to be a mom." The process may have taken her two years, but it was worth it. As she told Vogue U.K. (via E! News), she hoped to be as "[f]air" and "supportive" as her own mom was. The actor and philanthropist also shared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" (via People/Yahoo) that her two dogs, Berkley and Blue, were equally ecstatic about Jackson.

Then, on August 1, 2015, TMZ reported that after a six-month wait, Theron took custody of a newborn girl named August through an adoption agency. The article also erroneously mentioned that Jackson hailed from South Africa. In reality, both her children were born African-American. Theron doesn't care that she didn't give birth to Jacks and Auggie herself, as she calls them. "I never saw a difference in raising an adopted child versus my own biological child," she told Elle in 2018. "I don't feel like I'm missing out on something."

In the same interview, Charlize Theron revealed that she was co-parenting Jacks and Auggie with her mom, Gerda Maritz, and a nanny. Like any other siblings, her kids often quarreled and threw tantrums. Motherhood hasn't always been a smooth ride, and other parents have shamed the actor for using baby formula. As she told Elle, "I have bad days. I make mistakes. ... [But] there's not a day when I wish I hadn't done this. ... The good thing about me is, I've never given a s*** about what people think."

Theron shared on celebrity talk show "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" in 2019 that her daughters were unapologetically opinionated and proactive. August, for one, was barely 4 when she learned martial arts by herself. She was only 5 when she encouraged her mom to start dating again.

The "Monster" star wants her daughters to stay outspoken and follow their own path. As she told the Daily Mail in 2019 after facing backlash for raising Jackson as a girl, "They were born who they are and exactly where in the world both of them get to find themselves as they grow up, and who they want to be, is not for me to decide. My job as a parent is to celebrate them and to love them and to make sure that they have everything they need in order to be what they want to be."

Charlize Theron's upbringing in South Africa exposed her to issues like racism and inequality at an early age. Having adopted two African-American children, she's not only committed to raising them in a nurturing and safe home, but she also encourages them to embrace their heritage. This also means that she's been painfully aware that Jackson and August may face certain obstacles in the future because of their background. "There are places in this country where, if I got a job, I wouldn't take it. I wouldn't travel with my kids to some parts of America, and that's really problematic," she revealed in her 2018 Elle interview. "They need to know where they come from and be proud of that," she added. The "Tully" star has even considered relocating to another country with her family.

Theron also shared with People in 2020 that her young daughters were active supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement. They even made signs to participate in protests and always kept them in the car. "[W]hen they see protesters on the side of the road," she said, "They'll say, 'Mom, honk. Honk, Mom, honk ... There's a real sense of pride."

The COVID-19 pandemic unfurled upon the world at the end of 2019, forcing families worldwide into lockdown for months throughout 2020 and 2021. Like any other parent, Charlize Theron often stayed at home with her kids during those quarantine periods, ensuring they were safe and happy. Her responsibilities also included supervising their remote schooling, which was rather emotionally taxing.

In July 2020, "Today's" Willie Geist interviewed the actor virtually about her new movie at the time, "The Old Guard." Helmed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, the latter featured her as Andromache of Scythia, the leader of a group of immortal mercenaries. It was then that she jokingly stated that filming thrilling action scenes was actually much easier than homeschooling then-8-year-old Jacks and 5-year-old Auggie. "I had been working quite a bit that previous year, and so I was actually really ready to just be home," she said. "I had one kid downstairs and one kid upstairs, and, you know, the other one could have very well just burned the house down," she added. "And then the other one upstairs, you know, was complaining about what a terrible math teacher I was." Fortunately, Theron's beloved dogs were there to keep them company. In fact, the girls kept begging her for pups of their own until she finally caved.

Charlize, Jackson, and August Theron are a tight-knit family. One of their favorite shared activities is "shaking it off" to Taylor Swift's hits. In August 2023, the "Bombshell" actor celebrated her 48th birthday by taking her daughter to the Eras Tour concert in Los Angeles. Sharing an Instagram video of themselves dancing at SoFi Stadium, she wrote, "Thank you for the best birthday ever, @taylorswift!!! We had such a great f***ing time." A fan then commented, "The smiles and the joy that you gave those girls is probably the best present," while another one chimed in, "You are the best mother any kid could ever hope for."

Just like other kids, listening to contemporary music and going to the mall and the movies are some of Jacks and Auggie's favorite pastimes. Their mom shared that on their morning rides to school, they insist on choosing their playlist, often frowning at her taste. As she told ET's Rachel Smith at Town & Country's Philanthropy Summit in November 2023, "I'll play some '90s and they're like, 'Oh my god, Mom. Who is this?' ... I was trying to tell them the other day that The Rolling Stones, it's like a religion, and they're like, 'Really?' Their minds were blown."

The gorgeous Charlize Theron boasts an impressive portfolio and is thriving as an actor, producer, model, and activist. Her current net worth is $200 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Some of her most notable movie roles have been dangerous to perform and included intense stunts and extreme environments, resulting in injuries and surgeries. Cases in point: "Mad Max: Fury Road," "Atomic Blonde," "The Old Guard," and "Apex." Yet, when Jimmy Kimmel asked her in 2025 if her daughters admired her as a star, she shook her head and replied, "My children have zero respect for me. ... I feel like I'm pretty humble, but every once in a while, I'm like, 'There's a f***ing Oscar right there!' No, they're so not impressed with me." She then added that they thought Tom Cruise was "much cooler" in his own high-risk scenes.

On the other hand, Jackson and August are extremely interested in her romances. "[T]hey actually enjoy that I'm dating because they want to be involved," she shared on "The Drew Barrymore Show" in 2026, adding, "[T]hey're like, 'Mom! Is he texting you? Like, go on the date, Mom!' They get so into it, which is really sweet." According to rumors, the actor has been in a relationship with model Alex Dimitrijevic since 2023.

Charlize Theron may sometimes discuss daughters Jackson and August in her interviews, but she seldom appears with them at crowded events. Unlike other celebrity parents, she doesn't fill her Instagram account with candid photos on a regular basis. So, when she attended the Dior Pre-Fall 2024 Show in New York City with August, the duo made quite a splash. August looked overjoyed in her front-row seat, sporting a white dress and a white-and-cobalt jacket. As for her mother, she paired a discrete black top with a tan skirt and seemed equally relaxed and happy.

The actor accompanies her girls more frequently to theme parks, though. On September 5, 2025, for instance, she was spotted having a blast with then-12-year-old Jackson at Disneyland. In her (futile) attempt to blend in, the "Bombshell" star wore a white tee, denim capri pants, and a black baseball bat. For her part, Jacks was dressed in a red tee, black shorts, and athletic shoes.