Mature Moms! World’s Most Famous Stars Who Embraced Parenthood After 40 — Celine Dion, Meryl Streep, Salma Hayek and More

Alyssa Milano

Alyssa Milano gave birth to her daughter, Elizabella Dylan Bugliari , in September 2014, a few months before she turned 42.

"My daughter! My daughter! My daughter!" she posted on X at the time. "Elizabella has made my heart swell and ache with love. Thank you for your sweet messages."

She and her husband , David Bugliari , are also parents to their son , Milo .

Annette Bening

Annette Bening welcomed her and Warren Beatty 's youngest child, Ella , when she was 42. Ella made her Broadway debut in Appropriate in March at the age of 24.

Brooke Shields

Following previous IVF attempts, Brooke Shields became a mom again at 40 when she and Chris Henchy welcomed their daughter, Grier Hammond Givenchy , on April 18, 2006.

Celine Dion

In 2010, Celine Dion and her late husband , René Angélil , welcomed their fraternal twins — Nelson and Eddy — at St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Fla., via C-section. They went through six IVF treatments before they finally became pregnant.

"So, you know what? We had a miscarriage," the "To Love You More" who has been battling stiff-person syndrome , revealed on Good Morning America . "We tried [IVF] three more times. It did not work. ... We are trying again for the fifth try. It's aboard right now. All aboard."

Eva Mendes

At 40, Eva Mendes became a first-time mom to her daughter, Esmeralda Amada , with Ryan Gosling . Two years later, the Hitch actress — who was 42 at the time — delivered their second baby, Amada Lee .

Reflecting on becoming a mom in her 40s, the Ghost Rider star told Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager that she wanted to give birth when she was older . However, she changed her mind upon seeing the Barbie actor and realized she wanted to have his babies .

"It's such a personal choice for a woman, obviously," the Girl in Progress star admitted. "Then you run the risk of... you're always running a risk. When I was pregnant there was always something to worry about. But thankfully I had really healthy pregnancies and I was happy I waited."

Gwen Stefani

Gwen Stefani has yet to have her first child with Blake Shelton , years after giving birth to her third child with Gavin Rossdale when she was 44. Per The Voice coach, Apollo was special since she was in her 40s when she had him .

"I never thought I would actually be in preschool again because I had him so late. It was such a miracle surprise that I had him in the first place, so I'm just trying to savor every moment," she said.

Halle Berry

Halle Berry gave birth to her first child, Nahla , when she was 41, before having her son , Maceo, at 47.

In her interview with InStyle , the Catwoman actress revealed how she wished she had more kids.

"I loved being pregnant," she disclosed. "Had I started earlier, I probably would have had five children. Or if I hadn’t been busy trying to make movies, I would have been the perfect surrogate. All the hormones made me feel amazing. I was so alive with my purpose and my femininity . It felt like my body was doing what it was built to do."

Hilary Swank

Hilary Swank was 48 when she welcomed her twins with Philip Schneider in April 2023.

"It's the best in the whole wide world," she shared while appearing on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon . "Yes, it's more joy, more fun and more exhausting. It's more everything than I ever thought it would be. It's more glorious, it's the most extraordinary thing in the world."

Janet Jackson

In January 2017, Janet Jackson became a mom to her son , Eissa Al Mana , at the age of 50. She decided to delay her tour at the time to plan their family, but she called it quits with Wissam Al Mana months after their child was born.

Julianne Moore

Julianne Moore was 41 when she gave birth to Liv in 2002. She told The Guardian in an interview that she dreamed of having her daughter.

"I always tell my little girl that I can remember lying in the bathtub when I was pregnant, and I say, I wished and wished for a girl and got her," she continued.

Kourtney Kardashian

Following her marriage to Travis Barker , Kourtney Kardashian welcomed her fourth child — first with the drummer — at the age of 44.

Madonna

On August 11, 2000, Madonna and her then-husband, Guy Ritchie , welcomed their baby, Rocco Ritchie . She was 41 at the time.

"She's a good mother … She's very strict but in a good way," Rocco told Ellen DeGeneres of the matriarch in 2012.

Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep delivered her youngest child, Louisa Jacobson , in 1991 before turning 42.

In 1998, she opened up about her motherhood journey in her interview with The Washington Post .

"I need to know there is a reason to take time out from the very intricate and exhausting and deeply interesting job of being with my kids and with my husband . To take four months and do a movie, it has to be worth it," The Devil Wears Prada actress shared.

Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman told Who magazine in Australia how conceiving and giving birth to her child, Sunday Rose , with Keith Urban when she was 41 was a miracle in her life.

"So much is stepping aside and letting them become who they are. I don’t know if I’m teaching that as much as giving them their voices. I let them negotiate so they get a sense of who they are and what they can achieve and accomplish," she shared with Today the ways she was raising her daughters.

They also had their second daughter, Faith Margaret , via gestational surrogate .

Salma Hayek

Salma Hayek was 41 years old when she welcomed her daughter , Valentina Paloma Pinault , with her husband, François-Henri Pinault . She managed to overcome her risky pregnancy caused by a health issue.

"I think it’s very good to have a child at this age," she revealed. "I enjoyed it. It came to me and I said, 'Okay, this is where I go now.' I had diabetes while I was pregnant. I became huge. And I said, 'This is what it takes for me to have this baby, and I really want it.' Then you don’t know if it’s going to be healthy; you are completely out of control. So the experience really makes you humble."