Celebrities who have spoken out about decision to use surrogate to have children

When Lily Collins and husband Charlie McDowell announced they welcomed their first child at the end of January, trolls criticised the pair and inundated social media with negative comments

What was supposed to be a happy moment for the Emily in Paris star and her husband Charlie McDowell was met with strange criticisms and backlash for welcoming her newborn daughter via surrogate.

Sharing a photo of their newborn baby girl sleeping beside a blanket embroidered with her name Tove Jane, the 35-year-old wrote in the caption: "Words will never express our endless gratitude for our incredible surrogate and everyone who helped us along the way.

"We love you to the moon and back again…".

The couple were accused of contributing to a so-called 'unethical trend'. Those who denounce surrogacy claim there has been an increasing amount of 'rich people' using another individual's womb as a means of having a child.

The odd and unexpected backlash and sparked a new interest in surrogacy and the celebrities who have spoken about welcoming their children with the help of surrogate.

Here are 10 celebrities who have used a surrogate:

Lily Collins

Lily's writer and director husband Charlie subsequently took to the comments of the announcement post, directly addressing the criticism.

"Thank you for all the kind messages and love," he began. "We are overjoyed and very grateful. In regards to the unkind messages about surrogacy and our path to having a baby - it's ok to not be an expert on surrogacy."

Charlie went on: "It's ok to not know why someone might need a surrogate to have a child. It's ok to not know the motivations of a surrogate regardless of what you assume.

"And it's ok to spend less time spewing hateful words into the world, especially in regards to a beautiful baby girl who has brought a lot of love into people's lives."

He concluded his message by penning, "That's all for now because she just pooped and I need to change her diaper," which Lily later replied to with a string of white love-heart emojis.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West

During Kim’s first pregnancy with daughter North, 11, she suffered from placenta accreta. It’s a serious medical condition where the placenta doesn’t detach from the uterine wall and it left a hole in Kim’s uterus, leaving her unable to get pregnant again.

She underwent IVF to carry her second child, a son named Saint, but she suffered from pre-eclampsia as she did with North.

“I had so many complications. I had this condition called placenta accreta. There were a couple little operations to fix all that, so that created a little hole in my uterus, which I think made it really tough to get pregnant again,” she explained in an issue of C Magazine.

Kim and Kanye opted to expand their family with the help of a surrogate to welcome her daughter Chicago, seven, and son Psalm, five. Kim said she and Kanye used a ‘surrogate therapist’ to help mediate communication with their surrogates.

Kim opened up about her experience as part of a charity initiative called ‘Holiday Giving,' with her shapewear line SKIMS in 2019.

“I’m so thankful for my beautiful kids, no matter how they came to me — they came to me,” she said. “I’m so thankful for surrogates. I’m really thankful for my family.”

Khloé Kardashian and Tristan Thompson

Khloé and Tristan welcomed their second child, son Tatum, two, via surrogate.

The Good American business founder carried the couple’s first child, True, six. Khloé’s sister Kim helped her through the surrogacy process.

“If it wasn’t for Kimberly, I definitely don’t think I would have been as comfortable,” she said in an interview on The Kelly Clarkson Show. “I wouldn't have been aware, I wouldn't have known as much."

Paris Hilton and Carter Reum

Paris Hilton and her husband Carter Reum started IVF shortly after getting married.

Kim Kardashian helped her learn more about the IVF and surrogacy process, and the couple welcomed their son Phoenix via surrogacy in January 2023.

Phoenix became a big brother just 10 months later with the arrival of his little sister London, who was also born via surrogacy.

Paris said she has PTSD from her experiences as a teenager. In the past she has written about sexual abuse and medical trauma she experienced at a boarding school in Utah.

“If I’m in a doctor’s office, I get a shot, anything, I will literally have a panic attack and I can’t breathe,” she told Romper. “I just knew that would not be healthy for me or the baby, growing inside of someone who has such high anxiety.”

Rebel Wilson

The Pitch Perfect star announced she had welcomed her daughter Royce in November 2022 and said surrogacy is a ‘gift’.

In an Instagram post shared with her fans, Rebel gushed: “Beyond proud to announce the birth of my first child, Royce Lillian, born this past week via surrogate… I am forever grateful to everyone who has been involved, (you know who you are), this has been years in the making…but particularly wanted to thank my gorgeous surrogate who carried her and birthed her with such grace and care.

"Thank you for helping me start my own family, it’s an amazing gift. The BEST gift!!”

Rebel and her wife Ramona Agruma announced their relationship in June 2022.

Andy Cohen

The Bravo host has a son and a daughter born via surrogate who are both ‘biological siblings’, suggesting he used the same egg donor for both embryos.

He is dad to Benjamin, six, and Lucy, two. Andy spoke about the moment his son was born, saying he was in the delivery room and cut the umbilical cord himself before holding his newborn for the first time.

“I worked with an incredible surrogate," he said. "My surrogate just viewed it as, she was giving me the ultimate gift. She gave me life. So I'll be forever indebted to her."

Tyra Banks and Erik Asla

The former America’s Next Top Model host announced she and her then-boyfriend, photographer Erik Asla, had welcomed their son, York, nine, in January 2016 with the help of a surrogate.

"The best present we worked and prayed so hard for is finally here," she captioned the Instagram post. "He’s got my fingers and big eyes and his daddy Erik’s mouth and chin.

"As we thank the angel of a woman that carried our miracle baby boy for us, we pray for everyone who struggles to reach this joyous milestone. York Banks Asla, welcome to the world."

Banks tried IVF before using a surrogate but was unable to become pregnant.

Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas

The couple welcomed their daughter Malti in January 2022 via surrogate. She was born 12 weeks premature and had to spend 100 days in the NICU.

Before becoming parents, the former Quantico actress experienced ‘medical complications’ and explained in an interview with British Vogue that using a surrogate was a ‘necessary step’.

Her comments came after she was accused of ‘outsourcing’ her pregnancy and ‘renting’ a woman out of vanity.

“I’m so grateful I was in a position where I could do this,” she shared. “Our surrogate was so generous, kind, lovely and funny, and she took care of this precious gift for us for six months.”

Kristen Wiig and Avi Rothman

Kristen and her husband Avi welcomed twins Luna and Shiloh in January 2020 via surrogate. They had struggled with IVF for three years before turning to surrogacy. The former SNL star described this period as a ‘haze’.

“Emotionally, spiritually, and medically, it was probably the most difficult time in my life,' Kristen told InStyle. “I wasn’t myself. There are so many emotions that go with it — you’re always waiting by the phone and getting test results, and it was just bad news after bad news. Occasionally there would be a good month, but then it was just more bad news. There was a lot of stress and heartache.”

Kristen ‘finally’ accepted surrogacy as an option. She formed a strong connection with her surrogate and said she wished she had spoken about the process more.

“'As private as I am and as sacred as this all is, what helped me was reading about other women who went through it and talking to those who have gone through IVF and fertility stuff.”

Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade

Gabrielle has written extensively about her journey to motherhood, including her IVF attempts and ‘countless’ miscarriages. Her husband persuaded her to use a surrogate they found named Natalie.

The actress was also diagnosed with adenomyosis, a gynaecological condition that causes endometrial tissue in the lining of the uterus to grow into the muscular wall of the uterus. It can cause infertility.

After being told that surrogacy would be her best option, Gabrielle was upfront about the toll this decision had.

“I will always wonder if [my daughter] would love me more if I had carried her,” she wrote in Time magazine. "Would our bond be even tighter?

"I will never know what it would have been like to carry this rockstar inside me.… We met as strangers, the sound of my voice and my heartbeat foreign to her. It’s a pain that has dimmed but remains present in my fears that I was not, and never will be, enough.”

The couple’s daughter, Kaavia James Union Wade, was born in November 2018.