Whatever It Takes! Black Celebs Who Didn’t Have Kids the Old-Fashioned Way

A history of fertility issues, advanced maternal age or being in a same-sex relationship are among the reasons some couples need to seek help when they’re ready to grow their families.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, nine percent of men and 11 percent of women of reproductive age have experienced issues with fertility.

But these Black celebs are having the families they want on their own terms with the help of surrogates, sperm donors and other untraditional means.

In a June 7 interview with The Times, actress and supermodel Naomi Campbell confirmed that her two-year-old daughter and nearly one-year-old son were born via surrogate. Although Campbell is very private about her kids, she shared that they have all of her focus these days.

“My babies are everything to me,” she said. “I hope for a better world for my children. They are 110 percent my priority.”

Singer and “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Kandi Burruss and her husband Todd Tucker welcomed their daughter Blaze into the world via surrogate in November 2019. Burruss, who also has two older children, told PEOPLE that enlisting the help of a surrogate for baby number three was “the best decision that we could have made.”

After several unsuccessful rounds of IVF, actress and “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Shamea Morton and her husband Gerald Mwangi welcomed their second child into the world via surrogate in November 2022. The couple was referred to their gestational carrier, Shadina Blunt by RHOA costar Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker who used the same surrogate.

Lawyer, author and television personality Eboni K. Williams is expecting her first baby in August via IVF with the help of her frozen eggs and a sperm donor. In an interview with PEOPLE, Williams said even without a partner, she has more than enough love and resources to share with a child.

“I felt compelled to share this forward to the next generation — not just through mentorship, but through creating my own progeny and cementing my own legacy in this very unique way that only motherhood could offer,” she said.

After suffering several miscarriages, actress Gabrielle Union told TIME Magazine that her doctor told her in 2016 that surrogacy was her best chance for a healthy baby. Their daughter, Kaavia James Union Wade, was born via surrogate in November 2018.

After several unsuccessful rounds of IVF, supermodel Tyra Banks and her ex-boyfriend Erik Asla’s son York Banks was born via surrogate in 2016. Banks, who tries to keep her son out of the spotlight, says he is one of the most important things in her life.

“Coming home to him makes it all worth it,” she told PEOPLE in 2020. “If it’s late, I’ll get into bed and cuddle with him.”

Actors Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance experienced years of unsuccessful fertility treatments on their journey to grow their family. But their prayers were answered when their fraternal twins Bronwyn Golden and Slater Josiah were born via surrogate in 2006.

“I was devastated when it didn’t happen [again and again]. I had to remain hopeful and resilient and, ‘Okay, let’s do it again,” Bassett told Oprah in 2007.

Businesswoman Mellody Hobson and her husband, “Star Wars” creator George Lucas’ daughter Everest Hobson Lucas was born via surrogate in 2013.

Rapper/reality star Da Brat and Jesseca Harris-Dupart enlisted the help of a sperm donor to help them expand their family. Their son, True Legend was born in July 2023.

“Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker and her husband John Hughes’ two children were delivered via surrogate. Welker, who struggled with infertility for years, calls her surrogate her “angel on earth,” according to PEOPLE.

After experiencing complications during their first two pregnancies, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian’s daughter Chicago and son Psalm were born via surrogate in January 2018 and May 2019. In 2017, the reality star said she was grateful to have another option to bring new life into the world.

“The fact that this is just what we can do these days, I’m like really thankful. … Like I’m seriously so grateful for her and that someone is just so like selfless and kind to do this,” she said.

NBA star Tristan Thompson and Khloe Kardashian’s son Tatum was born via surrogate in July 2023. The pregnancy was especially difficult for Kardashian, who learned Thompson had fathered another child with her personal trainer while the surrogate was pregnant.