18 Celebs You Didn't Realize Were Grandparents
Get ready to be surprised, because Hollywood's glamorous stars are not just rocking the red carpet and dominating the silver screen, but they're also taking on another exciting role: grandparents! From iconic actors to chart-topping musicians, these stars have entered a new chapter of life filled with love, joy and some truly adorable kiddos. Prepare to be amazed as we uncover the hidden world of celebrity grandparents that you may not have realized existed.
Related: 13 Co-Stars You Forgot Dated
Celebrities You Didn't Realize Were Grandparents
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Snoop Dogg, the legendary rapper and cultural icon, is not only a musical maestro but also a proud and doting grandfather of six, with one on the way. "My grandkids are my everything because they all individually get a piece of my heart and they're different," the 51-year-old father of three has said of his youngest family members. The little ones are Luna, Journey, Zion, Sky, Kai and Elleven.
Related: Snoop Dogg's Net Worth in 2023 Is Almost as High as He Is
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At 53, the gorgeous and talented Catherine Zeta-Jones is a step-grandmother to two kids, a girl named Lua, 5, and a boy named Ryder, 2, through her marriage to Michael Douglas. They call her "ZeeZee."
Musician Lauryn Hill became a grandmother when her son Zion welcomed his son Zephaniah in 2017 at the age of 19. Hill famously wrote "To Zion," which appeared on her iconic album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, in honor of her son, whom she birthed just as her career was taking off in 1997, against the advice of others. ("'Look at your career,' they said, 'Lauren, baby, use your head'/ But instead I chose to use my heart.") Zion welcomed daughter Azariah, Hill's second grandchild, in 2021.
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In 2013, at the age of 47, Charlie Sheen became a grandfather when his eldest child, Cassandra, welcomed a baby girl named Luna. Overwhelmed with joy and gratitude, Charlie expressed his enthusiasm to TMZ. "It's impossibly the most wondrous day. My bucket list is a thimble!" he said.
NeNe Leakes, former Real Housewives star and current world icon, experienced the joy of becoming a grandmother at the age of 44 when her son Bryson welcomed his daughter, Bri'asia, at the age of 22. Although she was initially taken aback by the news, NeNe has fully embraced her role as a doting grandmother, showering the little girl with love and luxurious gifts. “I’m a sassy, fashion-forward grandma!” she's said.
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CeeLo Green was fairly young when he became a grandfather, when his stepdaughter with now ex-wife Christina Johnson welcomed a baby boy into the world in 2010. At the time, he told Chelsea Handler during an appearance on her show, “I'm a grandfather. I'm 35.”
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Nic Cage, who needs no introduction, has four grandchildren from his son Weston and is thriving in his role as a grandfather to Lucian, Sorin, Venice and Cyress. Cage said he loves “every second” of being a grandfather, telling People magazine, "I always want to be there to support my kids in all the wonderful things they do.”
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Ice-T, the multi-talented 65-year-old artist known for his influential contributions to hip-hop music and Law & Order: SVU, became a grandfather in 1995, when his oldest daughter, LeTesha Marrow, gave birth to her first son, Elyjah. She made her famous father a grandpa of three with the birth of her second son, Sah'cyah, and her only daughter, Cojahlei.
Tragedy struck the family in 2014, when Elyjah was charged with involuntary manslaughter after accidentally shooting his roommate, 19-year-old Daryus Johnson. Marrow celebrated her son's release from prison in 2019.
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Jim Carrey, 61, took on the role of grandfather when his daughter, Jane, welcomed her son, Jackson, in 2010. In 2020, after being a grandfather for more than a decade, Jim confessed to feeling a tad embarrassed when Jackson enthusiastically addresses him as "grandpa" in public. "I'm a good grandad," he shared during an appearance on the U.K. talk show Lorraine. "But it's a little embarrassing in public when he's just like, 'GRANDPA!' He doesn't hold back. But we're buddies. He's an awesome dude."
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Gayle King embarked on a new chapter of life in September 2021, when her daughter Kirby gave birth to the media mogul's first grandchild, a boy named Luca. "Listen, I know people have grandchildren every day, but there's something about when you have your own that you go, 'Oh my God, how long has this been going on?'" King said on CBS Mornings. Cute!
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Vanessa Williams, the multifaceted 60-year-old actress, has not only graced the world with her undeniable talent but she’s also a g-ma! In December 2021, her daughter Jillian Hervey, in collaboration with Lion Babe bandmate Lucas Goodman, brought little Sunny Rise into the world, marking Vanessa's delightful entry into the realm of grandparenthood.
![<p>Photo by: Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal via Getty Images</p><p><strong>Rosie O'Donnell</strong>'s daughter Chelsea is the proud mother of three children: Skylar, Riley and the newest addition, baby Avery, who was born in December 2022. Rosie has expressed her joy as a grandmother, affectionately referring to herself as "Nana 3.” </p><p>“It was something really beautiful,” <a href="https://people.com/tv/rosie-odonnell-reflects-on-becoming-first-time-grandmother/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:she said;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">she said</a> of becoming a grandma for the first time. “It’s very trite, but it’s what everyone says—when you’re a grandparent, it’s like [having] a baby times a million. And that’s what it felt like.”</p>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/8ggpkWhBSFAeA7efwV482g--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYzOQ--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/parade_250/baedec6c5b6b4be99b55e8b683eaf994)
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Rosie O'Donnell's daughter Chelsea is the proud mother of three children: Skylar, Riley and the newest addition, baby Avery, who was born in December 2022. Rosie has expressed her joy as a grandmother, affectionately referring to herself as "Nana 3.”
“It was something really beautiful,” she said of becoming a grandma for the first time. “It’s very trite, but it’s what everyone says—when you’re a grandparent, it’s like [having] a baby times a million. And that’s what it felt like.”
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In 2014, at the age of 43, Kid Rock became a grandfather to Skye, his son Robert James Ritchie Jr.'s daughter. “My friends say, ‘How lucky are you, to be able to see your granddaughter do so much stuff? You’ll be at her wedding,'" the "Cowboy" singer told Rolling Stone in 2016. "So many things you might not see if you have kids later in life, which seems to be the trend now for most responsible adults."
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Eddie Murphy, who is a father of 10, became a first-time grandpa in July 2019 when his son Miles Mitchell welcomed daughter Evie. “Things happen in cycles, and right now I’m in a cycle where there’s no higher blessing than having a child," the megastar comedian has said. "There’s no sweeter blessing than seeing your grandchild.”
Related: Get to Know Eddie Murphy's 10 Kids and Their Mothers
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TODAY co-host Al Roker, 68, recently welcomed his first granddaughter, Sky, to the family. "In love all over again," he wrote on Instagram. "Already planning the ways to spoil her and then hand her back."
![<p>Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images</p><p><strong>Helen Mirren</strong> isn't a biological mother, but the <em>1923 </em>actress has embraced the role of stepmom to <a href="https://parade.com/celebrities/helen-mirren-husband-taylor-hackford" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:husband Taylor Hackford;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">husband <strong>Taylor Hackford</strong></a>'s two sons, Rio and Alexander, as well as step-grandma to Rio's two boys, Waylon and Buck. Sadly, Rio died in 2022, after battling a rare and aggressive form of eye cancer called uveal melanoma. In a statement at the time of his death, Mirren and Hackford <a href="https://people.com/movies/helen-mirren-taylor-hackford-react-to-son-rio-hackford-death/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:said;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">said</a>, "[We] are both inspired by the life of our son and stepson, Rio Hackford, and heartbroken by his loss."</p>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/riCNSJMsEkt20CONLLIBuw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYzOQ--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/parade_250/0977e345a3ab57ce529695e39e174ca8)
Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images
Helen Mirren isn't a biological mother, but the 1923 actress has embraced the role of stepmom to husband Taylor Hackford's two sons, Rio and Alexander, as well as step-grandma to Rio's two boys, Waylon and Buck. Sadly, Rio died in 2022, after battling a rare and aggressive form of eye cancer called uveal melanoma. In a statement at the time of his death, Mirren and Hackford said, "[We] are both inspired by the life of our son and stepson, Rio Hackford, and heartbroken by his loss."
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At the age of 67, The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg holds the titles of both grandma and great-grandma. “Me and my grandma are super close," Goldberg's oldest of three grandchildren, Amarah, has said. "She’s everything." Amarah made her famous grandmother a famous great-grandmother in 2014, with the birth of her daughter, Chuck Rose.
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Kiefer Sutherland, 56, is grandfather to his stepdaughter Michelle Kath's two boys, Hamish and Quinn. The 24 actor has playfully acknowledged the perks of being a grandparent, relishing in the fact that he can indulge his grandchildren with treats like chocolate and soda before handing them back to their parents. “I spend about two hours getting them completely wired, I give them cash so they’ll come back, and then I hand them back to their mother and say ‘good luck,'" he's said.