Celebrity Stepparents: Jada Pinkett Smith, LeAnn Rimes, Kurt Russell and More

Credit: Courteesy of Teddi Mellencamp/Instagram

Celebrity Stepparents: Jada Pinkett Smith, LeAnn Rimes, Kurt Russell and More

Stepping up! Heather Rae Young, Jada Pinkett Smith, Gwyneth Paltrow and more stars have spoken fondly of their stepparenting roles over the years. "Blended families are NEVER easy ... but we CHOOSE them," the Red Table Talk host shared via Instagram in 2014. "When I married [husband] Will [Smith], I knew [his son] Trey was part of the package. Period! If I didn't want that, I needed to marry someone else." She added: "Then I learned if I'm going to love Trey, I had to learn to love the most important person in the world to him - his mother [Sheree Zampino]. And the two of us may not have always LIKED each other… but we have learned to LOVE each other." [jwplayer gyduGFwg-zhNYySv2] As for Young, the Selling Sunset star considers herself a “bonus mom” to husband Tarek El Moussa and Christina Haack’s two kids, daughter Taylor and son Brayden. "I can’t wait to be their 'official’ stepmom,” the real estate agent wrote via Instagram in August 2020, prior to her and El Moussa's October 2021 nuptials. "I never knew love like this until these two entered my life. It was completely unexpected, but when I met @therealtarekelmoussa I didn’t even question the fact that he had kids. We fell in love very quick and loving him meant loving everything. I love my little family.” The California native has shared many sweet moments with the little ones via social media, from rocking matching Christmas pajamas to snapping silly family selfies. ​Paltrow, for her part, told fellow stepmom Gabrielle Union that she initially panicked when she became a bonus mom to husband Brad Falchuk's kids. "I have two beautiful stepchildren, who are the same age as mine," the Shakespeare in Love star, who shares daughter Apple and son Moses with ex-husband Chris Martin said in a March 2021 interview on her "Goop" podcast. "It's funny because when I became a stepmother, when I knew I was going to become a stepmother, I was like, 'S—, I have no idea how to do this. There's nothing to read. What do I do? Where do I step in? Where do I not? Like, how do I do this?'" She continued: "It's been a really interesting challenge for me and I love them. I've learned so much about myself through the process. Keep scrolling to see what more celebrities, including Princess Beatrice and LeAnn Rimes, have had to say about raising their stepchildren.

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Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker

The Kardashians star and Blink-182 drummer both became stepparents to each other's children when they tied the knot in May 2022 in their second — but first legally-binding — ceremony. The Poosh founder shares sons Mason and Reign and daughter Penelope with ex Scott Disick, while Barker is dad of Alabama and Landon with ex Shanna Moakler. He is also stepdad of Atiana De La Hoya, whom Moakler shares with ex Oscar De La Hoya.

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King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla

Upon marrying Charles in 2017, Camilla became stepmother of his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, whom the monarch shares with the late Princess Diana. In turn, the sovereign is stepdad of Camilla's kids, Laura Lopes and Tom Parker Bowles, both of whom she shares with ex-husband Andrew Parker Bowles.

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Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck

Bennifer combined their family when they tied the knot in summer 2022. Lopez became a bonus mom to Affleck's kids — Violet, Serafina and Samuel — whom he shares with his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner, while the Argo director is now stepdad of Emme and Max, the Grammy winner's children with ex-husband Marc Anthony.

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Sharna Burgess

The Dancing With the Stars pro is a stepmother figure to fiance Brian Austin Green's four sons: Kassius, whom he shares with ex Vanessa Marcil, and Noah, Bodhi and Journey, whom he shares with ex-wife Megan Fox. Together, Burgess and Green are the parents of son Zane, born in June 2022.

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Joshua Hall

In April 2022, Us Weekly confirmed that the real estate agent and Christina on the Coast star Christina Haack were married, making Hall stepdad of Haack's three children: Taylor and Brayden with her first ex-husband, Tarek El Moussa, and son Hudson with her second ex-husband, Ant Anstead.

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Sofia Pernas

Justin Hartley's wife told Page Six in April 2022 that her stepdaughter, Isabella, is "very smart" and "so wise."

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Gabrielle Union

The L.A.’s Finest star shared her stepparenting advice with Paltrow at the time, saying, "Whoever you are, just be consistent so everyone can get used to who the hell you are really and you’re not putting on an act and then the mask falls off."

"The stepparent label was put on me by the kids’ school because you have to describe yourself: ‘Who are you if you’re not their mother?’ It’s very annoying,” Union told Glennon Doyle during a November 2021 podcast episode. "What I realized very quickly is you will never, ever, I don’t care if the other parent is dead, you will never be able to replace the other parent. Don’t try to replace the other parent. That is not your job. Your job is to be consistent. If you’re a disciplinarian in your own life, continue to be that. Just be consistent so they know who you are, and kids adapt.”

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Teddi Mellencamp

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum exclusively opened up to Us Weekly about communicating with her stepdaughter, Isabella, in August 2021. "They don't want to share everything with you, but if you're playing a volleyball game or if you're playing chess or if you’re even going on a hike, it opens up those conversations and it makes it more natural,” the former Bravo personality said. "Especially as they get into the teenage years and as they get older and ... really wanting to be separate, we try to do things as a family."

In November 2021, Mellencamp celebrated Isabella’s 13th birthday with an Instagram tribute, writing, "I knew the day your daddy introduced me to you that my life was forever changed for the better. You are kind, smart, talented, beautiful, funny, athletic and above all have the best heart. Being your bonus/stepmom has been one of the greatest gifts and watching you mature into this incredible young lady has me in [tears]."

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Blake Shelton

"I don't know if it's as hard or harder or not as hard as being an actual, biological parent,” the country singer said of being a stepfather to Gwen Stefani's three sons during KFROG’s The Ride With Kimo and Heather in February 2021. "I have a stepfather in my life who's one of my heroes. I love my stepfather and I look up to him and he's like a father to me, so I have a good inspiration in my life for how to do this and the kind of stepdad I want to be. And I take it very serious. I don't take it so serious that I'm not enjoying this time because I really am, especially now that we're five years into this thing."

"Every day I've fallen in love with the boys as much as I do with Gwen," Shelton said during the Country Radio Seminar in February 2022, adding that his dad, Richard Shelton, inspired his stepdad role. "He took [my half-sibling], Richie, on and raised him from the time he was 1 ... and my brother never thought of my dad as anything other than his dad. The example that my dad set for me was that [child] was not even a consideration [in a relationship]. You've got three boys? Awesome! My dad did it. My dad raised me. I could do this."

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Kayla Hughes

JJ Lane’s wife clapped back at an Instagram troll claiming she and the Bachelorette alum weren’t “full-time” parents to his daughter, Gemma, in December 2021, writing, “I 1000 percent disagree. We make sure she is a part of our family as if she was with us full-time. I love her as if she’s my daughter because that’s the right thing to do in my eyes. I will never replace her mom, and I think her mom is a great parent. Doesn’t change the fact that she is our daughter whether she is at her mom’s or under our roof and will always be our daughter full-time.”

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Candice King

The Vampire Diaries alum, who married Joe King in 2014, reflected on how the holiday season has changed since she became a stepparent.

"When a family changes through separation, divorce, or death, the predictability of holiday traditions is suddenly gone. The truth is, I was terrified that our new family was too new. I was scared to step on the toes of lost traditions and had no idea how to craft our own," she wrote for She Knows in December 2021. "As the kids got older, and we all grew closer, I learned that the best gift for any blended family is time. It takes a while to discover new traditions and for new traditions to find you."

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Jason Momoa

The Aquaman lead is the stepfather of Fantastic Beasts actress Zoë Kravitz, daughter of Cosby Show alum Lisa Bonet from her marriage to rocker Lenny Kravitz. In October 2019, Momoa revealed his "zozo bear" nickname for his stepdaughter.

The Aquaman star told Fatherly in October 2021 that he would “absolutely” like to work with his stepdaughter on a movie, explaining, "I just texted her … because the Batman trailer is unbelievable. I said, ‘I’m so proud of you.’"

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Eve

“I’m pretty much super chill,” the rapper told Us exclusively in April 2020 of raising her four stepkids. “I’m always trying to figure out like, 'Alright, let's get both sides of the situation’ because I have a stepdad and when he married my mom when I was younger, I kind of felt like, 'Well, why did nobody asked me? Why did nobody talk to me about my feelings? Like why do I just have to do what you say?’ When you become an adult, you kind of forget that you used to be a kid and you have feelings, so it's important for me.”

In October of the following year, the Pennsylvania native gushed to Trevor Noah about her “four bonus kids" while sharing her pregnancy symptoms.

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David Harbour

Playing Jim Hopper on Stranger Things made the actor "realize how thin [his] existence was without a family," he said during a July 2021 "That Scene With Dan Patrick" podcast episode, nearly one year after marrying Lily Allen. "The fact that this guy was maturing into a father, it's sort of something my subconscious was crying out to do. I think there was something in Hopper that had a deep need in family. And there was something in me that had it too that I wasn't aware of. [This] role allowed me to do that in my real life [with Allen's kids, Ethel and Marnie].”

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Heather Rae Young

The "future stepmama" loves being a "bonus mom" to Tarek El Moussa's two kids, she wrote via Instagram in August 2020. "Watching them grow up in front of my eyes. So loving and so curious about life.”

In February 2021, Young exclusively told Us that while she was "thrown into" stepparenting, she was doing a "pretty rock star job" raising Taylor and Brayden. "We're just such a tight family now, and it's so special to watch them grow,” the Netflix personality explained. “I’ve never seen children grow up in front of my eyes."

Young opened up about her stepparenting role during a June 2021 E!’s Daily Pop appearance, saying, “I already feel like I have two kids. I’m raising Tarek’s babies, and we have them 50 percent of the time. I am such a good bonus mommy. I adore those kids. I raise them like they’re mine. I wouldn't be able to do it any other way.”

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Cardi B

"My other kids who ain't hers ... [she] gives them love the same way,” Offset said of the Grammy winner during a June 2021 Ellen DeGeneres Show appearance. "It’s a beautiful thing."

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LeAnn Rimes

Through her marriage to Eddie Cibrian, the country star is the stepmother of Jake and Mason Cibrian, the actor’s children with first wife Brandi Glanville. The Bravo personality called the singer her "sister wi[fe]" in June 2021.

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Gwyneth Paltrow

"When I became a stepmother, when I knew I was going to become a stepmother, I was like, ‘S--t, I have no idea how to do this. There’s nothing to read. What do I do? Where do I step in? Where do I not? How do I do this?’” the Goop creator said during a March 2021 podcast episode, noting that she “learned so much about [herself] during the process."

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Princess Beatrice

"This year, I had the great honor to become a stepmother, and have had the most remarkable time going back over some of my most favorite stories at bedtime,” the royal family member told Evening Standard in March 2021 of husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi’s son, Christopher. "My stepson has been, as many children have, homeschooling this term. Helping him to engage with stories is a great journey to inspire imagination, creativity, independence and humor."

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Kurt Russell

The actor has been married to his Christmas Chronicles costar Goldie Hawn since 1983 and is the stepfather of actors Oliver and Kate Hudson, her children with ex Bill Hudson. In January 2021, Kate told Willie Geist that the actor was a "dependable father figure."

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Kamala Harris

The senator calls her husband Douglas Emhoff's son and daughter her kids, and they call her “Momala,” Harris told CNN in September 2020. "One of the keys to my relationship with Cole and Ella is their mom. We are friends. We have a very modern family. ... It happened naturally. The thing about blended families — if everyone approaches it in the way that there's plenty of love to share, then it works."

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Sunny Oglesby

"You can be the best communicator, the easiest forgiver, the most patient and understanding, love your stepchildren like your own, only step in when asked, respect all boundaries and still not be good enough," the realtor wrote on her July 2020 Instagram Story of coparenting her husband's son, Tripp, with Bristol Palin.

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Kate Bosworth

"When ‘on this day’ (6 yrs ago!) — makes your day,” the actress captioned a September 2019 Instagram upload with Michael Polish's daughter, Jasper. “Love being your Madre @jasperpolish forever and ever xo.”

In May 2020, the Blue Crush star captioned an Instagram slideshow: "The year I became a stepmom [is] also the year I learned to cook. I was truly intimidated by cooking for the longest time. It felt so adult. (At 28, I still very much felt like a kid)! But when I met Jasper, I knew I had to step up for her. … Of the things I’ve done in life, the best by far is becoming a stepmom to my favorite person on earth.”

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Eliza Roberts

"It’s a treasure,” the casting director told Us exclusively in May 2020 of being Emma Roberts' stepmom. “It's been a delight. Of course, she's just amazing. An amazing woman.”

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Brittany Aldean

“I really do find myself being kind of like a big sister, which is actually really fun,” the former cheerleader told Us exclusively in May 2020 of Jason Aldean's daughters, Keeley and Kendyl. “I do love the fact that they're a little bit older because it's so fun. I really am starting to relate to them, especially the older one. She's going through things now that I can really relate to.”

She added, “Sometimes it's a thankless position, but I'm very, very fortunate in the fact that the girls are awesome. They love me, I love them. We get along very well. I'm really thankful that they're the ones that I'm in this position with.”

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Katherine Schwarzenegger

“She has changed my life for the better in so many ways,” Chris Pratt told E! News of his wife in February 2020. “My soul, my son, [Jack], I feel all are so safe with her. She’s a great step-mom, she’s — willing — going to be a great mom one day.”

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Matthew Koma

The singer gushed over his stepson while wishing Luca a happy birthday in March 2020. “I couldn’t be more proud + honored to watch him become the little man, son, brother and role model he is,” Koma wrote of his wife Hilary Duff's eldest via Instagram at the time. “Some of the perspective this kid brings into our world is actually mind blowing. We have each other’s backs so hard and I’ve learned more from him than he’ll ever realize.”

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Hilaria Baldwin

The Living Clearly Method author wrote on Instagram in February 2020: “Ireland is my dear stepdaughter but she has a wonderful mother who birthed her. I never overstep that sacred boundary. I think this is one of the reasons Ireland and I are so close. … Ireland is my girl that I did not ‘have’ but am lucky enough to be able to share with her parents, [Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger]. All one big, happy family.”

Hilaria gushed to Us exclusively about her “amazing dynamic” with Ireland in March 2020, explaining, “I never tried to be her mom. I think that’s really important. ... We are just like girlfriends. Sometimes she calls me for advice. Sometimes I call her for advice. And so we’ve never had one bad moment our entire relationship. I think it’s a lot of me respecting boundaries. Then also having her know and, I say it to her all the time, that she’s just as important as my kids that I birthed. I think that’s very important as she went from being an only child for a really long time to all of a sudden having one of five.”

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Gisele Bündchen

The supermodel is the stepmother of John Moynahan, son of husband Tom Brady from the NFL star’s relationship with Blue Bloods star Bridget Moynahan. The supermodel doesn't like the word stepmom, explaining on her February 2020 Instagram Story: "I use the word bonus mom because I feel like it’s a blessing in my life. I feel so lucky that I got to have an extra, wonderful little angel in my life.”

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Amy Landecker

“I just have the greatest step-kids,” the Transparent alum gushed to Us exclusively in February 2020, noting that she and Bradley Whitford took their relationship “really slow” to best blend their families.

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Penn Badgley

“He’s a really good stepdad [to my son, Cassius],” the You star’s wife, Domino Kirke, told Us exclusively in October 2019. “He doesn’t have to be ‘dad’ so he can have more fun with him. It’s really nice. The stepparent thing is definitely unchartered territory for me cause I didn’t grow up with one, but … he takes care of him really well.”

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Ashton Kutcher

"I make a really conscious effort to stay in touch with the girls," the That '70s Show alum told Marc Maron in February 2020 of his former stepdaughters, Rumer Willis, Scout Willis and Tallulah Willis. "I love them, and I’m never going to stop loving them, right? And respecting them and honoring them and rooting for them to be successful in whatever they’re pursuing.”

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Alicia Keys

The “Girl on Fire” singer is the stepmother of Nicole, Prince and Kaseem Dean Jr., rapper Swizz Beatz’s children from prior relationships. The little ones call her "Umi," she wrote in More Myself: A Journey in April 2020.

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Meghan King Edmonds

Following her split from Jim Edmonds in October 2019, the Real Housewives of Orange County alum was no longer interested in dating men with children. “I love kids and I loved being a stepmom, but it’s a lot of baggage,” she explained on a January 2020 episode of “The Viall Files.” “I hate to call kids baggage, but kids are a lifelong commitment and you didn’t have any input into creating this child and it’s hard. I’ve been a stepmom it’s difficult. … It’s hard.”

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Antonio Banderas

“She was 5 when I met her, when she became my family,” the actor told Us exclusively in January 2010 of his ex-wife Melanie Griffith's daughter Dakota Johnson. “I almost changed her nappies. She’s my daughter, I love her. I’ve been with her on my shoulders, traveling all around the world.”

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Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg

The couple gushed to Us exclusively about their great relationships with their stepkids in November 2019. “My son is super intellectual and very reserved,” the singer explained at the time. “So he’s not the, ‘Hey, dad. Let’s go out and play,’ or, ‘I love you, dad’ ... type. But he can carry on a great conversation. Where Jenny’s son is super affectionate, will tell you exactly how he feels. He’s not reserved, but he’s not the intellectual type. So we’ve come into each other’s lives and connected with [each other's kids] in ways that we haven’t connected with our own.”

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Tori Spelling

“I’ve known this guy since he was almost 7,” the BH90210 star captioned an October 2019 Instagram post of her with Dean McDermott and Mary Jo Eustace's son, Jack. "When we met, we bonded over dogs, his rabbit DIY school project, tag, hide and seek and video games. He called me Teri. And I didn’t correct him bc I loved that he had his own perception of me. ... I then remember the years as I watched this young boy grow to be a preteen and a teen and try to figure out his role in our blended family. Then came years of awkwardness. He was quiet. I was quiet. It was new to me and I never wanted to push my role in his life. I’ve loved him since he was that little boy that called me Teri and played Polly Pockets with me. And, then he came out. I was so proud of his confidence. He was who he was and he was proud of it."

Spelling went on to write, "Then we bonded again. We found each other on a new level with a whole new respect for each other.”

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Miranda Lambert

The Grammy winner married Brendan McLoughlin in January 2019, two months after the police officer welcomed his first child with his ex Kaihla Rettinger, a son named Landon. “My stepson is amazing,” Lambert told Extra of the little one in June 2019. “I’m loving that whole phase, and I’ve raised a million dogs, so I feel like I’ve got that part of my womanly/motherly thing full, so this is a whole new journey. It’s great.”

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Catherine Zeta-Jones

When the Queen America star married Ant-Man actor Michael Douglas in 2000, she became stepmother of Cameron Douglas, his son with first wife Diandra Luker. Th actress "cements" their family, Cameron told E! in December 2019.

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Eva Longoria

The Telenovela alum is the stepmother of Natalia, Sebastian, Jose Antonio and Mariana Bastón — the children her husband, José Bastón, shares with previous wife Natalia Esperón. Jose even chose Longoria's son Santiago's name, she gushed to Britain's OK! in August 2019.

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Jada Pinkett Smith

The Gotham alum wrote via Facebook in 2014: "When I married Will [Smith],, I knew [his son] Trey was part of the package. Period."