The Angelina Jolie-Brad Pitt pairing is a match made in media heaven, with two superstars joining their lives amidst rumors that their affair began on the set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith while Pitt was still married to America’s sweetheart Jennifer Aniston. Throw in Jolie’s three adopted children: Maddox, Pax and Zahara and the Jolie-Pitt’s three biological children, Shiloh, and twins Knox and Vivienne and you’ve got a magnet for worldwide media coverage. The Jolie-Pitts don’t shy away from photographers, and their six children – international travelers all – are often captured on film traveling and recreating with their famous parents in every corner of the globe. By all accounts, the couple is devoted to their blended brood and has even hinted at the possibility of adding to their family either with additional adoptions or by having more biological children. Rumors have been swirling that Angelina is pregnant again, but nothing has been confirmed. With all the publicity surrounding this famous family, it’s hardly surprising that Angelina Jolie ranks as the #1 Best Celebrity Mom.
#2 on the Best Celebrity Mom list is Julia Roberts, who lives a far quieter life away from the glare of the media spotlight with her husband, cameraman Danny Moder and their three children in Taos, New Mexico. Roberts and Moder met on the set of the film The Mexican and married following his divorce in 2002. Together they have twins Hazel and Finn, and son Henry. The family doesn’t court media attention and the children are rarely photographed. The Academy Award winning actress still is much sought –after for film projects but has cut back on work to spend more family time on her secluded ranch with her husband and children.
Best known for her roles in the television and movie series Sex and the City, Sarah Jessica Parker is a fashion icon often seen strutting her unique style on the New York streets as she walks her son James Wilkie Broderick to and from school. Married to actor Matthew Broderick since 1997, the couple recently added to their family with twin daughters Marion and Tabitha, delivered by a surrogate. The family lives in New York City and spends considerable time at their second home near Kilcar, a quaint village in County Donegal, Ireland where Matthew Broderick spent his summers as a child.
Jenny McCarthy shot to fame as a Playboy magazine “Playmate of the Year” and parlayed that opportunity into a career as a successful movie and television actress. Most recently she has become and autism activist and author of parenting books. Divorced since 2005, in 2007 McCarthy told the world that her son Evan had been diagnosed with autism. She immediately begin serving as a spokesperson for Talk About Curing Autism and became involved in activities for non-profit organizations geared toward helping families affected by autism spectrum disorders. Her book on the subject, Louder than Words: A Mother’s Journey in Healing Autism argues that vaccinations can trigger the disease.
Pretty Baby child star and famed model Brooke Shields spoke publicly on The Oprah Winfrey Show about her battle with postpartum depression, an experience that included depression, thoughts of suicide, an inability to respond to her baby’s needs and delayed maternal bonding after the birth of her daughter. Her comments caused a quick and harsh response from actor Tom Cruise, a Scientologist whose beliefs frown on psychiatry and use of the antidepressant Paxil. Cruise spoke harshly about Brooke, both personally and professionally. After a heated war of words in the press, Cruise privately apologized to Shields a year later, and Brooke and her husband, television writer Chris Henchy attended the wedding of Cruise to wife Katie Holmes. The Henchy family has two daughters, Rowan and Grier. The candid disclosures about her post-pregnancy struggles by Shields led to other women suffering with postpartum issues to seek treatment from their doctors, and shed more light on this common problem women have been reluctant to discuss.
