November is National Adoption Awareness month, which is a pefect time to think about all of the forms that adoption can take, as well as all the lives adoption can touch — including some very famous lives! There are so many kinds of adoption stories, such as infant adoption, international adoption, adoption for older childern, and adoption through the foster care system. While all of those ways can be a wonderful, and sometimes complicated, way to build a family, it's also true that no two adoption stories are the same.
Adoption is sometimes a lesser-known part of a celebrity's life story, so some people might be surprised to see that our list includes multiple Olympic athletes, an Oscar award winner, musicians from almost every genre, and even a rising star in the fitness world. While some of these celebs have spoken frequently and positively about their experiences, others have stories that represent the emotional complexity that can come with feelings of being abandoned or wondering about their birth families.
Interestingly, adoption is a multi-chapter part of some of the lives on this list, as we have at least two celebrities who are both adoptive children and adoptive parents themselves. Read on for some surprising adoption stories from some beloved stars.
Simone Biles|Simone Biles
Lana Condor|Lana Condor
Lana Condor, the star of Netflix's delightful To All the Boys I've Loved Before series of movies, was adopted from Vietnam as an infant. She also has an adopted brother and has shared her appreciation that her adoptive parents tried to keep her connected to her Vietnamese heritage through food and traditions.
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Lana Condor, the star of Netflix's delightful To All the Boys I've Loved Before series of movies, was adopted from Vietnam as an infant. She also has an adopted brother and has shared her appreciation that her adoptive parents tried to keep her connected to her Vietnamese heritage through food and traditions.
Nicole Richie|Nicole Richie
Reality star and actress Nicole Richie was adopted by iconic singer Lionel Richie when she was 9, although the two had actually met for the first time when she was 2. Lionel knew Nicole's birth parents, who also worked in the music industry, and offered to help raise Nicole when the couple was going through a hard time. After several years, they made the arrangement permanent, and Nicole has long considered Lionel as her father.
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Reality star and actress Nicole Richie was adopted by iconic singer Lionel Richie when she was 9, although the two had actually met for the first time when she was 2. Lionel knew Nicole's birth parents, who also worked in the music industry, and offered to help raise Nicole when the couple was going through a hard time. After several years, they made the arrangement permanent, and Nicole has long considered Lionel as her father.
Nicole Polizzi|Nicole Polizzi
People often assume that Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, one of the stars of Jersey Shore, is Italian, but she was actually born in Santiago, Chili, and adopted when she was 6 months old. Snooki, now a mother of two herself, shared in a 2020 interview with Khloé Kardashian that she's been open to learning more about her birth family and possibly meeting them some day.
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People often assume that Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, one of the stars of Jersey Shore, is Italian, but she was actually born in Santiago, Chili, and adopted when she was 6 months old. Snooki, now a mother of two herself, shared in a 2020 interview with Khloé Kardashian that she's been open to learning more about her birth family and possibly meeting them some day.
Colin Kaepernick|Colin Kaepernick
Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is probably best known for both his activism and his athletic ability, but some fans may not realize that he was adopted at only 5 weeks old. In a 2018 interview on VH1, Colin spoke about how he came to understand more about his experience of being adopted by white parents as he has grown older.
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Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is probably best known for both his activism and his athletic ability, but some fans may not realize that he was adopted at only 5 weeks old. In a 2018 interview on VH1, Colin spoke about how he came to understand more about his experience of being adopted by white parents as he has grown older.
JC Chasez|JC Chasez
JC Chasez of the boy band NSYNC was adopted at 5 years old, an experience he remembers clearly. In a 2008 radio interview, he shared that his birth mother "raised me up until when I was 5, so I have a very clear idea of who she was" and that his adoptive parents had actually been foster parents to his birth mother when she was a child.
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JC Chasez of the boy band NSYNC was adopted at 5 years old, an experience he remembers clearly. In a 2008 radio interview, he shared that his birth mother "raised me up until when I was 5, so I have a very clear idea of who she was" and that his adoptive parents had actually been foster parents to his birth mother when she was a child.
Keegan-Michael Key
Funnyman Keegan-Michael Key, star of Key & Peele and Schmigadoon, opened up about his experiences with being adopted during an episode of Running Wild With Bear Grylls. While confronting his fear of spiders, he also shared that he grew up knowing he was adopted but that with that knowledge came fears of abandonment and a "sense of wanting to please."
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Funnyman Keegan-Michael Key, star of Key & Peele and Schmigadoon, opened up about his experiences with being adopted during an episode of Running Wild With Bear Grylls. While confronting his fear of spiders, he also shared that he grew up knowing he was adopted but that with that knowledge came fears of abandonment and a "sense of wanting to please."
