Top 20 Celebrities That No One Knew They Were Adopted

Even though it might seem like we know every single detail about the life of celebrities because they are in the spotlight all the time, this is not always the case. This might sound crazy at first, but some of the world’s most famous people have been adopted and you had no idea about. This list includes iconic celebrities, US presidents and movie stars! Without any further ado, let’s get into it!

20. Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton is one of the world’s most famous singers and his music has changed the world throughout years. However, many people don’t know that Eric Clapton was raised by his grandparents since he was a baby.

19. Jamie Foxx

There aren’t that many other celebrities that are on the same level as Jamie Foxx when it comes to entertainment. The man can sing, dance and act. Nonetheless, Jamies Foxx was born in Texas and he was adopted back in 1967.

18. Colin Kaepernick

Colin Kaepernick is currently the most famous NFL athlete because of the controversy he started by protesting against the national anthem. What many people don’t know about the athlete is that he was adopted at a young age by a white couple who lost their first two kids.

17. Bill Clinton

I bet that you didn’t expect Bill Clinton to appear on our list. The former US president was raised by his grandparents when he was young and then he was adopted at fifteen years old by Roger Clinton Senior.

16. Marilyn Monroe

Is there someone else more iconic than Marilyn Monroe in US culture? Marilyn Monroe was abandoned by her mother at a young age and she was forced to spend most of her childhood in foster homes.

15. Dave Thomas

Dave Thomas was also abandoned when he was a baby and spent most of his childhood in foster homes. Luckily, Dave Thomas was adopted at the age of six and he went on to launch Wendy’s food chain when he got older.

14. Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs never got to meet his parents! Isn’t this crazy? The legendary tech genius that started Apple was adopted when he just a baby and he only found out about his biological sister at age 27.

13. Frances McDormand

Just like everyone on our list, Frances McDormand was adopted at an early age. She went on to become one of the world’s most popular actresses and she also adopted a baby boy with her husband.

12. Snooki

Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi is renowned for representing Italian American people in the US, but she was actually born in Chile. Isn’t it crazy how a reality TV star builds her career on being Italian and then it turns out she isn’t one?

11. Nicole Richie

Nicole Richie is a known reality TV star and just like Snooki, she was adopted by US parents. The cool thing about this is that Nicole’s adoptive dad is none other than Lionel Richie himself.

10. Faith Hill 

Faith Hill is a popular country singer that loves to talk about her biological and adoptive families. “I have a lot of respect for my birth mother. I know she must have had a lot of love for me to want to give what she felt was a better chance” said Faith Hill.

9. Jack Nicholson

Is there even someone who hasn’t seen a movie that Jack Nicholson starred in? When he reached the age of 37, the famous actor revealed to the world that he was raised by his grandparents and that the woman who he thought was his much older sister was actually his mother. 

8. Keegan-Michael Key

We all know Keegan-Michael Key from the “Key and Peele” show, but what most people don’t know about the comedian is that he was adopted by a social worker from Michigan.

7. Ray Liotta

Ray Liotta has made a name for himself by playing in iconic movies such as “The Goodfellas”. Although, Ray Liotta was adopted by a couple from New Jersey when he was just six months old.

6. John Lennon

John Lennon is another celebrity that we can safely say everyone has heard about. The Beatles singer was abandoned by his mother and he was raised by his aunt and uncle from Liverpool, England after his father went AWOL in the army.

5. Aaron Judge

The famous baseball player says that he was adopted one day after he was born and that he never wishes to meet his biological parents. He is happy with the way he turned out and he has Wayne and Patty Judge to thank for.

4. Nelson Mandela

This might come as a surprise to most of you, but Nelson Mandela was actually adopted at the age of nine. The man who adopted Nelson Mandela was Chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo and he was a big influence in Nelson Mandela’s life.

3. Babe Ruth

Babe Ruth is one of the world’s most iconic baseball players and he learned to play baseball during his time spent in orphanages after being abandoned by his family.

2. Ice-T

The actor and rapper known as Ice-T was left all alone at a young age after both his parents died from heart attacks and he had to move cross country to live with his grandparents. 

1.Michael Bay

Michael Bay has made a fortune by directing the Transformers movie franchise. However, the movie director spent most of his teenage years searching for his biological parents. He found his mother, but he doesn’t know who is the father.