Happy Father's Day to these famous gay dads!
Celebrity gay fathers, whether they're actors, activists, musicians, or politicians, are showing the world that love is what makes a family. Below, learn about high-profile gay dads such as Anderson Cooper, Denis O'Hare, Matt Bomer, Karamo Brown, Ricky Martin, and many more.
Anderson Cooper
In 2020, Anderson Cooper welcomed into the world his son Wyatt Morgan Cooper, who he is raising with his ex-partner Benjamin Maisani. The experience of becoming a dad is a "dream come true."
"It feels like my life has actually begun," Cooper told People. "And I sort of wonder, what was I waiting for? This is a new level of love. It's unlike anything I've experienced, and yet it's also very familiar and incredibly special and intimate. It's really extraordinary."
Karamo Brown and Ian Jordan
The star of Netflix's Queer Eyefound out he was a father after he had risen to fame, but he has stepped up to the plate. "I came out at 16 years old as a proud gay man. My last girlfriend in high school--when I was 15--became pregnant with my child but did not tell me," Brown shared with Parents. "She moved away, and I never had contact with her again; remember this is before social media." He found out about his son 10 years later, when he received a subpoena for child support. Afterward, he immediately took custody of his son, Jason. "It wasn't always easy, but when it comes to your children, giving up is never an option."
The family, including Brown's partner, director Ian Jordan, now resides in Los Angeles.
Denis O’Hare and Hugo Redwood
The American Horror Story: Coven star and his husband, Hugo Redwood, in 2014 adopted Declan, to whom they'd been foster parents since he was 2 weeks old. The couple received a Let Love Define Family award at the annual Raise a Child gala in 2014.
Andy Cohen
In February 2019, Andy Cohen welcomed Benjamin Allen Cohen into the world. "He is named after my grandfather Ben Allen," the Bravo host wrote on Instagram. "I'm in love. And speechless. And eternally grateful to an incredible surrogate. And I'm a dad. Wow."
Dan Savage and Terry Miller
Dan Savage and his husband, Terry Miller, live in a Seattle-area farmhouse with their son, D.J. Savage is the author of The Kid: What Happened After My Boyfriend and I Decided to Go Get Pregnant.
Rufus Wainwright and Jorn Weisbrodt
In 2011 singer Rufus Wainwright and partner Jorn Weisbrodt welcomed their daughter, Viva Katherine Wainwright Cohen, born via surrogate February 2 in Los Angeles. The birth mother, Lorca Cohen, is the daughter of legendary singer-songwriter Leonard.
B.D. Wong
In 2003, BD Wong wrote a book about his experiences in parenting -- Following Foo: The Electronic Adventures of the Chestnut Man -- and told The Advocate about the premature birth of his twin sons, Boaz Dov, who passed shortly after birth, and Jackson Foo Wong. Wong co-parents Jackson, who came out as gay as a teen, with his ex-partner Richie Jackson, and Jackson's husband Jordan Roth.
Matt Bomer and Simon Halls
At the Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards in Palm Springs in, 2012, actor Matt Bomer (White Collar, The Normal Heart) thanked his partner, Simon Halls, and their three children: "I'd really especially like to thank my beautiful family: Simon, Kit, Walker, Henry. Thank you for teaching me what unconditional love is. You will always be my proudest accomplishment."
Jeremiah Brent and Nate Berkus
Husbands and interior designers Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent welcomed their daughter, Poppy, into their family in 2015 via surrogacy. A son, Oskar Michael Brent-Berkus, followed on March 26, 2018.
Alec Mapa and Jamison Hebert
Actor and comedian Alec Mapa and his husband, Jamison Hebert, adopted 5-year-old Zion in 2010. Mapa mined his experiences in his documentary of stand-up and stories, Baby Daddy, which was featured in Outfest 2014.
Jared Polis and Marlon Reis
Colorado Congressman Jared Polis and partner Marlon Reis celebrated the birth of their son, Caspian, in 2011, and their daughter, Cora, in 2014.
Colm & Paul O'Gorman
Colm O'Gorman, the executive director of Amnesty International Ireland, and spouse Paul are raising their children to be activists. In 2015, his teenage daughter, Safia, read an open letter she had written about her dads on television in the lead-up to the referendum on same-sex marriage in the nation.
"My dads are like any other good parents," she wrote. "They want me to be happy; they're strict but only because they want the best for me. But most importantly, they really, really love me. So how can someone say that my family isn't ideal? And what does that even mean?"
The O'Gormans' children, Safia and Sean, came into their lives when a close friend, Susie, who was terminally ill, asked Colm to be their father. Now he and Paul have legal guardianship of both children.
"I had thought being a parent wasn't a possibility for me, but the moment Susie asked me would I parent ... I knew that I would," Colm says. "It was an instant, obvious thing. There was no way I wasn't going to do it."
Tom Ford & Richard Buckley
Tom Ford, the iconic fashion designer and film director, has a son with his husbandm Richard Buckley, a journalist. Their son, Alexander John "Jack" Buckley Ford, was born in September 2012. Ford has gone on the record stating, "I always said I wanted to have children. And as I got a little bit older, Richard, who I live with - we've been together 24 years - did not want children. And so I decided not to have children. But if I have children, no one will know about it until the child is born." He added that he would not share images of his child, "No one will ever see the child because I certainly wouldn't use it as a press tool. If I have a child, you won't notice that I had a child. Maybe you'll see it when it's 18, but I will keep it out of the spotlight."
Perez Hilton
Perez Hilton (ne Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr.) is the dad of Mario Armando Lavandeira III, who was born via a surrogate mother and an egg donor February 16, 2013. In May 2015, Mario got a sister, Mia, who was also born from a surrogate mother. Hilton raises the siblings with the help of his mother and a nanny in New York City.
Currently single, he told the Associated Press he "didn't want to worry about a relationship of mine interfering with the happiness and well-being of my children," and "every day is Father's Day for me." He also wouldn't allow baby Mia out in public until she received her two-month shots, because he is "pro-vaccination."
Greg Berlanti and Robbie Rogers
Supergirl producer Greg Berlanti and his soccer star partner, Robbie Rogers, welcomed a son, Caleb, into their family via surrogacy in February 2016. A daughter followed in 2019, Mia Barbara Rogers-Berlanti.
Ryan Murphy and David Miller
Producer Ryan Murphy and his husband, David Miller, are the fathers of Logan Phineas, born December 24, 2012, via surrogacy. A second son, Ford, joined their family in 2014. Their journey to fatherhood partly inspired NBC's The New Normal, which Murphy created.
Jeremy Brandrick and Adam Morris
British-born designer Jeremy Brandrick, who was featured on Project Runway season 12, is raising twins -- son Benjamin and daughter Alexandra -- with his husband, Adam Morris, in New York City.
Ricky Martin and Jwan Yosef
Martin's twin sons, Matteo and Valentino, were born in 2008 via a surrogate. After marrying Swedish, Syrian-born painter Jwan Yosef in 2017, the couple welcomed two more children into the family: daughter Lucia Martin-Yosef in 2018, and son Renn Martin-Yosef in 2019.
Lee Daniels
Precious director Lee Daniels has had his twins since they were 3 days old. Clara and Liam were born to Daniels's brother and his girlfriend and adopted by Daniels and his-then-partner, casting director Billy Hopkins. See a great picture from their W photo shoot here.
Dan Bucatinsky and Don Roos
Dan Bucatinsky (Scandal, The Comeback) and his husband, screenwriter Don Roos, have two children, Eliza and Jonah. Bucatinsky drew on his experiences for his book Does This Baby Make Me Look Straight?
Sam Harris and Danny Jacobsen
Singer Sam Harris and Danny Jacobsen, who is a director and presentation coach for numerous blue-chip companies and also a film producer, have been together since 1994. They adopted a son, Cooper Atticus Harris-Jacobsen, in April 2008, and the couple married November 1, 2008. Harris documents some of his parenting stories in his memoir Ham: Slices of Life.
Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka
Actors Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka are the happy fathers of twins Harper and Gideon. The family has a visible presence on social media, with photos of activities such as coordinating Halloween costumes often going viral.
Vern Yip and partner Craig Koch
Interior designer Vern Yip, seen on many TV shows, and his partner, Craig Koch, have two children. Gavin Joshua Mannox was born in 2010 and Vera Lillian Beatrix was born in 2011.
Bill Horn and Scout Masterson
Bill Horn and Scout Masterson, Tori Spelling's friends (the "Guncles") and regulars on her reality show Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood, welcomed daughter Simone Lynn Masterson-Horn in 2010 and son Bosley Jo Masterson-Horn in 2014.
Clay Aiken
Clay Aiken and platonic baby-making partner Jaymes Foster welcomed son Parker in North Carolina in August 2008.
Elton John and David Furnish
Sir Elton John and David Furnish have two sons born from the same surrogate mother: Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John was born in California on Christmas Day, 2010, and Elijah Joseph Daniel Furnish-John was born January 11, 2013.
