While plenty of celebrities have babies before marriage, some even have them before they’re old enough to legally drink, including these 10 celebs that were practically babies themselves when they welcomed their little bundle of joy into the world.
1. Niki Taylor
Supermodel Niki Taylor went through a lot at a very young age. The 39-year-old met her first husband Matt Martinez when she was just 18 and three months later the couple ran off to Las Vegas to tie the knot. She became pregnant not long after they wed, with twin sons Jake and Hunter born when Niki was only 19.
She told Mom magazine in 2010, “It was like, ‘Who is this guy I married?’ It was super hard because I did rush into it. I was young, and I thought I was in love. So when the babies came, it was not something I signed up for. We were just two totally different people and after two totally different things. I was pregnant at 18, had Jake and Hunter at 19 and divorced by 21 … it was a lot on my plate for my young 20s!”
2. Keisha Castle Hughes
“Whale Rider” star Keisha Castle Hughes became the youngest Best Actress Oscar nominee in the history of the Academy Awards at just 13 years old. When she was 16, Keisha became pregnant with boyfriend Bradley Hull’s child and their daughter Felicity-Amore Hull was born one month after her 17th birthday. In 2009, she told Peoplemagazine that she absolutely loves being a mother, and that it’s “been a blessing.” Although she and Bradley split up in 2010, the actress married DJ Jonathan Morrison on Valentine’s Day 2013.
3. Solange Knowles
Beyonce’s little sister Solange, who may be forever known as the sibling who attacked Jay Z in an elevator, married her high school sweetheart Daniel Smith when she was 17 and he was 19. Eight months later she gave birth to their son Daniel Smith, Jr. Although the 27-year-old has expressed some regrets for having a child so young, she calls him the “greatest unplanned blessing.” Unfortunately, her marriage did not seem to be such as blessing as the couple divorced within just a few years of saying their “I dos.”
4. Fantasia Barrino
American Idol winner Fantasia had daughter Zion when she was just 16. In her memoir the singer claimed that the show’s producers asked her to withdraw from the competition because she was a teen mom as it wouldn’t be good publicity, but she refused. Although her story had a happy ending, she says the path she took should really be avoided and that her mother and grandmother tried to tell her but she didn’t listen and ended up having to drop out of school and have her child at a young age. The “Bittersweet” singer has also remarked that she thanks God for her daughter, but if she could have waited, she would have.
5. Naomi Judd
Country superstar Naomi Judd was busy being a teen mom long before she made music with her daughter Wynona. The singer gave birth to her at just 18, and daughter Ashley four years later. As a young mom, she got Wynona and Ashley involved in the family business. In a tell-all book, “All That Is Bitter and Sweet: A Memoir,” Ashley revealed, “I loved my mother but at the same time I dreaded the mayhem and uncertainty that followed her everywhere…I often felt like an outsider observing my mom’s life as she followed her own dreams.”
6. Lil Wayne
Grammy Award-winning rapper Lil Wayne was so young when he had his first child, he couldn’t even get his driver’s license. Daughter Reginae, was born when the “How to Love” singer was only 15 years old to his high school sweetheart, Antonia. The couple married on Valentine’s Day 2004 but divorced just two years later. He’s since gone on to have three more children with three different women: Sarah Vivan, actress Lauren London, and singer Nivea. He nearly had a fifth with rapper Trina, but she suffered a miscarriage.
7. Aretha Franklin
Eighteen-time Grammy Award-winning singer Aretha Franklin became pregnant at just 12 years old, giving birth to her first child, Clarence, two months before she became a teenager on January 28, 1955. Her second son, Edward, was born two years later. To date, she’s never identified the father of either one. The “Respect” singer’s boys were raised by her aunt while she pursued her musical career. She went on to have two more sons, Teddy Richards, in 1964, and Kecalf in 1970. Despite the rough start, she obviously managed to achieve incredible success, at least professionally. Aretha is said to be worth around $60 million today.
8. Sofia Vergara
Stunning “Modern Family” star Sofia Vergara married her childhood sweetheart, Joe Gonzalez, when she was just 18. By the time she was 19 she was pregnant and gave birth to son Manolo in September of 1992. The 41-year-old has commented that she can’t lie about her age since she has a son who is old enough to drink. She’s certainly come a long way from teenage mom to the highest paid female actress on television.
Mother and son are said to be particularly close and reportedly providing the inspiration for a new ABC sitcom that will be directed by Modern Family’s Gail Mancuso and written by Raising Hope’s writer Christine Zander.
