Many well-known actors and artists grew up in families that included gay, lesbian, or transgender parents. Some of them have talked about it openly, and some of the parents have shared their own stories in public.
Looking at these families shows how different and loving a household can be. Here are ten stars and what has been reported about their parents.
1. Jay-Z
Few rap legends have turned a family moment into such a powerful song as Jay-Z did. On his 2017 album 4:44, the track Smile features his mother, Gloria Carter, reading a poem about living her truth.
Gloria publicly came out as a lesbian that year, and CBS News and other outlets covered the story. She spoke about hiding who she was for many years and finally feeling free.
Jay-Z has described his mother’s honesty as a lesson in courage. He said he saw how much pain secrecy can cause, and how much relief comes from acceptance.
The song became one of the most talked-about moments of the album. It also showed fans that a family can grow closer through hard conversations, and that support from loved ones matters a great deal when someone shares something so personal.
2. Robert De Niro
Behind one of Hollywood’s toughest screen faces is a story about an artist father. Robert De Niro Sr. was a respected painter and poet in New York, and he was gay.
His parents separated when the actor was young, yet both remained part of his life. De Niro has spoken warmly about his father’s talent and his devotion to art.
In 2016, he produced and appeared in the HBO documentary Remembering the Artist: Robert De Niro, Sr. The film looked at his father’s work, his struggles with recognition, and the way he lived in a time when being openly gay was hard.
ABC News and other outlets have reported on the film. It stands as a loving tribute from a son who wanted the world to see his father’s paintings and understand his life.
3. Jodie Foster
Raised mostly by a determined single mother, Jodie Foster started acting as a small child. Her mother, Evelyn Foster, managed her early career and guided her through Hollywood.
Evelyn later had a longtime female partner, Joanne Bernard, who was part of the family for many years. Foster has spoken about how close the household was and how much she valued the stability.
When she accepted a lifetime achievement award in 2013, she thanked her family and spoke about her mother with deep affection. Evelyn passed away in 2019.
Foster has described her mother as the center of her world. Their bond shows how a family built on trust and loyalty can shape a person’s path, whether on a film set or far away from the spotlight.
4. Mandy Moore
Singer and actress Mandy Moore has a way of speaking about family that feels honest and kind. She has talked in interviews about her mother, Stacy, and the relationship her mother had with a woman after her parents’ marriage ended.
Moore has described growing up in Florida and seeing her mother build a new life. She has said she wanted everyone in her family to feel supported.
As a public figure, she has also spoken in favor of equal rights for LGBTQ+ people. Her own upbringing, she has suggested, made those issues feel personal rather than distant.
Fans of her work in A Walk to Remember and This Is Us may be glad to know that her warm screen presence comes from real-life lessons about acceptance and open hearts at home.
5. Amy Adams
Born on a military base in Italy, Amy Adams grew up as one of seven children. Her family moved often, and the household was lively, busy, and close.
According to published reports, her parents later separated, and her mother, Kathryn, entered a same-sex relationship. Adams has not made it a regular topic in interviews, so details are limited.
What she has shared is how much her large family shaped her. She has talked about singing in church, working odd jobs, and chasing small acting roles before her breakthrough in Junebug.
Her career has since brought several Oscar nominations. Through it all, she has often praised the strength of her parents and siblings, which suggests that love and loyalty mattered far more than labels.
6. Ally Sheedy
Anyone who remembers The Breakfast Club knows Ally Sheedy as the quiet, artistic outsider. Off screen, her childhood was shaped by a mother who broke barriers in publishing.
Charlotte Sheedy is a well-known literary agent in New York. She helped launch the careers of many writers, and she has publicly identified as a lesbian.
Ally grew up in Manhattan around authors and artists, and she began as a child ballet dancer and writer. At age twelve, she even wrote a children’s book that became a bestseller.
Her mother’s career showed her that a woman could build her own path with confidence. That example likely helped Ally as she moved from teen stardom to a long and varied acting career in film, television, and theater.
7. Jena Malone
Some childhoods are shaped by moving around, and Jena Malone knows that well. She grew up in Nevada and later spent her teen years pursuing acting while living with her mother.
She has spoken about being raised by her mother and her mother’s female partner. In interviews, she has described a home that was loving but not always easy, with money worries and big changes.
Malone left home early to work, and she became known for films such as Contact, Donnie Darko, and The Hunger Games. She has also written about her creative life and her search for independence.
Her story is a reminder that families come in many forms. What counted most to her was the care, the lessons, and the resilience she learned from the people who raised her.
8. Paul Bettany
Born into a family of performers, Paul Bettany grew up around the stage. His father, Thane Bettany, was an actor and teacher, and his mother, Anne Kettle, was a teacher and actress.
When Paul was a boy, his parents divorced. His father later came out as gay, and Paul has spoken about how the family worked through the changes over time.
He has described his father as a gifted, charming man who loved the theater. Thane passed away in 2014.
Bettany, known for roles in A Beautiful Mind, Master and Commander, and the Marvel films, has said that his father’s life taught him to value honesty. His story shows that families can heal and stay connected even after big shifts.
9. Kendall Jenner
When Caitlyn Jenner shared her identity with the world in 2015, a whole family stood in the spotlight. Kendall Jenner was a teenager at the time and just starting out as a model.
Caitlyn publicly came out as a transgender woman in a widely watched interview and later in a magazine cover story. Kendall has spoken in support of her parent and has said she wants Caitlyn to feel happy and free.
The family’s story played out in public, and it brought important conversations about transgender people to many homes.
Kendall went on to become one of the world’s best-known models, walking for top fashion houses. Her response to her parent’s news showed how respect and support can guide a family through a major change.
10. Kylie Jenner
As the youngest of the Jenner sisters, Kylie was still a teenager when her parent Caitlyn Jenner shared her story in 2015. Many fans watched as the family adjusted to the news.
Caitlyn publicly came out as a transgender woman that year. Kylie has said she supports her and has appeared with her at family events and on reality television.
Since then, Kylie has become a successful businesswoman, building a cosmetics company that drew global attention. She has also become a mother herself.
Her family’s journey reminds readers that a parent’s identity can be part of a public story while still being a deeply personal one. Kindness and patience, more than headlines, often set the tone for how relatives move forward together.
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