Millie Bobby Brown and 8 other celebrities who became parents through adoption

Eleven from Stranger Things is now a mom. Millie Bobby Brown and her husband, model and son of Jon Bon Jovi, Jake Bongiovi, whom she tied the knot with in May of last year, are now parents to a “sweet baby girl” through adoption. Brown, 21, and Bongiovi, 23, said in a statement posted on social media that they were “beyond excited” to start the next chapter of their lives. The couple posted a picture of a tree on instagram that read, “This summer, we welcomed our sweet baby girl through adoption. We are beyond excited to embark on this beautiful next chapter of parenthood in both peace and privacy.” 

The post ended with the sweet line: “And then there were 3.” Since then the internet has been in shambles. While many of the actress and model’s fans are happy for them, Millie is facing scrutiny from some of the netizens claiming she’s too young to have adopted a daughter and take up the responsibility of being a mother. 

Millie and Jake have joined a long list of Bollywood, Hollywood and other celebrities who became parents through adoption. From Sushmita Sen to Madonna, many celebrities have chosen the path to parenthood through adoption. Scroll below to learn about all the celebrities who chose the path of parenthood through adoption: 

1. Sushmita Sen 

In 2000, at the age of 24, Sushmita Sen, the former Miss Universe, adopted her eldest daughter, Renee. 10 years after Renee, Sushmita adopted her youngest, Alisah. While adopting Renee, Sushmita had to face a long legal battle, as Indian adoption laws were not designed for single, never-married women at the time. 

Later on while attending an event in Hyderabad, Sushmita opened up about her decision to adopt and how it changed her life. “The wisest decision I made at the age of 24 was to become a mother. It stabilised my life,” she said. “People think it was a great act of charity and a wonderful action but it was self-preservation. It was me protecting myself.”

2. Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt 

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have six children, out of which three are adopted. Angelina adopted her eldest son, Maddox, from Cambodia in 2002 before getting together with Pitt. Later she and Pitt adopted their other two children, Zahara and Pax, from Ethiopia in 2005 and Vietnam in 2007, respectively. They also have three biological children: Shiloh, who was born in 2006 and, Knox and Vivienne, twins, who were born in 2008.

3. Sandra Bullock

Sandra Bullock has adopted two children. She adopted her son, Louis Bardo Bullock, in 2010, and later adopted her daughter, Laila, in 2015. Louis’s adoption was finalised after the actress was divorced from her ex-husband, Jesse James, leading her to be a single mom. She initially kept her adoption a secret due to public scrutiny. 

4. Raveena Tandon 

Raveena Tandon has two adopted daughters, Pooja and Chaya, at the age of only 21. The young girls, who happen to be Tandon’s cousin’s children, lost their parents tragically and hence, she adopted them to give them a loving home. Later, when Tandon married Anil Thadani, she gave birth to two other children: a daughter, Rasha and a son, Ranbirvardhan. 

5. Hugh Jackman 

Hugh Jackman, along with his ex-wife, Deborra-Lee Furness, adopted two children: Oscar Maximilian Jackman and Ava Eliot Jackman. The wolverine star adopted his son in 2000 and his daughter in 2005. The former couple went down the adoption pathway after struggling from infertility and miscarriages. 

6. Madonna

Madonna has adopted four of her six children from Malawi: David Banda, Mercy James, Stella, and Estere. She adopted the oldest david Banda in 2006, Mercy James in 2009 and Stella and Estere in 2009. Madonna adopted children from Malawi because her charity work there brought her into contact with the orphans, leading her to feel compelled to offer them a home after learning about their difficult family backgrounds, which included parental death and struggling grandparents.  

7. Salim Khan 

Salim Khan and his then wife, Salma Khan, adopted Arpita Khan off the streets in Mumbai after her birth mom, a homeless woman, died on a footpath. She was said to have been found crying on the street where the duo picked her up from and adopted her. Apart from Arpita, Salim Khan has three biological sons: Salman, Arbaaz and Sohail Khan. 

8. Sunny Leone 

Sunny Leone's daughter was 21 months old when her husband, Daniel Weber and she adopted her from Latur in Maharashtra. The couple named their daughter Nisha Kaur Weber. The family faced a lengthy adoption process due to Sunny Leone being an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI). However, ultimately they were able to adopt Nisha after her  being turned down by 11 other prospective parents.