16 Famous Parents Who Intentionally Keep Their Kids Out Of The Spotlight And Why
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Acting is a tough gig for a kid, and no one knows that better than the people who've dedicated their lives to the industry. While a lot of celebrities help their children pursue careers in Hollywood, many have decided it's best to keep their kids out of the spotlight.
NBC / Via giphy.com
Here are 16 celebrities who've said they won't let their kids become celebrities:
1.Drew Barrymore, who starred in E.T. when she was 7 and emancipated herself when she was 14, won't let her children become actors until they're 18.
She told People, "If they want to be actors [later] in life, I would be so supportive of it. Can you imagine me being [a] mom [who is] pushing her kids out there? That’s not going to happen.”
On the podcast 4D with Demi Lovato, she also said that she's more concerned with setting proper boundaries with her kids instead of trying to be their "friend." She said, "I realized that [my mother] and I were friends. We were not parent and child, and therefore I had to completely relearn what parent-child dynamic is, and I've been both inside of myself."
2.In 2008, after a photographer trespassed on her private property to get a picture of her infant daughter, Halle Berry released a statement that said, "I have long since come to terms with the fact that choosing a career as an actress has made me a public figure, but my baby has made no such choice, and unless and until she does, I will do everything I can...to keep her out of the public eye."
In 2013, she testified at the California State Capitol to support a bill that would help protect her children from harassment by paparazzi. She said that paparazzi had been taunting her daughter with questions to the point where she no longer wanted to go to preschool.
She said, "We aren't just whiny celebrities. ... We're moms who are just trying to protect our children."
3.In 2013, Jennifer Garner testified alongside Halle Berry at the California State Capitol in support of a bill that penalizes photographers for taking pictures or videos of children without parental consent because "[she] chose a public life [but her] three children are private citizens."
She said, "I love my kids. They're beautiful and sweet and innocent, and I don't want a gang of shouting, arguing, lawbreaking photographers who camp out everywhere we are all day every day to continue traumatizing my kids."
Later that year, the bill was signed into law.
4.Benji Madden and Cameron Diaz don't share pictures of their child because they "feel a strong instinct to protect [their] little one's privacy."
In a joint Instagram statement, they said, "We won't be posting pictures or sharing any more details, other than the fact that she is really, really cute!"
5.Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem want their kids to "grow up in a way that is as anonymous as possible."
The first time she spoke about her firstborn in public, Penelope told Vogue, "The fact that his father and I have chosen to do the work that we do doesn’t give anybody the right to invade our privacy.”
6.Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik intentionally keep their daughter's face off of social media, and Gigi wrote an open letter to the press asking them to blur her face in any paparazzi pictures.
On Instagram, she wrote, "Our wish is that she can choose how to share herself with the world when she comes of age, and that she can live as normal of a childhood as possible, without worrying about a public image that she has not chosen."
7.Kerry Washington and Nnamdi Asomugha are "really, really vigilant" about keeping their three children's lives private, because they don't "want them to be exploited, particularly in this social-media world."
Kerry told InStyle, "These are their lives. But it's not about pulling a Rapunzel and hiding them away in a castle from the world — we don't want to do that. I think any parent would want to keep kids from a situation that causes them to feel scared."
8.Adele keeps her son out of the spotlight because she thinks it's "really hard being a famous person’s child."
Her biggest concern is his privacy. She told Vogue, "What if he wants to smoke weed or drink underage, or what if he’s gay and doesn’t want to tell me, and then he’s photographed and that’s how I find out?”
9.Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard always cover their children's faces in Instagram pictures because they "don't have the right to choose" a life in the public eye for them.
Kristen told Romper, "My feeling is that I chose a career in the public eye. I chose to be quoted. I chose to have my picture taken...I don't know if they will want that."
10.Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling don't share pictures of their children online because they're "still so little and don't understand what posting their image really means."
On Instagram, Eva said, "I don't have their consent...I won't post their image until they're old enough to give me consent."
11.Zoe Saldana and Marco Perego share pictures of their kids on social media, but they never show their faces because "right now, they're not in the position to speak for themselves or make a decision."
She told E! News, "I just don't want 16 years from now to get, ‘You are so disrespectful. You invaded, you exposed me and I wasn't ready.' Even though they're babies and they're under our care, it's still their face."
12.Leighton Meester doesn't post photos of her child or talk about motherhood very often because, while she's proud of her family, she's "also really proud of the show and of the work [she does]."
She told Refinery29, "I think the perception is: You’re an ingenue, or you’re an icon, or you’re a mom. There’s no in-between."
13.Norman Reedus and Diane Kruger have chosen to keep their daughter's name private because they "have The Walking Dead empire, which has a lot of very intense fandomship that comes with it.”
Diane told People, "We had a couple [of] incidences before her arrival that were not so fun to deal with, and so my main concern’s her safety.”
14.Erykah Badu doesn't like people sharing pictures of her children without her consent, and in 2012, she called out her ex, Jay Electronica, for posting their daughter and one of her other children on his Instagram.
She tweeted, "I don’t like [you] posting pictures of my daughters. Please don’t do this again. This is my second time asking you, sir. Peace."
15.Mindy Kaling doesn't share pictures of her kids' faces on social media because she's "such a worrier."
On the Today Show, she said, "I’m far too fragile. [My daughter will] be big enough and people will see her. Am I even doing the right thing? Maybe she’ll be mad at me later on, but I’ll deal with it then."
She also chooses to keep the identity of their father private. After the birth of her oldest, she told the New York Times, "My feeling is that until I speak to my daughter about that, I’m not going to talk to anyone else about it."
16.And finally, Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher don't share any pictures of their kids publicly because they "feel that being public is a personal choice.”
However, they do have a "private social network" where they share pictures with the kids' grandparents.
