7 Celebrities Who Became Fathers After Turning 40
John Cena-pro wrestler, wish granter, defender of the Universe-has always had what you might generously call a unique approach to romance.
Following a 2012 split with first wife Elizabeth Huberdeau, the 40-year-old publicly swore off marriage...until proposing to girlfriend Nikki Bella in front of 75,000 people at WrestleMania 33.
The 16-time WWE Champion doesn't joke around when it comes to relationships. Like a very normal person would do, he made Bella sign a 75-page contract back in 2013 before moving into his home. Since the pair's engagement, Cena has insisted that children are not in his future. We've believed him.
But don't rule out the idea of Cena's trumpets someday blaring for his offspring just yet, because he might be changing his tune once again.
"If anything, it's made me consider [fatherhood] even more," Cena recently told the Herald Sun. He's referring to his latest film, Blockers, in which he stars as a father trying to stop his daughter from losing her virginity on prom night.
"I have a very busy schedule and I have been pretty adamant that kids aren't in my future," the grappler-turned-actor continued, "but I love this movie and I really do love the bond between each of the parents, and each of the children."
It's a topic that Cena has been addressing often while making the rounds for Blockers. The Kyle & Jackie O Show pressed the star on fatherhood pretty hard, getting Cena to admit, "I am very open to certainly explore the process, whereas before it was like 'Never, not a chance.'"
Should Cena decide to make the leap from body slams to baby diapers, he would not be alone. Hollywood is filled with guys who became fathers for the first time after 40.
Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt first became a father at 43, when he adopted then-wife Angelina Jolie's children Maddox and Zahara in 2006. The Fight Club star became a biological father that same year, when the couple welcomed Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, and then again two years later when Jolie gave birth to twins Knox and Vivienne.
Edward Norton
The three-time Oscar nominee had his first son with film producer Shauna Robertson at the age of 43. In 2014, Norton produced the Netflix documentary My Own Man, which chronicles filmmaker David Sampliner's experience of becoming a father after turning 40.
Javier Bardem
The Spanish actor known for playing the creepy villain in No Country For Old Men had his first child with wife Penelope Cruz in 2011, at the age of 41. "You feel like you know shit, and you discover everything again, through his eyes," Bardem told GQ about being a father.
Jay Z
Shawn Carter was 42 when Beyoncé gave birth to Blue Ivy in 2012. Jay Z's own father, Adnis Reeves, abandoned the future star when he was only 11. As a result, Jay Z had complicated feelings about becoming a father. "I don't think any person or male goes into a relationship thinking they aren't going to be there," he told GQ. "You just never know."
Owen Wilson
In 2011, Wilson's then-girlfriend Jade Duell gave birth to a son, Robert Ford Wilson. The Wes Anderson mainstay was 41 at the time. "He's not, I wouldn't say, a great conversationalist at this point, but he kind of doesn't have to be, he's so cute," Wilson said of Robert Ford, who was named for his father, adding that "he becomes sort of a little scene stealer when he comes in the room."
Vince Vaughn
Wilson's Wedding Crashers co-star was also north of 40 when he became a father for the first time. Vaughn has two children with wife Kyla Weber. The first, Locklyn Kyla Vaughn, came in 2010, when the actor was 40. "All kids bring their own joy, it's a lot of fun," he said while promoting The Internship, in which Wilson also stars. "There's nothing more fun than laughing and playing around with the kids."
Mark McGrath
The Sugar Ray frontman became a father two times over in 2010 when wife Carin Kingsland gave birth to twins, Lydon Edward and Hartley Grace. McGrath was 42 at the time. "My fiancée Carin and I tried for about a year and half to have a baby and when the old conventional way didn’t work out (not without Herculean efforts!) we tried [in vitro fertilization] and got pregnant on the first try - hence the twins," he wrote after becoming a father, calling the experience "surreal."
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