40 Famous People You Probably Had No Idea Were Actually Adopted
Getting a good start in life is important for all of us. But for some kids, that good start can take a while to appear. And when parents can’t cope, adoption is there to help children find a forever family. Whether that’s with a relative, family friend or a completely new set of relations, families can take all sorts of forms. And as these 40 stars prove, that good start can lead to amazing things. From Marilyn Monroe to Babe Ruth, here’s our list of celebs you probably didn’t even know were adopted.
40: Faith Hill
Country music superstar Faith Hill, who is married to fellow musician Tim McGraw, knew from a young age that she was adopted. That information, though, seems to have had a positive effect on the future songstress. She told Good Housekeeping magazine in 2017, “I was adopted into this incredible home, [a] loving, positive environment.” She went on, “I have a lot of respect for my birth mother and no feeling of anger.”
39: Apl.De.Ap
As a child Black Eyed Peas singer Apl.De.Ap lived in the Philippines. Surviving an upbringing blighted by extreme poverty, at 14 his fortunes changed when he was sponsored by an American philanthropist. That man, Joe Hudgens, eventually moved the future star to the U.S., before legally adopting the teen. The rest, as they say, is musical history.
38: Priscilla Presley
Yes, the King’s former wife was adopted as a child. But Priscilla Presley had no idea until, as a 13-year-old, she accidentally stumbled across pictures of her real father. She once described discovering those images as “finding my life… in front me! [But] that was different... [to] what I knew.” Despite the shock of it all, though, she never stopped calling the man who raised her “dad.”
37: DMC
Darryl McDaniels – better known as the DMC element of hip hop royalty Run DMC – had no idea he was adopted. In fact, he’d already sold millions of albums before he discovered the truth at age 35. But for the rap superstar, his true origin story is nothing but positive. As he told Essence magazine in 2017, “I realized I was given love, direction and education, something that was pivotal in me becoming the person I was destined to be.”
