Celebrity Dads Giving Us Hope for a Feminist-Dude Future

Prince Harry

We can’t forget a feminist royal, of course! Prince Harry confirmed his comittment to feminism during a 2019 visit to the charity Tomorrow’s Women Wirral.

“Prince Harry, to our delight, declared ‘I’m a feminist’ and highlighted that it is equally important for men to support the movement in female empowerment,” Angela Murphy, the charity’s CEO, revealed on the org’s site. 

And we just know Harry — along with Meghan, of course — is raising Archie to be a feminist dude, too.

Prince William

But of course Prince Harry isn’t the only royal dad fighting the good fight. Prince William is teaching his kids feminist lessons of his own. When he met with 14-year-old Olivia Hancock at Kensington Palace, where she was being honored for her work regarding gender equality in sports, he told her he makes a point of fighting for just that with his own kids.

“So when I was chatting with Prince William,” Hancock told reporters, “he said to me, when he plays football with George and Charlotte… he always tells his son: ‘Charlotte could be as good as you.’ It’s great to hear that Prince William is saying that to George.”

And we’re sure that’s only one fraction of the ways Will and Kate are keeping George’s (white, male) privilege in check.

Dwyane Wade

Now, back to our own country’s crowned “royalty,” please. Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union are proud parents to a blended brood of kids, which includes Wade’s children from a previous relationship, a nephew he adopted, and Wade and Union’s daughter Kaavia, born via surrogacy. While Wade has never been shy about how seriously he takes his role as father, he’s been especially warming hearts recently with his response to his child Zaya coming out as transgender.

“Me and my wife Gabrielle Union are proud parents of a child in the LGBTQ+ community, and we are proud allies as well,” Wade said on The Ellen Degeneres Show in February 2020. “Internally, now it’s our job to go out and get information, to reach out to every relationship that we have — my wife reached out to everybody on the cast of Pose,” he added. “We’re just trying to figure out as much information as we can to make sure that we give our child the best opportunity to be her best self.”

Oh come ON Dwyane, can you be our dad too? Please?

Mark Consuelos

When he’s not twinning with his sons or supporting his daughter pursuing her dreams, Consuelos spends his time doing good, looking good, and being totally unbothered by the fact that his wife Kelly Ripa is maybe a lil’ more famous than he is. NBD, he’s just that cool.

People Mark Wahlberg, Los Angeles, USA – 29 Jul 2010

Mark Wahlberg and Rhea Durham share kids Ella, Grace, Michael, and Brendan. And Wahlberg and Ella share a love of a good old-fashioned makeover. Could we love him any more?

Ashton Kutcher

Kutcher shares daughter Wyatt and son Dimitri with his wife and That ’70s Show co-star Mila Kunis — but he’s also still close with his former stepkids, Demi Moore’s daughters.

On Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, Kunis made it clear she’s totally cool with the ongoing blended-fam relationship: “They had three kids they were raising,” she said of Moore and Kutcher’s marriage. “It was, like, a normal life… He was younger, but he loved those kids.” And it’s clear he still does. Aww. 

Ben Affleck

Ok, hear us out. We know he’s had serious struggles with alcoholism, but dude has come a long way — and has come clean. These days, he’s laying low and is 100% committed to his sobriety and his kids. 

“I took the last half of the year off and I just got to be dad,” he told Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America in February 2020. “Drive them to school, pick them up, go to the swim meet…that’s where the parenting happens. It’s in the cracks, it’s in the moments where you’re just taking them back from soccer and they say something profound, or they talk about how they’re really feeling about something. That’s where you get to be the parent. That’s the joy of it. That’s what I don’t want to miss.”

Gotta love a story of second chances.

Dax Shepard

Dax Shepard and wife Kristen Bell have made the choice to not show their daughters’ faces on social media, but they do share a lot about the joys and challenges of parenting. Not only does Shepard’s adoration of Bell make us go weak in the knees, but he’ll stop at nothing for Lincoln, 6, and Delta, 4. That includes fixing bikes and rescuing Legos mid-wedding. Dad dedication aside, Shepard has also been open about their parenting philsophy of being honest no matter what — and sex positivity. Plus, he was a devoted Baby Bjorn wearer when his girls were small. 

Idris Elba

To us, he may be one of the sexist men alive. But to his kids, he he’s just Dad — and sometimes, dads can be goofballs. In 2018, Elba said that despite being crowned People’s sexiest man alive, he still embarrassed his kids. He also added that he’s a “super doting as a dad… Big hugs, kisses, lots of ‘love yous’ and all of that.” He’s also been known to brag about his kids, like when Isan, 17 was a Golden Globes ambassador this year. He’s more than just good feelings, though. He told Cosmopolitan back in 2014 that “ultimately, children don’t raise themselves. You’ve got to be there to help them and guide them through it. That’s one thing I try my very best to do.”

Dwayne Johnson

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has proven that even the manliest man can be vulnerable and tender when it comes to his kids.  “I always wanted to be a great dad,” he said in 2015 on Oprah’s Master Class. He continued that, after his first daughter, Simone, was born, he held her and promised, “I will always, always take care of you, for the rest of your life. You are safe.”

This won’t surprise Jonson’s Instagram followers, who regularly see him gush over his three girls. Just take a look at him having tea with Jasmine, or holding Tiana right after she was born. “Blessed and proud to bring another strong girl into this world,” he wrote. 

Ryan Reynolds

Ryan Reynolds regularly makes us think the phrase “dad jokes” was invented for him. While he’s been known to troll wife Blakey Lively and call his kids names on Instagram, we know that, deep down, he’s a hopelessly devoted dad. While the couple are selective about what they share about their kids, we learned just this month that Reynolds left his set for eight days to be with Lively after the birth of their third child. They both have made the decision to prioritize family over work; Reynolds and Lively never work at the same time, so the kids always get one parent when the other is shooting. Plus, Reynolds has acknowledged that being a dad made him a better person. 

Ryan Gosling

The Canadian Ryans are once again linked, but this time it’s more than just their good looks, first name, and passing resemblance. Even more tight-lipped about his personal life than Reynolds, Gosling is rarely even photographed with partner Eva Mendes (they don’t walk the red carpet together, either). But we’ve never gotten the feeling that this comes from ambivalence — instead, it seems to come from a desire to fiercely protect their family and personal lives.

That doesn’t mean it’s all under wraps, however: When Gosling won a Golden Globe for La La Land, he praised Mendes for making it possible. Mendes has also talked about how her relationship with Reynolds made her want kids. “It made sense for me to have…not kids, but his kids. It was very specific to him,” she said earlier this year. If that’s not a swoon-worthy endorsement, we don’t know what is. 

Justin Baldoni

Many of us were introduced to Justin Baldoni for the first time as the father to (surprise!) Jane Villanueva’s son on Jane the Virgin — then (surprise!) to ex Petra Solano’s twins. But, in real life, he’s as doting a dad as we saw on the small screen. On Father’s Day 2017, he posted on Facebook about his own dad and how he influences Baldoni’s approach to fatherhood.

“My dad always let me feel what I needed to feel, even if it was in public and embarrassing. I don’t remember him ever saying ‘You’re embarrassing me!’ or ‘Dont cry!’ It wasn’t until recently that I realized how paramount that was for my own emotional development” he wrote. “I try to remember to make sure my daughter knows it’s OK that she feels deeply.” Baldoni has also become an outspoken ally during the #MeToo era, which goes well beyond #DadGoals to straight #GoalsForMenEverywhereRegardlessOfParentalStatus. 

Neil Patrick Harris & David Burtka

It’s hard to imagine two more fun dads than Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka. The family regularly wins at Halloween and seems to go on some pretty cool adventures around the globe. Harris has also talked to SheKnows about how he keeps his kids laughing with impressions. Plus, Burtka being a chef means the kids have always had adventrous palates; Harris told SheKnows they’re even into eating sea urchin (!!).

Hugh Jackman

Another celeb who doesn’t hold back when it comes to showing his love for his family, Hugh Jackman is a devoted dad to two teenagers and husband of 22 years to wife Deborra-lee Furness. He has described being a father as ““unbelievable, tiring, magical… the most challenging role I’ve ever had.” He has also been open about the couple’s choice to adopt despite what he has called the “anti-adoption culture” in their native Australia. (The two had already talked about wanting to adopt as well as have children biologically but decided to skip straight to adoption after Furness struggled with infertility.)

“Our motivation behind adopting was, ‘Where is the need?’” he said in 2017. “And we just knew from talking with people in that space, when we were looking around, that the biggest need is in mixed-race kids. A lot of people go into [adoption thinking] it’s really important to them for the kid to look like them, and honestly, for Deb and I, that just never even was an issue.”

Karamo Brown

When Karamo Brown reentered the public eye in a big way via Queer Eye, he was also very open about how he learned he had a 10-year-old son a few years ago. When he found out, Brown stepped up in a big way and ended up with full custody of his son Jason, who’s now 21. He would later take legal guardianship of Jason’s half-brother, Chris, as well. Brown has spoken candidly about how becoming a father played a role in his decision to get sober. 

“My son saved my life — and as much as people have always said I saved his, he saved my life because it gave me an opportunity to see that there was more to life than just me,” he told People. 

John Legend

While we imagine that life in the Teigen-Legend household is as fun and goofy as it looks on social media, that’s not the only reason John Legend is one of our favorite celeb dads. Aside from making our hearts melt with sweet one-on-one time with his kids, Legend has also cracked us up when donning a bunny suit for Easter morning.

He’s said he tries to take on his fair share of the parenting duties, including diapers, and he’s definitely won #wokebae status on top of #dadgoals status by lamenting the ways in which his wife, Chrissy Teigen, is mom-shamed for decisions the pair has made together. Plus, Legend has said that being a father has really given him a sense of urgency around issues of justice. “Having kids puts in context for me the kinds of things kids need to be successful and healthy and happy. And realizing that far too many kids don’t have that,” Legend told the AP, “That’s what being a father has done for me.”

Andy Cohen

Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live is usually a source of lighthearted fun and juicy celebrity gossip. But in December 2018 he got really real when he let the audience know he was preparing to welcome a son via surrogacy. 

“Family means everything to me, and having one of my own is something I’ve wanted in my heart for my entire life,” Cohen said at the time. Since then, he’s shared tons of adorable pictures with his fans of life with baby Benjamin Allen, named after his grandfather. He has also been upfront about his gratitude towards his “incredible surrogate.” In fact, Cohen is enjoying fatherhood so much, he’s even confessed to considering baby number two in the future. 

Nate Berkus & Jeremiah Brent

Having two dads who are interior decorators means Poppy and Oskar are reliably fashionably dressed and hanging out in some pretty beautiful places. But beyond their enviable lifestyle and closet, these two kids definitely won big in the dad department. Brent told SheKnows that having kids “kind of shifts the lens that you look at the world [through]; it brings life back into life again, laughter and silliness and warmth and struggle. It’s just a new lens, and we’re having the best time looking through it.” 

These dads are also there to support their kids in whatever they choose to do. Back when Poppy was one, Berkus wrote “It’s not our job to mold babies into who we want them to be. Aside from helping her be happy, healthy and self-reliant, all I can do is let her become who she is.” 

Will Smith

The Pinkett-Smith household has never shied away from hard topics, and they’ve often welcomed the rest of us into the conversation, too. Will Smith, for example, has joined his wife and mother-in-law on Red Table Talk, their Facebook show, to get real about their marriage and ways the two of them have reevaluated and recommitted to their relationship over the years. That’s serious role model status for both their kids and us, TBH. 

He also admits he hasn’t always been the perfect father or husband. Back in 2011, he told W that his daughter Willow shaved her head because she was sick of touring “Whip My Hair Back and Forth.” He said of that moment he realized “it was that soldier that was pushing and wasn’t paying any attention whatsoever to what was going on emotionally with this beautiful little creature in front of me… That was the first part of the collapsing of my father’s suit that I was wearing that wasn’t mine.”

Ricky Martin

Ricky Martin became a single dad via surrogacy 11 years ago, and welcomed a daughter with husband Jwan Yosef this year. While it’s clear that he was driven by a personal need to have a family, he’s also aware of the importance of being a famous gay dad. He has told Out magazine that it is “part of [his] mission” to ensure people could look at lives and families like his and say: “There’s nothing wrong with that.” Martin’s activism doesn’t end there; aside from being an LGBTQ advocate, he’s also used his platform to speak out against family separation at the border and to support protests in Puerto Rico. 

Alexis Ohanian

OK, Alexis Ohanian might not be nearly as famous as the rest of the dads on this list, but being married to the greatest athelete of all time comes with automatic A-lister status if you ask us. Besides being an adoring husband to Serena Williams, Ohanian is clearly smitten with fatherhood. He even credited his decision to step away from Reddit last year with a desire to be a more present father to his daughter, also named Alexis.  

“I’m far from perfect, but I try to get behind her and let her know I’m there for her and our daughter, no matter what,” he has said about Williams. Also, remember the extra-in-all-the-right-ways billboard he put up of his daughter to welcome Williams back to tennis?