No one said siblings must be close in age! Look at these Hollywood parents who made families on their own timetables.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most siblings are born anywhere from two and two-and-a-half years apart (it’s also the time period recommended by health experts), but reality doesn’t always follow expectations, as situations like divorce, infertility, health, finances, and emotional readiness are reasons why some wait to have more children.
If you space out your kids, you’ll have more time to recover (and enjoy) each child without feeling as overwhelmed, kids can really appreciate what it means to be a big or little sibling, and working parents may return to their jobs more quickly than they might with babies closer in age.
For some Hollywood celebs, the wait was worth it. David and Victoria Beckham welcomed their daughter Harper 12 years after the birth of their first child Brooklyn, an age gap (along with that between their second son Romeo and third son Cruz) which made the boys protective over their sister.
Reese Witherspoon once said her eldest children, Ava (who was born in 1999) and Deacon Phillippe (born in 2003) were “just so in love” with their baby brother Tennessee, who came along in 2012. And even KUWTK super fans wouldn’t necessarily realize that Kris Jenner waited 18 years after the birth of Kourtney Kardashian to have Kylie Jenner.
So if your children are far apart in age, you can expect lots of nice perks in store for your family.
Celine Dion
Celine Dion’s son René-Charles was born in 2001 after the singer and her late husband Rene Angelil went through fertility treatments. But it would be another decade or so — and six more IVF tries — before the couple conceived again. In 2010, Dion gave birth to twins Nelson and Eddy.
Jennifer Connelly
Jennifer Connelly and her former partner, photographer David Dugan, share a son named Kai who was born in 1997. When the actress married actor Paul Bettany in 2003, they didn’t wait long to have their first child together — son Stellan was born that year while daughter Agnes made her appearance in 2011.
Reese Witherspoon
In 1999, Reese Witherspoon was only 23 when she gave birth to her first child, Ava Phillippe, whom she shares with her ex-husband Ryan Phillippe. “I don’t have any sisters, I don’t have any aunts. I was alone in a new city, in Los Angeles, and I literally had no friends. I would cry,” the actress toldThe View in 2021.
Ava’s brother Deacon was born in 2003, four years before his parents finalized their divorce. Witherspoon met her now-husband Jim Toth in 2010 and welcomed their first child together, son Tennessee, two years later as newlyweds.
Witherspoon has attributed the age difference between her children to their loving relationship. “It’s kinda great because my older kids are just so in love with their baby brother and help out so much,” she toldToday. “It’s kind of like having this big extended family.”
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman adopted two children during her marriage to Tom Cruise: Isabella, born in 1992, and son, Connor, born in 1995. The couple finalized their divorce in 2001 and Kidman married country singer Keith Urban in 2006.
The couple share daughters Sunday, born in 2008, and Faith, who came along in 2010.
Kris Jenner
Kris Jenner’s six children are all close — but not necessarily in age. Kourtney came along in 1979, Kim in 1980, Khloé in 1984, and Rob in 1987.
Jenner then gave birth to Kendall in 1995 and Kylie in 1997. Another way to think about it: Kourtney is 18 years older than Kylie.
Kate Hudson
Kate Hudson’s son Ryder was born in 2004, during her marriage to The Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson. Now with partner Matthew Bellamy, the couple share Bingham, born in 2011 and Rani, born in 2018.
Madonna
Madonna’s six children vary widely in age — daughter Lourdes made her debut in 1996 with son Rocco following in 2000. The pop star also adopted son David Banda, who was born in 2005 and daughter Merci, born in 2006.
The pop singer also adopted twins Estere and Stella, who were born in 2012.
Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie’s eldest daughter Nicole Richie was born in 1981 and she was adopted by the singer and his ex-wife Brenda Harvey at age nine. “Nicole was actually a godsend. She was a little girl who needed a shot,” the American Idol judge told People in 2022.
Lionel and his ex-wife Diane Alexander welcomed son Miles Brockman in 1994 and daughter Sofia Richie in 1998.
David Beckham & Victoria Beckham
David Beckham and Victoria Beckham’s first son Brooklyn was born only a few months before their 1999 wedding. His little brother Romeo entered the world in 2002 and their brother Cruz in 2005.
The Beckhams juggled boys until 2011 when baby girl Harper Seven was born.
With three big brothers, David was confident that his daughter would be protected. “She’s got three brothers that will take her, three brothers that will eat with her and three brothers that will bring her back home and a dad waiting for her,” he told Access Hollywood when asked about Harper dating in the future. “So yeah, we’ll see. That’ll be interesting.”
Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis has five daughters, with his eldest 26 years older than his youngest. While married to Demi Moore, Rumer was born in 1988 with her sister Scout following in 1991 and Tallulah in 1994. The couple divorced in 2000.
In 2009, the Die Hard star married model Emma Heming and they added daughter Mabel to their blended family in 2012 followed by Evelyn in 2014.
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