All the Single Ladies: Hollywood's Solo Moms!

No husband? No problem! Famous moms – Teri Hatcher! Kate Hudson! Jenny McCarthy! – do it all on their own
By Janet Mock and Diana Pearl
Updated December 04, 2015 06:30 PM

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SANDRA BULLOCK

Cover Photograph by Bryan Randall/Getty Images

The Oscar winner adopted son Louis, 5, back in 2010, and recently grew to her family with the addition of Laila, a 3½-year-old whom she adopted from the foster system. "When I look at Laila, there's no doubt in my mind that she was supposed to be here," Bullock told PEOPLE of her daughter. "I can tell you absolutely, the exact right children came to me at the exact right time."

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KATIE HOLMES

Katie Holmes/Instagram

Holmes has kept Suri, her daughter with ex-husband Tom Cruise, at the very top of her priority list since her birth in 2006. The actress spent a few particularly intense years in the spotlight following her 2012 divorce from Cruise, but her devotion to her daughter has kept her steadfast in her decisions. "I don't regret anything that I've done," she's said. "I've learned from everything, and everything sort of leads you to the next place. I just keep going."

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TERI HATCHER

Teri Hatcher/Instagram

The former Desperate Housewives star has a partner for life in daughter Emerson, her 18-year-old with ex Jon Tenney. And she's priority No. 1: "The one thing I never feel secure about," Hatcher told PEOPLE, "is the way I parent."

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PADMA LAKSHMI

Padma Lakshimi/Instagram

The Top Chef host welcomed daughter Krishna in February 2010 after years of struggling with endometriosis. "My life has changed from night to day," she said of her daughter, whose father is venture capitalist Adam Dell.

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JENNY MCCARTHY

Jenny McCarthy/Instagram

After having son Evan with ex-husband John Asher, McCarthy went from Playboy bunny to bestselling author (Belly Laughs, Louder than Words) and autism advocate – her son was diagnosed with the disorder at age 3. "I am planning on using my big, giant, controversial mouth to blow the lid off a lot of things related to autism to give moms hope," she said. "It is so needed."

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MICHELLE WILLIAMS

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After the tragic 2008 death of Heath Ledger, Williams took the reins in raising their then-4-year-old, Matilda. "Every time I really miss him and wonder where he's gone," she told Vogue in 2009, "I just look at her."

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MINNIE DRIVER

Minnie Driver/Instagram

"It's the greatest love affair of my life, with this baby," Driver gushed of her son Henry, 7, whom she's called a "beautiful, unplanned" surprise.

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DIANE KEATON

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In her 50s, the never-married actress became a mother of two adopted children, daughter Dexter, 19, and son Duke, 14. "I'm free to do what I want to try to do," she said of life without a man. "I don't have to worry that I'm not living up to some responsibility as a partner to somebody else."

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SHERYL CROW

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After dealing with public heartbreak and breast cancer, the singer took on single motherhood, adopting son Wyatt in 2007. "My point of reference has changed," she said. "[Wyatt] is the first thing I think of in the morning and the last thing I think of at night, and it's just a lot of joy in my life." In 2010, she added son Levi to her brood.

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MARY-LOUISE PARKER

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"Becoming a mom is the best thing that's happened to me," said Parker, who has son William (with ex Billy Crudup) and adopted daughter Caroline. "I'll be the first to admit that it can be very hard to raise two kids, but I absolutely love it. I can't imagine what my life would be without my children."

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MEG RYAN

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The actress, who has son Jack, 23, with ex-husband Dennis Quaid, fulfilled a dream when she adopted her daughter Daisy, 10, from China in 2006. "I am convinced, completely convinced that there was nothing random about [the adoption]," the actress told Redbook. "She is the daughter I should have."

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KATE HUDSON

Kate Hudson/Instagram

The actress may have some famous exes (Lance Armstrong and A-Rod among them), but the only men in her life are her sons Ryder and Bingham. Eleven-year-old Ryder's pop is Hudson's ex-husband, Black Crowes rocker Chris Robinson, while Bingham, 4, is the son of her ex-fiancé, Muse rocker Matt Bellamy.

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By Janet Mock and Diana Pearl