Everyone has their skeletons in the closet and although being adopted may not be a dark part of one’s past, it is usually a touchy subject. Here is a list of famous celebrities who you may or may not have known were actually raised by someone other than their biological parents.
Nicole Richie
A true rags to riches story, Nicole Richie was adopted by Lionel because Nicole’s parents did not have the means to raise her in the best possible environment. Born to a family with nothing, Richie’s adoption became official and she would eventually have Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones as godfathers.
Jack Nicholson
In what may be one of the most scandalous of stories, Jack Nicholson did not find out he was actually adopted until he was 37. A Time researcher uncovered the truth about Nicholson’s past. It was found that his father had abandoned his young pregnant mother early on. He was raised by his grandparents and believed through out his adolescence that his mother was his sister.
Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson’s parents divorced during the Great Depression and it was his grandparents who took him and his sister in. Both children grew up refering to their grandparents as “Daddy” and “Mama.”
Marilyn Monroe
Not all adoption stories can be fairy tales, for Marilyn Monroe (Norma Jean Baker)- her youth was haunted by her unstable mother and tumultuous memories of being in and out of the foster care system. It is often wondered if her rocky history with drugs and depression are tied to the sexual abuse she experienced while in foster homes.
Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton’s mother gave birth to him at age 16 and his father who was a soldier was unknown to him for most of his life. Clapton was raised by his grandparents but in 1998 searched for his biological father and was finally able to reunite and meet his half-siblings.
Steve Jobs
Because his parents were unmarried and still studying, he was put up for adoption. Steve Jobs would eventually become co-founder and CEO of the most valued brand of today, Apple. His birth parents would eventually marry and give birth to his biological sister, Mona Simpson.
Over 100,000 adoptions take place a year and there are even more orphans who go unadopted until the age of 18 when they are finally of the age to leave the system. Many of these stories, whether they are happy or not, leave a feeling that is known as geanological bewilderment. This term describes the feeling of something “missing” that children who are either fostered or adopted often experience.
There are TV shows now dedicated to reuniting lost families. DNA testing is the key to connecting people to their past. Did you know about all of these celebrity secrets?
To learn more about what DNA testing can do for you, visit GTL DNA.