Eve Is 'Happy' She Waited To Have A Baby After 40, And So Do These Other Celeb Moms
Eve was 43 when she gave birth to her son Wilde Wolf, and while that is considered late to have a baby, she has no regrets. The "Tambourine" rapper stopped by BBC Radio show, Michelle Visage’s Rule Breakers, and shared her thoughts about having a child later in life. "I'm happy to be honest that I'm a older mom because I had a lot of things that I think I would have definitely unintentionally passed on 'cause I believe in that familial breaking of things," she said. "I do believe in all that, and I feel like I had to shed some things before I had a kid."
Before she became known as a "pit bull in a skirt," Eve grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, singing and rapping. When she got older, she worked in a strip club but decided it was time to go all in with her rap career. In 1999, she joined Ruff Ryders and dropped countless hits such as "Who's That Girl?," "Gangsta Lovin'," and "Let Me Blow Ya Mind." Since then, she pivoted into acting, starring in Barbershop and Barbershop 2: Back in Business, her own TV show, Eve, and she was a co-host on The Talk.
The Grammy award winner married British multi-millionaire Maximillion Cooper in June 2014 and instantly became a stepmother to his four kids. Their son Wilde was born in February 2022. Leading by example, Eve gave some advice to women who pressure themselves to have kids in a certain time frame. "Some of my friends, mid-30s, they've frozen their eggs and things. I'm like, don't stress yourself out, do not stress yourself out," she hammered. "You are good. you have time. They make us feel like, hurry up. Why you not married?-- Why you don't have no kids yet?"
She continued, "I feel like I have the patience as well. I'm not chasing nothing."
Eve isn't alone in having kids after 40. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, many women are delaying having kids, and a few of those reasons are new technology like in vitro fertilization (IVF). While Pew Research Center reported that it's taking longer to achieve economic stability due to student loan debt and other things, which also plays a factor in women having kids after childbearing years.
However, there are many other celebs who waited and are happy. See which ones below:
Naomi Campbell
In 2021, Naomi Campbell surprised everyone when she announced on Instagram that she was now a mother at 50 years old. The supermodel shared a photo of her daughter's feet with a lovely caption, saying how honored she was to be a mom. Two years later, she revealed that she was a mother again after welcoming a baby boy.
Kenya Moore
Kenya Moore announced the exciting news of her pregnancy during the season 10 reunion of Real Housewives of Atlanta. She was 47 at the time and conceived her daughter Brooklyn through IVF.
Tamron Hall
Tamron Hall had her first child with her husband, Steve Greener, at 48 years old. The couple used IVF treatments to get pregnant, and in an interview with Women's Health, she revealed that waiting to have a child gave her room to be a parent after accomplishing so much in her career.
Halle Berry
Halle Berry was 41 when she had her first child and 47 when she had her second. The Academy Award-winning actress told Women's Health she believes that women shouldn't be pressured to have a baby at a certain age. “If you’re in your twenties, own that. Own the era of exploration,” she said. “Earn the era of real curiosity. Earn the era of trying to figure out who you are.” She continued, “If you’re in your mid-thirties, don’t be bogged down by the idea that you have to have children by a certain age. You decide.”
Da Brat
Rap legend Da Brat got pregnant with her first child at 48 after tying the knot to Jessica "Judy" Dupart the previous year. Da Brat told People, "I never thought I was going to have kids. I just thought it wasn't in the cards for me. I've had a great career, a full life. I felt like, because I didn't get pregnant earlier on, then it just wasn't going to happen for me."
Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson was 50 years old when she welcomed her first child in 2017. Shortly after giving birth, the legendary artist and her husband, Al Mana, split up. Janet keeps her son Eissa away from the spotlight but shared that he loves music.
Mariah Carey
In April 2011, Mariah Carey welcomed twins Moroccan and Monroe with then-husband Nick Cannon. She was 41 and shared how "difficult" her pregnancy was with Barbara Walters. “I don’t think I understood the enormity or the magnitude of what it really does to your body. It's not just, ‘Oh, you don’t look pretty and you have a bump,’ ” she said.
Angela Bassett
Angela Bassett welcomed twins, Bronwyn and Slater, via surrogate in 2006 after years of fertility issues. The beloved actress was 47 at the time.
Nia Long
While Nia Long had her first son when she was 29, she had her second son, whom she shares with Ime Udoka, at 41. She called having another baby the "sweetest surprise ever."
Kandi Burruss
Singer, songwriter, and Real Housewives of Atlanta reality star Kandi Burruss was already a mom of two before having Blaze via a surrogate at 44.
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Adrian Marcel On Purpose, Sacrifice, And The 'Signs Of Life'
In this week's episode of xoMAN, host Kiara Walker talked with R&B artist Adrian Marcel, who opened up, full of heart and authenticity, about his personal evolution. He discussed his days transitioning from a young Bay Area singer on the come-up to becoming a grounded husband and father of four.
With honesty and introspection, Marcel reflected on how life, love, and loss have shaped the man he is today.
On ‘Life’s Subtle Signals’
Much of the conversation centered around purpose, sacrifice, and listening to life’s subtle signals. “I think that you really have to pay attention to the signs of life,” Marcel said. “Because as much as we need to make money, we are not necessarily on this Earth for that sole purpose, you know what I mean?” While he acknowledged his ambitions, adding, “that is not me saying at all I’m not trying to ball out,” he emphasized that fulfillment goes deeper.
“We are here to be happy. We are here [to] fulfill a purpose that we are put on here for.”
On Passion vs. Survival
Adrian spoke candidly about the tension between passion and survival, describing how hardship can sometimes point us away from misaligned paths. “If you find it’s constantly hurting you… that’s telling you something. That’s telling you that you’re going outside of your purpose.”
Marcel’s path hasn’t been without detours. A promising athlete in his youth, he recalled, “Early on in my career, I was still doing sports… I was good… I had a scholarship.” An injury changed everything. “My femur broke. Hence why I always say, you know, I’m gonna keep you hip like a femur.” After the injury, he pivoted to explore other careers, including teaching and corporate jobs.
“It just did not get me—even with any success that happened in anything—those times, back then, I was so unhappy. And you know, to a different degree. Like not just like, ‘I really want to be a singer so that’s why I’m unhappy.’ Nah, it was like, it was not fulfilling me in any form or fashion.”
On Connection Between Pursuing Music & Fatherhood
He recalled performing old-school songs at age 12 to impress girls, then his father challenged him: “You can lie to these girls all you want, but you're really just lying to yourself. You ain't growing.” That push led him to the piano—and eventually, to his truth. “Music is my love,” Marcel affirmed. “I wouldn’t be a happy husband if I was here trying to do anything else just to appease her [his wife].”
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Quinta Brunson Gets Real About Divorce, Boundaries & Becoming
Quinta Brunson is the woman who chooses herself, even when the world is watching. And in her June 30 cover story for Bustle, she gives us a rare glimpse into the soft, centered place she's navigating her life from now. From leading one of television's most beloved series in the last decade to quietly moving through life shifts, the creator of Abbott Elementary is walking through a personal evolution and doing so with intention, grace, and a firm grip on her boundaries.
Back in March, the 35-year-old filed for divorce from Kevin Jay Anik after nearly three years of marriage, citing "irreconcilable differences." The news hit the headlines of news outlets fast, but Quinta hadn't planned to announce their dissolution to the public so quickly.
Quinta Brunson On Divorce, Public Scrutiny & Sacred Boundaries
"I remember seeing people be like, ‘She announced her divorce,’" she told Bustle. “I didn’t announce anything. I think people have this idea that people in the public eye want the public to know their every move. None of us do. I promise you. No one wants [everyone] to know when you buy a house, when you move, when a major change happens in your personal life. It’s just that that’s public record information."
In regards to her private moves becoming tabloid fodder, Quinta continued, "I hated that. I hate all of it."
"I Am An Artist First": Quinta On Cutting Her Hair & Reclaiming Herself
Still, the diminutive phenom holds her crown high in the face of change and is returning to the essence of who she is, especially as an artist. "Cutting my hair reminded me that I am an artist first. I want to feel things. I want to make choices. I want to be a person, and not just stuck in having to be a certain way for business." It's giving sacred rebirth. It's giving self-liberation. It's especially giving main character energy.
And while the headlines keep spinning their narratives, the one that Quinta is focused on is her own. For her, slowing down and nourishing herself in ways that feed her is what matters. "It’s a transitional time. I think it’s true for me and my personal life, and it’s how I feel about myself, my career, and the world," Quinta shared with Bustle. “I feel very serious about focusing on watering my own gardens, taking care of myself and the people around me who I actually interact with day-to-day."
That includes indulging in simple rituals that ground her like "making myself a meal" which has become "really, really important to me."
That spirit of agency doesn't stop at the personal. In her professional world, as the creator, executive producer, and lead actress of the critically-acclaimed Abbott Elementary, Quinta understands the weight her choices carry, both on- and off-screen. She revealed to Bustle, "People used to tell me at the beginning of this that the No. 1 on the call sheet sets the tone, and the producer sets the tone — and I’m both of those roles."
She continued, "I understand now, after doing this for four years, how important it was that I set the tone that I did when we first started."
Quinta doesn't just lead, she understands the importance of curating the energy of any space she enters. Even amid a season of shifts and shedding, her power speaks loudly. Sometimes that power looks like quiet resistance. Sometimes that power is soft leadership.
And sometimes that power looks like cutting your hair and taking back your name in rooms that have forgotten you were an artist long before you were a brand.
Read Quinta's cover story on Bustle here to witness the fullness of Quinta's becoming.
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