Jamie Lee Curtis, Robert De Niro, Kate Hudson, and two other celebrities have children who prefer staying out of the limelight. These children rarely appear in public or with their parents, but there are several pictures of them.
Some celebrities proudly show off their children, but some of their offspring generally prefer staying out of the spotlight, like Robert De Niro’s lesser-known biracial sons. These children are so private and hidden that most people aren’t aware they exist. Here’s what we know about them.
ROBERT DE NIRO HAS LITTLE-KNOWN BIRACIAL TWIN SONS, JULIAN AND AARON
Aside from being one of the most iconic actors ever, Robert De Niro is a proud father to seven children: Drena, Raphael, Aaron, Julian, Elliot, Helen, and Gia. In 1976, he married singer Diahnne Abbot and had his first son, Raphael.
Robert De Niro kisses his wife, Diahann Abbott, on the set of the film “New York, New York” during a location shooting in Los Angeles on April 26, 1977 | Source: Getty Images
Abbot had a daughter, Drena, from a previous relationship, and the actor adopted her before his separation from the singer in 1988. De Niro later dated African-American model Toukie Smith in the mid-1990s, and although they never got married, they had twins Julian Kendrick and Aaron Henry, via in vitro fertilization (IVF) and surrogacy in October 1995.
Robert De Niro pictured with longtime girlfriend and actress Toukie Smith in 1990 in New York City | Source: Getty Images
Sadly, De Niro and Smith broke up shortly afterward. Their twins, Julian and Aaron, unlike their older siblings, have maintained a laid-back life, regardless of their father’s fame. Still, they might decide to model in the future.
Toukie Smith and her twin boys Aaron and Julian De Niro, in New York, on November 6, 1998 | Source: Getty Images
The duo, who turned 28 in March 2023, are relatively private about their lives but have attended red-carpet events with their parents as youngsters and adults. They lead quiet lives. When asked about his kids, De Niro said:
“I love my children, just being with them. [But] It’s not easy. When you have the good moments [though], you forget about the ones that weren’t good.”
Robert De Niro and his son Julian De Niro pose backstage at the hit play “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo” on Broadway on April 24, 2011, in New York City | Source: Getty Images
Although he prefers privacy, Julian has an Instagram account with four posts and 1,187 followers, and he’s following 306 accounts. His posts give some insight into his personal life and his adventures.
On April 6, 2023, De Niro embraced fatherhood again when he and his girlfriend, Tiffany Chen, welcomed his youngest daughter. The actor, then 79, shared the news about welcoming his seventh baby a month after her birth. But like most of his other children, Gia Virgina Chen-De Niro has been kept out of the public eye.
Shortly after announcing the shocking news of his seventh child’s arrival, his girlfriend was seen holding a child that appeared to be less than a month old. The child was dressed in a pink onesie, and Chen lifted the baby from the stroller she had previously been pushing as they walked.
Many wondered if De Niro had planned for the baby, to which he replied affirmatively. During an interview, the interviewer mentioned they knew he had six children, at which point he clarified he had just become a father for the seventh time. When asked if being a parent became more manageable with each child, he confirmed it never did.
Israel’s President Shimon Peres walks past Robert De Niro and his son Julian Henry De Niro during their meeting at the President’s residence on June 18, 2013, in Jerusalem, Israel | Source: Getty Images
In the same interview, De Niro confessed he didn’t think he was a cool dad and didn’t think that his children saw him that way, either. The actor said while he’s had arguments with his children over the years, he still shared good relationships with each of them.
Getting candid about raising biracial children, the director spoke about fatherhood and being a grandfather of four in January 2020. At the time, he said having kids changed his world perspective:
“When you become a parent, there are certain things that you become more aware of, more sensitive about.”
Being a dad to biracial children gets him scared sometimes, especially when it comes to the massive issue of racism in the country. “My children are all half black, and I don’t have, even me; I take certain things for granted,” he noted, referring to having more opportunities as a white man.
He said when people advise their kids on how to behave when stopped by the police, telling them to keep their hands where officers could see them, keeping them on the steering wheel, and remaining still, he understands. De Niro acknowledged how scary it was and that it needed to change.
Julian Henry De Niro, John David Washington, Danielle Brooks, Samuel L. Jackson, and Robert De Niro pose backstage at “The Piano Lesson” on Broadway on November 2, 2022, in New York City | Source: Getty Images
In his role as a father, the New York native said it was not easy being a dad, and in April 2019, he confessed how challenging it was. The next star with a rarely seen child is a Spanish actress.
LUNA GARCÍA IS ONE OF ROSSY DE PALMA’S TWO CHILDREN
Rossy de Palma was discovered in 1986 by Spanish film director Pedro Almodóvar at a café in Madrid. The Spanish actress has appeared several times in Almodóvar’s movies, including “Law of Desire” (1987) and “Women on the Verge of Nervous Breakdown” (1988).
Rossy de Palma delivers the Gonzalez Sinde 2019 Award to Tarifa Tanger at the African Film Festival on June 20, 2019, in Madrid, Spain | Source: Getty Images
At the beginning of her acting career, de Palma was famously dismissed as “ugly and strange” by her home country’s leading newspaper. She has asymmetrical eyes and a long nose; her left eye is green, and her right is much brighter and rounder. As for her appearance, she made an expressional statement during a May 1994 interview. Then 29 years old, the brunette beauty said:
“Perhaps I’m very pretty to some people and very ugly for others. But that’s their problem, not mine.”
Rossy de Palma and Luna Garcia at the Schiaparelli Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2017-2018 show as part of Haute Couture Paris Fashion Week on July 3, 2017, in Paris, France | Source: Getty Images
The model, who starred in the 2017 comedy film, “Madame” alongside Toni Collete, Tom Hughes, Michael Smiley, and Harvey Keitel, also has a stunning daughter, Luna García. De Palma’s child isn’t well-known, as she’s rarely seen publicly.
Rossy de Palma and Luna Garcia at the Jean-Paul Gaultier Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2018-2019 show as part of Haute Couture Paris Fashion Week on July 4, 2018, in Paris, France | Source: Getty Images
Luna Garcia and Rossy de Palma at the “Gala Sida” on November 21, 2016, in Madrid, Spain | Source: Getty Images
However, on August 24, 2023, the actress put the young woman into the spotlight when she paid tribute to her on Instagram on her birthday. The proud mom posted several images of the mother-and-daughter duo. The doting mother captioned her post writing:
“Happy 24 My One & Only I Love You Infinite My Love Im So (sic) Proud Of You Daughter You Are My Best And Most Precious Gift.”
Rossy de Palma and Luna Garcia at the “Depardieu Chante Barbara” at “Le Cirque D’Hiver” on November 14, 2017, in Paris, France | Source: Getty Images
One picture showed de Palma and Garcia sporting glamorous looks, with their hair tied in buns and wearing dangling earrings. In August 2018, the mom of two was reported to be living in Madrid with her children, where she owned a house just outside the city. Next up is Kate Hudson’s oldest son.
KATE HUDSON’S SON, RYDER, PREFERS STAYING OUT OF THE LIMELIGHT
Kate Hudson became a mother at 23 when she welcomed her son, Ryder Russell, with her former husband, Chris Robinson. In an interview with Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest on their talk show “Live with Kelly and Ryan,” Hudson confessed feeling like a “teen mom” after her son was born.
Matt Lauer and a pregnant Kate Hudson on the “Today” show, circa 2011 | Source: Getty Images
During the interview, the star joked about being 12 when she had Ryder and stated that in terms of Hollywood, that was what she was because she welcomed a child so early in her life. Besides Ryder, Hudson is also the mother to two other kids: a boy named Bingham, a product of her relationship with ex-fiancé Matt Bellamy, and a daughter named Rani Rose, whom she shares with her current fiancé, Danny Fujikawa.
It has been challenging for Hudson to cater to all her children while juggling her career and other business engagements, but she somehow pulled it off. The single mom had help from her two older kids, especially Ryder.
Hudson lives with her kids in the same house she was raised in by her mother, Goldie Hawn. Hawn bought the house with her longtime lover Kurt Russell in the 1970s, but they sold it more than a decade later. In 2015, the actress purchased it again, and in 2011, she bought the neighboring house and converted both houses into one significant luxury estate.
She now inhabits the main house with Fujikawa, their daughter, and her two sons. Hudson has a great relationship with all her kids; however, she has acknowledged a special bond between her and her first child, Ryder, who is now a young adult. She explained:
“I was really young, like, 23, when I had Ryder. So, our relationship has always been [a little unusual]. I mean, we’re close, and I am his mum. I’m big on manners. I’m big on politeness. I’m big on gratitude. But I’m a bit of a wild mum.”
The rarely-seen Ryder seems to have much love for his mom and siblings. He has been known to make her breakfast in bed and share posts that capture him caring for his younger siblings. Some posts see him praising his mom and granny, Hawn.
September 2022 was the month most schools resumed, and for Hudson, this meant Ryder leaving the nest for college. He was 18 when he left California for school on the East Coast. During the preparations, the star’s maternal instincts were in full swing.
She shopped for brand-new homeware with Ryder and even attempted to use what little authority she still had to influence his decisions! Hudson posted snaps that captured some of their preparations for his departure.
Her photos captured his must-haves, snacks, supplements, and books. In one post, she revealed that she asked him to get more things, but he refused, hilariously calling him a “minimalist.” Hudson seemed intent on making as many memories of the preparation as possible, and she shared a lot with her fans, who praised her for it.
Towards the end of September, the proud mom spoke about how she felt since Ryder left. She said that the topic was too complex to even talk about and admitted to having moments when she started crying “because something will just hit me that he’s not here.”
Hudson takes comfort in knowing that her son is having a great time in the city. His readiness made her feel excited for him, and she expressed contentment with his growth, saying:
“I’m so excited for his future. When you see your kids thriving and feeling good in their skin, that’s all I can ask for.”
Fortunately, the devoted mother and her lovely son seem determined to preserve their bond despite their distance. The two often speak over the phone, and according to Hudson, they’ve already had an emotional moment while chatting.
There will most likely be more of that as time passes, but Kate Hudson is ready to take it in stride; after all, absence makes the heart grow fonder. In the next section, we look at Jamie Lee Curtis’ private daughter who transitioned from being a man.
JAMIE LEE CURTIS’ SECOND CHILD, RUBY, TRANSITIONED FROM A MAN TO A WOMAN
“Perfect” actress Jamie Lee Curtis always wanted kids. For several years after marrying her husband, comedy director Christopher Guest, the two tried to have their own but struggled intensely with infertility issues.
Christopher Guest and Jamie Lee Curtis at a screening of “Mascots” on October 5, 2016, in Los Angeles, California | Source: Getty Images
Eventually, when all efforts proved futile, the actress and her husband decided to adopt. The “True Lies” actress revealed that adoption was the only way they could be a family, as a family never felt complete until a child was involved.
Curtis and Guest had only been married for two years when they welcomed their little girl home in an open adoption. They took her home soon after her birth in 1986. While the couple had “sought” to adopt Annie, welcoming their second baby, Ruby (then Thomas), was not as planned.
Thomas Guest, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Annie Guest at the Los Angeles premiere of “AVATAR” on December 16, 2009, in Hollywood, California | Source: Getty Images
Curtis disclosed that a set of circumstances surrounding the birth resulted in Ruby’s adoption. The actress participated in the birth ceremony, cut the umbilical cord, and was the first person to hold Ruby. She shared the experience, saying:
“I thought, I have very thoroughly lived a life. The birth of my [daughter] changed me.”
Thomas Guest and Jamie Lee Curtis at the Los Angeles premiere of “Wreck-It Ralph” on October 29, 2012, in Hollywood, California | Source: Getty Images
With her two children, she finally felt that her family was complete. However, she’d never been prepared to face the shock of her daughter coming out as transgender. Named Tom after birth, Ruby started struggling with her gender identity at 16 when a friend asked her what gender she was.
Even though she answered by saying she was male, the thought stayed with her for a long time. She’d always felt different, but after a horrible therapy experience, she decided not to come out. Seven years later, she told her girlfriend she was probably transgender, and the partner assured her she would love her no matter what.
Thomas Guest and Jamie Lee Curtis at the theatrical premiere of “One Piece Film: Gold” on January 5, 2017, in West Hollywood, California | Source: Getty Images
Accepting herself was, however, easier than coming out to her parents. But despite how terrifying it was for Ruby, she knew everything would turn out fine as her parents had been accepting of her all her life. She shared:
“It was scary — just the sheer fact of telling them something about me they didn’t know. It was intimidating — but I wasn’t worried. They had been so accepting of me my entire life.”
Christopher Guest and Jamie Lee Curtis at the MusiCares Person of the Year on February 11, 2011, in Los Angeles, California | Source: Getty Images
In 2020, she sat her parents down in their Los Angeles home, ready to tell her secret, but couldn’t. She left her house, texted her mother, and spilled the beans. Curtis’s daughter admitted to tears being involved. While Curtis has accepted Ruby wholeheartedly, she and her husband still struggle with the appropriate pronouns.
Luckily, Ruby understands and does not get mad at them for that; instead, she’s treating it as a learning curve. Despite the mess-ups and slips, Curtis has remained supportive of her daughter. After her 2021 engagement with her partner, Kynthia, Ruby was thrilled about her May 2022 cosplay wedding.
Curtis was equally excited for her daughter’s big day and announced that she would don her cosplay attire, which she ordered from Etsy, as she officiated the wedding. Speaking to Jimmy Kimmel, the actress also revealed that the wedding would be held in her backyard, where they had her older daughter Annie’s wedding three years earlier. She shared that they would have a picnic, adding:
“Both my children will have been married in my backyard, which brings me to tears.”
On the big day — May 29, 2022 — Ruby exchanged vows with Kynthia, dressed in cosplay costumes. Ruby cosplayed Squigly from the mobile game “Skullgirls” while Kynthia cosplayed Elphelt Valentine from “Guilty Gear.”
Kynthia, Ruby Guest at the Hand and Footprint Ceremony honoring Jamie Lee, October 12, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
Jamie Lee Curtis, clad in the garb of “World of Warcraft”‘s Jaina Proudmoore, posted beautiful photos of the festivity on her Instagram, captioning one of the photos with the words: “WIFE IS SWEET!” alongside the names Ruby and Kynthia and the date of the wedding. The last celebrity is super close to his private and adult daughter.
VAL KILMER IS SUPER CLOSE TO HIS DAUGHTER, MERCEDES
American actor Val Kilmer has been a Hollywood star since his role as Tom Kazansky in 1986’s “Top Gun.” He has also starred in many other famous Hollywood titles like “Tombstone,” “Batman Forever,” and “Heat.”
Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley on the set of “Kill Me Again” in 1989 | Source: Getty Images
While he was focused on his career, the actor always made time to care for his children. Val Kilmer and his wife, Joanne Whalley, tied the knot in 1988 after they met on the “Willow” movie set. They went on to star in “Kill Me Again” together a year after they exchanged vows. By 1991, they had begun expanding their family.
In 1991, Kilmer and Whalley welcomed their daughter, Mercedes. Four years later, the family expanded again with the addition of the couple’s son, Jack. A year later, in 1995, the couple divorced. While their marriage didn’t last, they remained friendly and worked together again and their love for their children remained steadfast.
Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley at the “Scarlett” screening on November 3, 1994 | Source: Getty Images
In his memoir, Kilmer shared what it was like for him to become a father. The actor described his daughter as “[A] precious angel, gift of God,” saying his life changed entirely after her birth. The star also told the story of the lengths he went to to be with his daughter from the day she was born.
He had asked the nurse where his bed was, but the medical professional thought he was joking because no father had ever requested to remain at the hospital with his wife and newborn child. When the nurse realized Kilmer was serious, he was provided a foam mat and a used blanket.
Joanne Whalley, Val Kilmer, and Mercedes Kilmer at review performance of the Broadway play “Death and the Maiden” in 1992 | Source: Getty Images
The actor placed the makeshift bed on the hospital’s linoleum floor and spent the night there as his wife and newborn daughter slept comfortably in their bed and crib. Kilmer confessed that he got the impression people felt all the things he wanted to do were women’s work.
He wanted to bathe his daughter, feed her, cuddle her, and sing her sweet lullabies. From the moment he laid eyes on Mercedes, the pair have shared a close bond. Kilmer mentioned their love for animals and nature when asked what brought them closer.
Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley at the “Hurlyburly” opening night party on November 16, 1988 | Source: Getty Images
The father-daughter duo love riding horses and even took horse jumping lessons together when Mercedes was a little girl. The pair also love to hike and look at Native American rock art. When not out in nature, they would also do indoor things like shop for clothes together.
Mercedes believes that when her father is at his best, he’s an intelligent, funny, and talkative man.
Kilmer also admitted they’re both stubborn but have a zest for life that allows them to find joy in even the simplest moments. He enjoyed watching his daughter grow with this characteristic. Although Mercedes and her father share a lovely bond, life has not always been easy for the pair.
Mercedes and Val Kilmer at the Annual Thespians Go Hollywood Gala on November 18, 2019 | Source: Getty Images
Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2015, and doctors had to treat him with chemotherapy, radiation, and a tracheostomy. All of these medical procedures damaged the actor’s vocal cords, and his speaking voice was permanently altered. However, this didn’t change Mercedes’ relationship with her beloved father.
Talking about what it was like for them dealing with her father’s diagnosis, Mercedes said his prognosis did not look good initially but that her father is physically and mentally resilient. The star’s lesser-known child felt inspired by how her father dealt with his illness and admitted that he had even been joking while in the hospital. However, Mercedes revealed:
“It’s really difficult to go through that with a parent and also to go through it with someone in the public eye.”
Mercedes Kilmer at the “Val” photocall during the 74th Annual Cannes Film Festival | Source: Getty Images
Mercedes believes that when her father is at his best, he’s an intelligent, funny, and talkative man. However, at his worst, he is quick to argue. Although cancer affects how he communicates, Mercedes confirmed that he had found ways to do it effectively.
Kilmer’s daughter believes that their relationship is so special because her father is unique, allowing them to remain friends throughout the years. Mercedes, 31, in June 2023, shared a rare photo on her Instagram story that warmed the hearts of fans worldwide.
Mercedes, Jack, and Val Kilmer with Britney Spears in a photo Mercedes posted on her Instagram Story in 2023 | Source: Instagram/mercedeskilmer/
In the snap, she, her brother Jack, her father, and Britney Spears were seen smiling at the camera. The Kilmer family is ordinarily very private, making the image doubly special for fans. The actor and his daughter now live close to one another in Los Angeles.