Did You Know These Stars Were Celebrity Single Dads?

Ricky Martin

The answer to “where has Ricky Martin been?” is “raising his twin boys.”

After Ricky became a single dad via surrogate in 2008, he took time out of the spotlight to focus on being a single dad. But now that they’re older, Ricky says they’re right there with him:

“I can’t — I don’t work well without them. They’re stuck to me constantly.

But fortunately, I have sons who are warriors and who were born on tour and don’t know anything else. They’re road babies. Some people say, ‘Ricky, your kids need stability,’ and I say, ‘I’m their stability. They feel unstable if I’m not there.'”

Lenny Kravitz

Zoe Kavitz may look just like her mama, but she’s been living with dad-rocker Lenny Kravitz since she was 11. What’s it like growing up with a rock legend dad? Lots of lessons in fashion and responsibility:

Zoe says,

“So he’s wearing leather pants and a boa, but he would be like, ‘Did you do your chores today?’ Or “That dress is too short!’ I had chores, I had an allowance – ‘Yes there’s a party going on with Mick Jagger and some models but it’s your bedtime.'”

But a good mix of rules, fun, and advice are why Zoe calls her dad Lenny her biggest role model — and the occasional butt of her Instagram jokes.

Johnny Depp

After his split from Vanessa Paradis, Johnny Depp became one of the most attractive single dads around. His policy as a newly-single dad? Having honest heart to heart with kids Lily-Rose, 14, and Jack, 11:

“They’ve been incredibly understanding, incredibly strong throughout the whole ordeal. And it’s hard on every side. The thing is, kiddies come first.

You can’t shield them, because then you’d be lying. So you can at least be honest with your kids, and you say the absolute truth to your child — that was very important to not pussyfoot around.”

Ryan Phillippe

Ryan and Reese’s 2008 split caught their fans by surprise. But, seven years later, Ryan says his focus is on being a single-dad who does all his fathering himself. And that means no nannies — ever. Ryan says,

“I imagine it would have been more difficult if we weren’t as hands-on as we were or allowed them to be raised by nannies – I think then they would become a**holes.”

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Usher

Usher says there’s nothing better than single fatherhood to help you stay humble:

“He told me the other day, he says, ‘You’re not a great singer.’ He doesn’t care about what I do as much. … He’s like, ‘I’m the star. Who are you? You sing?'”

But while Usher Raymond V isn’t impressed with his dad’s pipes, he might still end up being the next teen heartthrob in the making. Usher says,

“When seeing me perform on tour in the past … and most of the time it’s past his bedtime, but he’s just sitting there studying every move, every second, like laser focus. And then I’ll see him off by himself doing the moves.”

Can we get a Vine?

Chris Brown

Fatherhood is very new to Chris Brown and it may mean the end of his relationship with Karreuche who Tweeted this after finding out that Chris fathered a child while they (maybe) were together:

But Chris might be tackling fatherhood as a reason to grow up. Sources from his camp say that he calls his daughter Nia regularly and is excited about openly participating in fatherhood.

Could Chris be turning over a new leaf? Or maybe not?

Perez Hilton

Who says love and marriage have to come first? Gossip mogul Perez Hilton says he’s always known that fatherhood was his calling — even if he couldn’t find the right dad. And in 2013, he made his own family via surrogate.

He says of his son Mario Armando Lavandeira III “I knew it was going to happen this way because boyfriends and husbands may come and go, but kids are forever, I didn’t want to keep waiting.”

Lee Daniels

For director Lee Daniels, being a single father to twins Clara and Kiam, 14, means worrying about their future:

“I tell them, ‘I know it’s all “Kumbaya” with your friends, but when you get in that workforce, you’re going to see what it’s like as a black person.’”

Jamie Foxx

Jamie Foxx shares custody of his daughter Corinne. And Jamie says that he takes being a single dad very seriously:

“I want to be a man who shows up for her… I want to have such a big influence on her so that she knows she can call on me for anything — which she does.”

Tom Cruise

Tom Curise may have split from Katie Holmes under tabloid-worthy circumstances but he says that he’s committed to being a single dad to Suri as well as his other two kids:

“That wasn’t how the thing was set up. As I said, things change. Things change. And certainly what doesn’t change is the love that I have for my daughter, the fact that I didn’t abandon her emotionally, physically or otherwise.

And in terms of how I feel about her in terms of the responsibility that I feel towards my child is not—is not waned in any way.”

Dwyane Wade

OK, so D-Wayde isn’t technically a single dad anymore. But we have to add the man who was not only crowned Father of The Year but appointed by President Obama to a parenting program geared toward encouraging fathers to become more involved in their children’s lives.

What was it like being a single father to his sons? Dwyane says,

“When we have our opportunities and our moments, we do regular things, whether it’s playing basketball in the front yard, going for a drive, going out to eat, or watching a movie late at night when they’re supposed to be in bed. We’re boys. We’re men. We have our rascal moments and our playful moments.”

Colin Farrel

Colin says he was once a “heavy-drinking hellraiser” but he gave it all up to be a dad to his two boys. James says,
“What my first son James did was allow me to care for something in this world when I couldn’t care for myself. James saved my life.”

Diddy

We love the fact that Diddy goes the extra mile to keep his big, blended family together. From family Christmas photos to vacations with dad, Diddy makes sure that all of his kids are close.

Seal

Since their breakup in 2012, Seal has been a model co-parent. While Heidi spent Valentine’s Day with her boyfriend, Seal was spotted cheering his two oldest kids at their soccer game, giving them all big congratulatory hugs when they were done!