Celebrities Who Absolutely Love Being Grandparents

The relationship between a grandparent and grandchild can be incredibly special and, for so many people, their parents' parents are some of their favorite members of their family. Humans are living longer, but they are also having kids later, and so time spent with older generations is still a precious gift not everyone is afforded. So, if you have a grandparent you adore — or memories of one — consider yourself one of the lucky ones.

We found a number of stars who not only greatly enjoy their role as celebrity grandparents, but even reject the traditional "grandma" or "grandpa" terminology. Our chosen celebrity grandparents also love spending time with their grandbabies — with some of them living within spitting distance — and sometimes seem to appreciate the role more than any other. There is an old Irish saying that goes something like, "Children are the rainbow of life. Grandchildren are the pot of gold." And while the stars on our list definitely take great pride in seeing their own kids excel as parents, it seems true that it is the grandkids who are a special treasure. Here are celebrities who absolutely love being grandparents, even if some of them won't call themselves that.

Tom Hanks' niece Carly Reeves made waves on the 2023 reality TV show "Claim to Fame" when she threw a fit about her elimination, but according to the Mirror, the Oscar winner reportedly texted her a lighthearted message after the episode aired. Evidently, Tom Hanks is always good for a dad joke — and he's had plenty of practice as a parent to four kids. His two eldest are actor Colin Hanks and writer Elizabeth Hanks, who are from Tom's previous marriage to the late Samantha Lewes. Tom and his second wife, Rita Wilson, are parents to rapper/actor Chet Hanks and film production crew member Truman Hanks.

The elder Hanks and Wilson have three grandchildren, as Colin has two daughters and Chet has one. They have made no secret about how much they adore being grandparents to Olivia Hanks, Charlotte Hanks, and Michaiah Hanks. What's more, they are not afraid to get down and dirty with the kids. "You got to get on the trampoline with them, you got to get in the pool with them, you got to get on the tennis court, you got to do all the sports," Wilson told ET in 2023. "You just got to hang out." Tom added, "You have to make their macaroni and cheese just perfectly." That is, without a doubt, crucial.

Whenever we see Goldie Hawn interact with her children Kate Hudson, Oliver Hudson, or Wyatt Russell in an interview, we can't help but love the dynamic she has with her kids. The family seems to have a lot of fun and to genuinely enjoy each other's company, which is probably how Kate and Oliver have managed to create their successful podcast "Sibling Revelry" without murdering each other like some relatives might if forced to work together. But back to Hawn, who has been in a relationship with fellow actor Kurt Russell (Wyatt's dad) since 1983. Though she is an acting legend, Hawn has largely stepped away from the industry to work with her children-focused non-profit, The Goldie Hawn Foundation, and to spend time with her family.

Hawn's family includes not just her three kids, but also their kids, to whom she is known as Gogo, according to one of Kate Hudson's Instagram posts. Altogether, Hawn and Russell have seven grandchildren — three from Kate, three from Oliver, and one from Wyatt. Hawn is a hands-on grandma, crawling around on her hands and knees for Easter egg hunts and dressing up in elaborate costumes for birthday parties (Kurt does that too, for the record). "Being a grandmother is amazing, I love it. It brings incredible joy. Family is so important," Hawn told Australian Women's Weekly's Now to Love. Hawn lives only blocks away from her daughter, so we imagine Gogo's over quite often.

There are a lot of things we think about when we hear Snoop Dogg's name. Like rap music, Martha Stewart, and marijuana (he employs a personal blunt roller and has his own weed brand, after all). Let us add "Tha Dogggrandfather" to the list. Snoop shares three children — Cordell Broadus, Cordé Broadus, and Cori Broadus — with wife Shante Broadus, and a fourth, Julian Broadus, with another woman. Cordell has three kids, the youngest of whom was born in 2023. Cordé has three living children and tragically lost a fourth one years ago.

"I am a grandfather of six, with one on the way. And my grandkids are my everything because they all individually get a piece of my heart and they're different," Snoop once said on "Words + Music: From the Streets to the Suites" (via People). "My oldest grandson Zion told me he's the biggest star in the family." It will be quite a while before Zion can surpass Snoop's incredible level of fame, but we love that the little guy is not afraid to be the center of attention, much like his grandfather. And since Snoop told "Today" he planned to be a "a gullible, get-away-with-everything kind of grandpa" around the time Zion was born, we are sure that he and the others have a great time over at their grandfather's mansion.

Sally Field's age is no secret, if only because of those Boniva commercials she did in 2006 for post-menopausal women with osteoporosis. The drug has since been taken off the market in the United States, but the commercials aired for so many years and were so iconic that "Saturday Night Live" even parodied them. All that aside, we have to give credit to Field for embracing her age in an industry where women (and especially women of her generation) are often cast aside as they get older. Field's joyful film "80 For Brady," where she appeared alongside other veteran stars, only proved that she has not lost her energy or charisma with age.

It is a good thing Field has lots of energy, too, since she has three children and five grandchildren to keep up with. Field's two eldest sons, Peter Craig and Eli Craig, are fathers. Peter has three children, while Eli has two. Field's oldest grandchild is now in her mid-20s. In 2018, Field discussed a surprising hobby she shared with one of her grandsons, which she learned about from her late "Mrs. Doubtfire" co-star Robin Williams. "My oldest grandson and I are obsessed with playing Zelda," she told Parade. "He'll spend the weekend and we do nothing but play Zelda." In that same article, Field suggested she was considering going to France for a month to spend time with a granddaughter. Video games and travel? We're in.

Shereé Whitfield first started on "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" back in its first season, which premiered in 2008. Shereé divorced her husband, former NFLer Bob Whitfield the previous year, and so her journey as a single mother was central to her early years on the show. We saw Shereé's relationship with her two younger children, specifically, during those first seasons (she left the show after Season 4, returned for Seasons 9 and 10, then returned again in Season 14). In addition to her son Kairo Whitfield and daughter Kaleigh Whitfield, both of whom she shares with Bob, Shereé also has an older daughter who viewers did not meet until Season 3. Whitfield gave birth to her eldest, Tierra Fuller, when she was 15, which explains why she would have been out of the house by the time the show came around.

Fuller may be Whitfield's oldest, but it is her second-born, Kairo, who made her a grandmother for the first time. Just don't call her that, as Whitfield has made it very clear on "Real Housewives of Atlanta" and in interviews that she does not like the word. "No, no, I'm not a grandma. Let's make sure we get the word right. It's Glam-ma!" she told People shortly after welcoming granddaughter Mecca Joie into the family. "I'm a Glam-ma. And she'll call me GG, which stands for Gorgeous Glam-ma. I'm starting a new trend for grandmas: hot grandmas!"

Journalist Gayle King became a first-time grandmother in 2021 when her daughter Kirby Bumpus had a son with husband Virgil Miller. The baby boy, named Luca Bumpus, was a game-changer for not just his parents, but also his overjoyed grandmother. King announced his birth in September 2021, live on "CBS This Morning," and could barely contain her excitement at his arrival. "It's really something when you see your own child become a parent. I am so nuts about him," she said (via USA Today). "I'm over the moon." King had wanted to become a grandparent for a while, so it is no wonder she was enthusiastic — especially because it all went down during COVID-19 lockdowns when good news was a rarity.

In addition to Kirby, King also has a son named William Bumpus Jr. with ex-husband William Bumpus, to whom she was married from 1982 to 1993. While 11 years is nothing to scoff at, her friendship with best pal Oprah Winfrey has been going strong since 1976. We can't help but wonder what kind of presents Winfrey brings that baby considering she is known for handing out cars like they are packets of gum. We do know that Winfrey is actively involved in the child's life, and thanks to an interview she did on the "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in May 2022, we also know that Winfrey is hoping Luca will refer to her as "Auntie O."

Jane Fonda is one of our favorite octogenarian celebrities, at least in part because of how invested she is in advocating for political and social causes she believes in no matter the cost. Most who are at all familiar with Fonda know that the Oscar-winning actor has been doing this for decades, sometimes causing controversy in the process. For instance, after she was photographed sitting on the barrel of a gun that shot down American bombers during a 1972 trip to Hanoi, Vietnam, she was all but shunned upon her return. It took her a while to get rid of the "Hanoi Jane" nickname, though Fonda has apologized for, and contextualized, the incident multiple times.

Now in her mid-80s, Fonda still regularly attends protests on environmental issues. "I don't know how you could not [protest]," she told Page Six in 2023. "I have grandchildren. I love animals, I love nature. We're going to destroy it all if we don't." Fonda's two grandchildren — both the children of her daughter Vanessa Vadim (she has two other kids) — feel similarly, and they have followed in their iconic grandmother's footsteps. In 2019, Fonda proudly posed for an Instagram photo with granddaughter Viva Vadim after she was arrested at a climate change protest. Another photo showed that Viva's brother Malcolm was also arrested at the rally — and features a clearly proud Fonda with outstretched arms, waiting to hug him.

Singer and "American Idol" coach Lionel Richie looks well younger than his chronological years, so it is possible you did not even know that he turned 74 in June 2023 and is a grandfather. Lionel has three kids: son Miles Brockman Richie, daughter (and tabloid staple) Sofia Richie, and, of course, "The Simple Life" alum Nicole Richie. "Forget about surviving 40 years in the music business. Just surviving 27 years of Nicole Richie has been a struggle-and-a-half, I want to tell you," Lionel told People in 2008. Nicole's grown up quite a bit since her days of being a reality TV star and celebrity gossip blog fixture: She shares two kids with her husband, Good Charlotte rocker Joel Madden.

Lionel has been babysitting Harlow Madden, Nicole's eldest, since she was a newborn, per a 2008 People report. The revered musician has said he loves watching his daughter be a parent. He sure cherishes being a grandfather as well, even if his grandkids Harlow and Sparrow don't call him by that title. "They always figure out their own name," he told "Access Hollywood" in 2012 (via Today's Parent). "I thought G-Pa might have been really the right thing but, no, no 'Pop Pop,' is and, by the way, they melt me when they walk in the door."

We will do our best to summarize Kris Jenner's grandkid roster, but we can't guarantee that it won't expand next week or the week after that. Jenner currently has 12 grandchildren, with one on the way via her eldest daughter Kourtney Kardashian and her hubby Travis Barker. Kourtney already has three children  — Mason Disick, Penelope Disick, and Reign Disick — with ex-partner Scott Disick, while Kim Kardashian has four kids — North West, Saint West, Chicago West, and Psalm West — with ex-husband Kanye West. Khloé Kardashian shares True Thompson and Tatum Thompson with Tristan Thompson, and Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott welcomed Stormi Webster and Aire Webster. Rounding out the pack is Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna's daughter, Dream Kardashian. 

"I am so blessed with beautiful grand babies who fill my life with more joy than I could have ever dreamed of, and I love you all more than words can say!!" she wrote on Instagram to celebrate Mother's Day in 2022. Jenner — who goes by "Lovey" instead of grandma — probably is not changing diapers or doing bath duty (because nannies!) but she is clearly a devoted mother and grandmother. She attends dance recitals, has pool days, rides carousels, and bakes with the kids. And viewers of her Hulu show know how she spoils those children, especially during holidays.

Actor Pierce Brosnan is arguably best known for playing the legendary film character James Bond, which he did in four films between 1995 and 2002. However, one of his biggest roles to date is that of grandfather to four grandchildren. The "Mamma Mia!" star has five kids total, including Dylan Brosnan and Paris Brosnan, who he shares with current wife Keely Shaye Smith. Paris arrived in 2001 and Dylan in 1997. His first three children were from his marriage to actor Cassandra Harris, who died from ovarian cancer in 1991.

Harris' two children from a previous marriage, Charlotte Brosnan and Chris Brosnan, were adopted by Pierce after their father died. Pierce and Harris welcomed Sean Brosnan in 1983. Tragically, Charlotte died in 2013 from the same disease as her mother. She was 41 and is survived by two children, Lucas Smith and Isabella Smith. 

Sean's first child was born in 2015 and the second in 2022. Isabella and Lucas were born in 1998 and 2005 respectively, which means they are much closer in age to Pierce's two younger sons than Sean's children (aka their cousins). Still, there is something very different about grandkids versus kids. "It's just such a joy to be a grandparent ... there is just something intoxicating about it and beautiful," Brosnan said on "Live With Kelly and Ryan" in 2017. "There is something very special about it."

Suzanne Somers has worn just about every hat you can wear in Hollywood — actor, singer, host, producer, author. But between "Three's Company," her Playboy pictorials, the Thighmaster infomercials she did for years, and her books "Slim and Sexy Forever" and "Ageless," Somers' attractiveness has become a big part of her schtick. It is really not surprising then that she also highlights her youthfulness on social media, where she posted a photo in 2021 claiming to be "twinning" with her granddaughter as they both posed in tiny jean shorts. "Who wears short shorts? Twinning with my granddaughter," she wrote on Instagram. "I have always told the kids, 'I'm a different kind of grandmother!'"

But hey, if you have got it, flaunt it, right? Somers has a radiating vibrancy that is about so much more than just her looks, even if that is what she often leads with. She has been married to husband Alan Hamel since 1977, and has much else to be thankful for, including being a cancer survivor. She has also had a long career — filled with ups and downs, but certainly never boring. To top it all off, Somers has a loving family that includes not just Hamel but also her son, two stepsons, and six grandkids. "You get to fall in love all over again," Somers told People of being a grandparent.

There is clearly something about the words "grandma" and "grandpa" that do not work for some celebrities, judging by the number of stars on our list who prefer another label. Susan Sarandon is one of those folks who just can't get on board with being called a grandmother, and so she established a cutesy moniker for herself when her first grandchild came along. "I borrowed this name from a very dear friend of mine who's from the South, and his grandma was 'Honey,'" she told People when her first grandbaby was on the way. In 2016, Sarandon and her daughter Eva Amurri confirmed on "Today" that the odd nickname was there to stay.

Aside from Amurri, Sarandon has two sons, Jack Robbins and Miles Robbins, with her ex-partner, actor Tim Robbins. While her boys have no kids yet, Amurri has three children with her ex-husband, former soccer player Kyle Martino. And even though Sarandon does not let the children call her grandma, she has said she loves filling the role. "Marlowe is just so funny — she's a fierce little clown and so articulate. And Major's really showing his personality," Sarandon told Closer Weekly in 2018. "They're divine. I love them." Sarandon is also "Honey" to Mateo, who Amurri and Martino had in 2020, shortly after their split. Like Jane Fonda, Sarandon has said her environmental and social activism is driven by wanting to leave her grandkids a decent earth.

Since many people are having kids so much later nowadays, we have gotten used to the average age of first-time grandparents similarly rising. But there are still a fair number of Americans who choose to have children when they are quite young, including Jim Carrey's daughter, Jane Carrey. Jane was only 22 when she gave birth to her son Jackson in 2010, making Jim Carrey a grandfather before he was even 50. "What happened to me is, first of all, it was like, 'Grandfather? Really? Wow. Let me process that one,'" the "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" star told "Access Hollywood" in 2011. "And my publicist called immediately ... 'Are you serious!' It was like, 'You can't, you can't ever tell anyone!"

Jim and his first wife, Melissa Womer, had their only child six months into their 1987 marriage. Jim was 25 years old and still working the comedy circuit before hitting his big break (which came three years later with "In Living Color"). His career skyrocketed four years later when he starred in the successful triad of "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective," "The Mask," and "Dumb and Dumber," all of which came out in 1994. But a big career has never stopped Jim from being a devoted grandfather. "We are buddies," he said on the British talk show "Lorraine" in 2020. "He's going to be my bodyguard. He's an awesome dude."

Blythe Danner is an Emmy and Tony Award-winning actor who has been working in the entertainment business since the '60s. Her acting success was matched by an equally thriving family life until Danner lost her husband Bruce Paltrow to pneumonia in 2002. "When you've had the best, forget the rest," she told Closer Weekly in 2019 when explaining why she has not dated much in the years since. "I've got my grandchildren right around the corner — I see them every day," she added. Based on the rest of that article, it is implied that Danner was speaking specifically of the two teenage grandchildren she has by way of her daughter Gwyneth Paltrow.

But Gwyneth is not Danner's only child, as she is also mom to Jake Paltrow, who has been somewhat eclipsed by his more famous relatives but who also works in show business. Jake has two children himself, and they are much more private than Gwyneth's kids with ex-husband Chris Martin, Apple Martin and Moses Martin. When Apple and Moses were younger, Danner told People that she loved "the fluffy stuff" like tickling them and giggling together. Though they are now too old for a tickle fight, Danner still tries to bring a sense of enjoyment to the table. "They have enough rules at home. So I try to be the Auntie Mame, although I'm not quite that fun," she said at a 2019 event, per People. According to the Palm Beach Post, Danner's grandkids call her "Lalo."

Her one-time "Today" co-host Hoda Kotb only got started in the parenting game a few years ago, but Kathie Lee Gifford can surely offer her heaps of advice after decades as a mom. Despite being only 11 years older than Kotb, Gifford has grandchildren only a few years younger than Kotb's kids. In the span of only two years, Kathie's family has welcomed two new babies, with one more on the way. Her first grandchild, Frank, was born in May 2022 and is named after the talk show host's late husband Frank Gifford. Affectionately called Frankie, he is the child of Kathie's son Cody Gifford. "I FaceTime with him every day and he's just a wonderment," she told People in October 2022. "He's extraordinary."

In June 2023, Cody and his wife, Erika Brown, announced on Instagram that they are expecting their second child. But that is not the only blessing for the extended Gifford clan, who welcomed another little one later that same month. On June 24, Kathie's daughter Cassidy Gifford and husband Ben Wierda welcomed a boy. "What a joy to spend sweet time with baby FINN. I am the most blessed of women. It seems! Happy Fourth of July everybody," Kathie posted on Instagram on July 2, alongside a sweet photo of the baby in her arms. Though she is a born again Christian, Kathie has chosen to honor her Jewish ancestry and have the grandkids call her "Bubbe," which is the Yiddish word for grandma.

Candice Bergen is an incredible actor with an Oscar nomination and five Primetime Emmy Award wins to her name, but she is not exactly known for playing the most maternal characters. Sure, Murphy Brown was a mom, but she was also super pompous and kind of mean, so not exactly the picture of nurturance. Throw in her characters from "Miss Congeniality" and "Sex and the City," and it would be easy to assume Bergen herself would be cold and narcissistic. The way she talks about her family, however, makes it very clear that the screen star is far different from those characters. Like we said, she knows a thing or two about acting.

Bergen was married to acclaimed film director Louis Malle for 15 years, up until his 1995 death from lymphoma. They had one daughter, Chloe Malle (who interestingly works at Vogue, the very magazine where Bergen's "Sex and the City" character was employed). When Chloe and her husband had their first child, Arthur Albert, in 2020, Bergen could not help but sing his praises in just about every interview. "He's just the best arrival of joy in one's life. I'm crying. I'm just looking forward to the future with Artie," she told The New York Times. Chloe has since had a second baby, daughter Alice Albert, who made her Instagram debut on Bergen's grid in late July 2022.

If you are of the generation that was alive and of the TV-viewing age when Billy Crystal used to host the Oscars, then you know that his grandkids are probably getting the show of a lifetime whenever they head on over to grandpa's house. Billy and his wife, Janice Crystal, were married in 1970 and have just about as solid a partnership as one can have in Tinseltown. They have two daughters, Jennifer Crystal Foley and Lindsay Crystal, both of whom work in the entertainment business.

Each of Billy Crystal's daughters have two children, with Jennifer having only girls and Lindsay having only boys. When he performed on Broadway in the 2022 musical adaptation of his 1992 film "Mr. Saturday Night," Billy was overjoyed that his grandchildren would be able to see him perform for the first time. "I'm very proud of the fact that at the age of 74, I made my musical comedy debut in front of my grandchildren opening night," he said on "The View," adding later, "I kept thinking about where I started and how these kids who have never seen me live before on stage... never saw me perform — especially this character, that embraces my age now, this is who I am — and I keep getting teary. I had to go, 'Stop it, stop it, stop it.'"