Who Are Madonna's 6 Kids- A Guide to the Singer's Big Family
Madonna Shares Rare Photo With All 6 Kids While Celebrating 66th Birthday
What's more iconic in art than Madonna and child?
And when the earthly artist became a mom in 1996 at the age of 38, it was a major pop culture event.
The "Like a Virgin" singer wasn't exactly a single parent, sharing daughter Lourdes Leon with Carlos Leon, her trainer-actor partner at the time. But Madonna made it clear she would be doing motherhood her way.
"He knew what he was getting into when he rang my doorbell," Madonna quipped to Oprah Winfrey of Carlos in December 1996 when she sat down for what was not only her first interview since giving birth, but her first-ever on-camera interview that lasted longer than 12 minutes (as the host of Oprah excitedly announced to her audience).
That eff-your-judgment vibe has been the story ever since for the now 66-year-old Material Girl, who's also mom to Rocco Ritchie, 24, David Banda, 18, Mercy James, 18, and twins Stella and Estere, 11.
And if you think fans of the boundary-pushing Truth or Dare star were surprised in the 1990s to see her taking a turn for the settled-down, you can count Madonna herself among those who at one point didn't envision having any kids, let alone a big family of her own.
photosFascinating Facts About Madonna
Just 5 years old when her own mom (also Madonna Louise Ciccone) died, "I rejected the idea of being a mother well into my 30s because I associated motherhood with sacrifice suffering and ultimately death and I wanted none of that," the Michigan native wrote in a 2023 Mother's Day post. "I decided to rip the a–hole out of life and take the road less traveled by with no preconceived notion of what was expected of me as a woman."
When she did have children, there was admittedly no easy way to balance being "a good mother and an uncompromising artist," she continued. "I walked through many years half blind and made many mistakes along the way. Because Every mother knows there are no manuals or rule books to follow. You just have to dive in and figure it out. I have Experienced my highest highs and my lowest lows as a Mother. No one could have prepared me."
She eventually got into the groove. But to say she was proud of her kids might make it seem as if she thought she was responsible for who they were and what they'd accomplished, she noted, and she wasn't going to take a bow on their behalf.
So instead, Madonna wrote, "Better to say that they are all shining stars and I’m happy that their souls chose me to be their mother."
Without further adieu, meet Madonna's six kids: