We Can't Believe These Stars Are Parents to Teens (& Neither Can They!)

Driving! Modeling! Dating! We've watched these celeb kids grow up before our eyes — and can't believe they're teenagers

01 of 22

Jodie Sweetin

The Full House alumna can hardly believe her daughter is already 15! Sweetin shared some sweet photos of her oldest, Zoie, whom she co-parents with ex Cody Herpin, to wish her a happy birthday in April 2023.

"15!!! How is my Zoie 15 today?!" Sweetin began her Instagram caption. She continued to sing her teen's praises: "Zo, you have grown into such an INCREDIBLE young person, I am beyond proud of you. Your heart, your hard work, your sense of humor… you are such a bright light in so many ways."

The post featured both throwback and current snaps of Zoie over the years, including several of Sweetin and her daughter when she was a toddler.

"I love our chats together, catching up on drama, haha," said the cool mom, who also shares 12-year-old daughter Beatrix with ex Morty Coyle. "I'm so proud of you Zo… and I'm so happy to be your mom ❤️❤️❤️ Happy 15th Birthday!!! Love you to the moon and back!!"

02 of 22

Matthew McConaughey & Camila Alves

Matthew McConaughey celebs with teens
Camila Alves McConaughey/Instagram

No, we're not alright, alright, alright that the actor and model's firstborn son Levi turned 14 in July 2022. Months later, their daughter, Vida, also became a teen — celebrating the milestone birthday with "uncle" Woody Harrelson. The couple also share 10-year-old son, Livingston.

In 2020, McConaughey told PEOPLE about his kids' many talents, which for Levi is music. "Basically he came out of the womb knowing a minor from major key on the piano," McConaughey said. "In the last six months, he really got into listening to composers, and he now can listen to a movie and tell you, 'Oh, that's Hans Zimmer,' or 'That's John Williams,' which is really cool."

In February 2023, Alves shared a sweet shot of McConaughey spending time with his boys. In the rare Instagram photo, the Dallas Buyers Club actor cut Livingston's hair while older brother, Levi, looked on.

03 of 22

Jennifer Garner

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 01: Actress Jennifer Garner and her daughter Violet arrive for the White House state dinner for French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House on December 1, 2022 in Washington, DC. The official state visit is the first for the Biden administration. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images)
Violet Affleck and Jennifer Garner. Nathan Howard/Getty

Garner's eldest daughter, whom she shares with ex-husband Ben Affleck, is all grown up — and Garner cannot believe it.

During an appearance on Today with Hoda & Jenna in 2020, the actress took a moment to acknowledge that it was her daughter Violet Anne's 15th birthday.

"My daughter is 15 today," she said, as Bush Hager exclaimed "What?" and Kotb said, "Wait, you have a 15-year-old?" Garner replied: "Can you stand it? Can you believe little Violet Affleck, she is 15?"

Two years later, the pair enjoyed a mother-daughter date at a State dinner, hosted by President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, at the White House on Violet's 17th birthday.

Violet is not the former couple's only teenager. Their daughter, Seraphina Rose, turned 13 in January 2022. The two are also parents to son Samuel, 10.

04 of 22

Madonna

Madonna Shares Sweet Photo from Thanksgiving Dinner Featuring All 6 of Her Kids: ‘What I’m Thankful for’ . https://www.instagram.com/p/ClZccWFPqWh/. Madonna/Instagram
Madonna/Instagram

While the Queen of Pop's oldest children, Lourdes and Rocco, are in their 20s already — turning 26 and 22 respectively in 2022 — Madonna has four more children who are still growing up.

The singer is mom to two teenagers, 17-year-olds David and Mercy, whom she welcomed by adoption in 2006 and 2007, and is also mom to 10-year-old twins Stella and Estere, whom she welcomed by adoption at age 5.

05 of 22

Angelina Jolie

Angelina jolie
Monica Schipper/Getty

Jolie's kids are all grown up! She's the parent to six children and five are teenagers.

The actress watched the first of her six children head off to college when son Maddox (now 21) started attending classes at Yonsei University in South Korea in 2019, and three years later it was his sister Zahara's turn: in July 2022, Jolie announced that her now-18-year-old would be attending Spelman College in the fall.

Her remaining teens are Pax, 19, Shiloh, 16, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 14.

06 of 22

Reese Witherspoon

Deacon Phillippe; Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon Instagram

Excuse us, who gave Witherspoon's son Deacon Phillippe, now 19, permission to start driving? In 2020, the actress shared on Instagram Stories, "when I'm tired, Deacon always offers to drive me. Love my kid."

Witherspoon also shares daughter, Ava, 23, with ex-Ryan Phillippe.

In June 2021, Witherspoon opened up to Interview magazine about what it's been like to watch her two kids grow up.

"I never expected the kind of relationship that I have with them, but it's so rewarding to be able to have kids that you can process life with a little bit, and they help me understand the complexities of what it means to be a human now," she told Tracee Ellis Ross during the interview. "So I'm really, really grateful that these little humans are in my life. Adult humans. I have two adult children now, Tracee. It's crazy."

07 of 22

Gwyneth Paltrow

gwyneth paltrow and kids
Gwyneth Paltrow (middle) with Apple and Moses. Gwyneth Paltrow/Instagram

Gwyneth Paltrow couldn't believe it when her lookalike daughter — whom she shares with ex-husband Chris Martin — turned 16 in May 2020.

"I can't believe I'm actually writing these words," the actress began an Instagram birthday tribute to Apple, "but... happy sweet sixteen my darling girl. You are the light of my heart, you are pure joy."

The former couple also share son, Moses, who turned 16 in April 2022.

To celebrate the milestone, the proud mama shared a sweet post to Instagram, writing in part:

"@Mosesmartin you are 16 today. I'm not sure how I'm writing that number. Since you came into the world on that perfectly New York spring morning, you have made the world a better place. With every thought, action and intuition you have, you make people feel seen, heard and valued."

08 of 22

Nicole Richie

Nicole Richie
Nicole Richie and baby Harlow. Nicole Richie/Instagram

The star officially welcomed daughter Harlow Winter to her teens with this super-sweet flashback photo of her at 3 months. "Nothing is better than watching you become the young woman you are," she wrote in 2021. "I am so lucky I get to be your mom."

Richie and husband Joel Madden rarely share photos of their kids, but Harlow's aunt Sofia posted a shot ahead of the teen's 13th birthday that proves Harlow is the spitting image of mom Nicole.

The couple's son, Sparrow James Midnight, turned 13 in September 2022.

09 of 22

Jennifer Hudson

jennifer hudson
jennifer hudson/instagram

"I officially have a teenager !!!! Wow !!!!!!" Hudson captioned photos of son David Otunga Jr. celebrating his 13th birthday in August 2022 with a racing-themed party and cake in the shape of his initials. (She also took the requisite back-to-back photo to show that he's as tall as she is now!)

10 of 22

Jessica Alba

For daughter Honor's 14th birthday, Alba shared a time-lapse video of her oldest child growing up.

"My whole heart, my first baby - 14 years 🤯! Where did the time go!?" she wrote in July 2022. "It feels like yesterday you were just a little baby -we spent hours staring into each other's souls, breaking me open, brightening my entire world and showing me the deepest most profound love ♥️🌈✨
I am so proud of who you are - so kind, intelligent, wise beyond your years, confident, silly, independent, creative and artistic - you are all of the things and so much more my Angel.
I'm honored 😇 you chose me to be your mama - you have been one of my greatest gifts in this life!! #Honorcita #BirthdayGirl #thisis14"

11 of 22

Usher

Evan Ross, Usher Naviyd Ely Raymond
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty

When the singer sat front row at the February 2022 AMIRI runway show in Los Angeles, he was joined by Evan Ross and another very cool sidekick: then-13-year-old son Naviyd Ely.

Usher welcomed his fourth child, son Sire Castrello Raymond in October 2021. He shares Sire and daughter Sovereign Bo, 2, with girlfriend Jenn Goicoechea and is dad to sons Naviyd Ely, and Usher V, 15, from a previous relationship.

12 of 22

Alessandra Ambrosio

alessandra ambrosio and daughter
alessandra ambrosio/ instagram

"It's official, you're a teenager now!" the supermodel captioned a video of daughter Anja's 13th birthday party. The model and her mini-me took this sweet shot during a winter break trip in Brazil in January 2022.

13 of 22

Katherine Heigl

Katherine Heigl
Katherine Heigl/instagram. Inset: getty

To celebrate daughter Naleigh's 13th birthday in 2021, the actress shared sweet photos of the newly minted teen "as she waited in Seoul Korea to come home to us and we waited in LA to hold the baby we already loved."

She then posted a nostalgic ode to "this gorgeous, spectacular girl at 9 months. All folds and rolls and chicken fluff hair" as well as the "extraordinary" young woman she's become.

"This girl turns 13 today. 13. She is officially a teenager. I can't seem to process it. How did this happen," she wrote. "Wasn't she my silly, giggling, gap toothed, rolly polly baby just a few years ago…just yesterday?"

14 of 22

Ashlee Simpson Ross

Ashlee Simpson, Bronx
Ashlee Simpson Ross/Instagram

The singer, who shares son Bronx Mowgli with ex-husband Pete Wentz, celebrated Bronx's 13th birthday in November 2021 with a black-and-white pic welcoming him to teenagerhood.

"This is 13. Happy birthday Bronx! You are the coolest teenager. I LOVE YOU. I LOVE YOU. I LOVE YOU," she wrote.

15 of 22

Jamie Lynn Spears

Jamie Lynn Spears/Instagram
Jamie Lynn Spears/Instagram

The former Zoey 101 star is just as shocked as you are that her eldest daughter Maddie, whom she shares with ex Casey Aldridge and turned 13 in June 2021, is a teen.

"Don't worry, I also can't believe my baby's growing up and going to her first dance and doing all the things that make time zoom by and stand still all at the same time," she captioned an Instagram slideshow of her eldest's first homecoming in 2021, which obscured the teens' faces but showed off their homecoming finery to full effect.

16 of 22

Chip & Joanna Gaines

Chip opened up to PEOPLE about the emotional day in February 2021 when their oldest son, Drake, 16, got his driver's license: "I was so excited leading up to it, and Jo was too, kind of," he recalled. "Then we get this kid his license, and the first morning he goes to drive, Jo bawls her eyes out. She was just devastated and wanted no part. She wants to hire him a chauffeur!"

17 of 22

Katie Holmes

When Suri (seen here in 2020 during a tie-dye session with mom) turned 15, Holmes posted a sweet carousel of throwback photos to Instagram, with the caption "I can't believe you are already 15!" Neither can we!

18 of 22

Heidi Klum

Heidi Klum/Instagram
Heidi Klum (left) and daughter Leni Klum. Heidi Klum/Instagram

In an interview with PeopleTV in 2020, Klum revealed that her then-16-year-old daughter Leni is interested in modeling, just like her mama.

"She's old enough now," Klum shared. "I always thought she was too young. We always also decided to keep the children out of the public eye. But she's driving a car now ... so I figured if you can do that, you can also model now if this is what you wish to do."

The mother-daughter duo followed up Klum's comments with a joint Vogue cover, so we'd say that striking a pose runs in the family.

19 of 22

Courteney Cox

Coco Arquette (daughter of Friends star Cox and her ex, actor David Arquette) turned 18 in June 2022! "When you have a teenager you barely get to see them. So much negotiating," Cox wrote on Instagram in 2020 alongside a video of the pair performing Demi Lovato's "Anyone."

Typical teenager behavior, Coco traded her mom a song "if I let her go to a party."

Luckily, she's still sweet as can be. Mid-song, you can hear her say, "Sorry I'm cursing!" before dropping an F-bomb.

20 of 22

Victoria and David Beckham

When the couple's youngest son, Cruz, turned 15 in February 2020, his mom just couldn't believe it. "Happy birthday @cruzbeckham!! Can't believe our baby is 15 today," she wrote alongside a sweet slide show of her baby boy through the years.

21 of 22

Paul Rudd

Jack Sullivan Rudd and Paul Rudd
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Rudd might not have aged over the course of his career, but his son, Jack, has!

The Internet went bonkers when Rudd took his teen son to the 2020 Super Bowl and revealed that they're basically twins.

22 of 22

Laura Dern

Ellery Harper, Laura Dern and Jaya Harper
Michael Kovac/Getty

The Academy Award-winning actress has two grown-up kids: 21-year-old Ellery and 18-year-old Jaya (with ex Ben Harper). And she's not a regular mom, she's a TikToking mom.

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