Famous Men Who Were Also Stay-At-Home Dads
These men weren't afraid of putting in real work as full-time fathers.
Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock // Jaguar PS/Shutterstock Nowadays, we’re seeing stay-home-dads more and more, both celebrities and those in our daily life.
In fact, according to Pew Research Center, stay-at-home dads — or, “househusbands,” if you will — have been on the rise — rising to 16% of stay-at-home parents in 2012, up from 10% in 1989.
Keeping that trend going, our next stay-at-home dad might just be the beloved actor Tom Holland.
The “Spiderman” star has recently been hinting at taking some time away from his career to possibly be a stay-at-home dad, saying, “I want to take a break and focus on starting a family and figuring out what I want to do outside of this world.”
Sounds like as good a time as any to let him know that he’d be in good company; a surprising number of famous heartthrobs have been stay-at-home dads at some point!
1.Ben Affleck
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Back when Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner had been everyone’s favorite celebrity power couple, they would often have to take turns staying home with the kids while the other was off somewhere filming a movie.
And no, Affleck was not exempt from this rule! We can’t help but appreciate parents who share the work.
2.John Lennon
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In his first marriage, John Lennon was so busy touring with The Beatles that he was not around for his kids as much as he would have liked, so with his second wife, Yoko Ono, he took a break from his career and became a full-time stay at home dad.
3.LeBron James
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For a significant amount of time, LeBron James played for his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, despite building up an impressive reputation on the Miami Heat. He did this so that he could keep his family grounded and spend more time with his kids!
In the off-season, he was focused on being a stay-at-home father for his kids.
4.David Beckham
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David Beckham is almost as famous for being a great father as he is for being a great soccer player!
After he retired from soccer in 2013, he has been a full-time stay-at-home-dad! Meanwhile, his wife, the former Posh Spice, Victoria Beckham, focuses on her career as a world-famous fashion designer.
5.Adam Levine
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Known as the lead singer of Maroon 5 and a judge on “The Voice,” Adam Levine is a newer stay-at-home father, and he seems to be loving it!
In 2019, he told Ellen, “"Just to be able to stop in this moment to spend time with my new young family and just have the greatest time ever. Now I’m just, like, a stay-at-home dad. I just stay home and do very little. It’s great."
While that sounds a bit more simple than the average stay-at-home parent’s life, we’re just glad he’s embracing it.
6.Rick Moranis
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Rick Moranis, star of “Ghostbusters” and “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,” had been a stay-at-home dad for years, only doing occasional voice acting roles.
After his wife, Ann Moranis, sadly died of breast cancer in 1991, Rick stayed home to raise his children for many years, though he will be returning to acting for a “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” sequel.
7.Ryan Reynolds
Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock
Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock
The “Deadpool” actor and his wife, Blake Lively, seem to have a similar system to what Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner once held to.
In order to have someone looking after the kids, each parent takes them on full-time while the other is off doing a movie.
8.Dave Chappelle
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In 2005, comedian Dave Chappelle suddenly left “Chappelle’s Show,” despite its success.
For a while, he didn’t do many shows at all, opting to focus on being a father instead, saying that the spotlight “wouldn’t have been conducive to raising a family.”
9.James Rubin
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Once married to the famous journalist Christiane Amanpour, James Rubin had been the Secretary of State for Public Affairs under Bill Clinton. After their son was born in 2000, Rubin retired from politics to become a full-time dad.
Meanwhile, his wife was often traveling for stories, so even though he was staying at home, a lot of responsibilities were on him.
10.Cary Grant
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Cary Grant had been a mega famous actor back in the 40s, 50s, and 60s, but when he became a father in 1966 (at 62 years old!) he wanted something different for himself and his daughter.
So, he focused the last 20 years of his life to be a fully devoted stay-at-home father for his only child.
Amanda Hartmann is a writer and editorial intern with YourTango who writes on entertainment and news.