Michelle Williams did it again.
Having gone through the unimaginable almost 20 years ago, the now 44-year-old actress continues to achieve the impossible: She shared on Jimmy Kimmel Live Aug. 18 that she and husband Thomas Kail have welcomed their third child together, a baby girl born via surrogate.
Not that even the most public of celebrities always go into detail about family planning, but Williams has been purposeful about enjoying life’s milestones out of the spotlight ever since the 2008 death of her ex-partner Heath Ledger, the father of her now-19-year-old daughter Matilda Ledger.
“I never gave up on love,” Williams told Vanity Fair in a 2018 interview in which she revealed she’d quietly tied the knot with musician Phil Everum. “I always say to Matilda, ‘Your dad loved me before anybody thought I was talented, or pretty, or had nice clothes.’ Obviously I’ve never once in my life talked about a relationship but Phil isn’t anyone else. And that’s worth something.”
That union, however, was destined to be a bridge to somewhere else, and she and Everum amicably split up just months later.
By the end of 2019 she and Kail, who directed her Emmy-winning turn in the FX limited series Fosse/Verdon, were engaged and expecting their first child together.
“She fell fast and hard for Thomas,” a source told E! News that December. “They are very in love and excited about their future together and having a family.”
And for Williams, who used her subsequent winning moment at the 2020 Golden Globes to speak out about the importance of a woman’s right to bodily autonomy, having another child was a development she had long hoped for but hadn’t mapped out exactly.
“I really wanted, and I really expected or imagined, that Matilda would have siblings that were close to her age,” the Dawson’s Creek alum told GQ in 2012. “I wanted that for her. But I couldn’t make that happen. And now that she’s 6 that isn’t even a possibility anymore. So something that was making me feel impatient, that’s been removed. For whatever reason, that’s not our luck, or our path.”
While Williams had spoken candidly about grief and motherhood, and about what losing Ledger—who was 28 when he died of an accidental prescription drug overdose—felt like, Williams has purposely never talked about his struggles or what exactly happened between them.
“I can talk about grief because that’s mine, about single parenting, about trying to balance work and kids,” she told Vogue in 2009. “But what I don’t have to talk about is what happened between Heath and me in our relationship.”
Understandably, part of keeping Ledger’s memory alive for Matilda is not complicating his legacy.
“Michelle really does keep things real for [Matilda],” Heath’s sister Kate Ledger told the U.K.’s Sunday Telegraph in 2015. “And her existence, although different from most, is as normal as possible in an abnormal world.”
As Williams’ best friend Busy Philipps put it to Vanity Fair in 2018, “Obviously when Heath passed away, and people had this insatiable interest in her and her child and their grief, it was overwhelming and incredibly painful.”
And keeping Matilda safe was Williams’ No. 1 priority. “When you’re a single parent, and that element of provider and protection [from a partner] is missing,” she told VF, “it’s scary.”
Now as a partnered mother of four—in addition to their new baby girl, Williams and Kail share son Hart, 5, and a child born in 2022—it’s all about balancing time with her family and her thriving career, her latest performance in Dying for Sex having earned her a 2025 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
“It’s just really busy and I’m trying to figure out the work-life balance,” Williams explained to Jimmy Kimmel Live guest host Tiffany Haddish. “I hear that a lot of people are talking about self care and I’m just wondering, ‘When?’ Because I’m the working mom and I already have the guilt and I don’t want to take more time away from them. But I understand that I need to fill up the tank.”
And in between jobs, there’s the art to be found in everyday life. “There’s nothing that makes you committed to a better world than raising a great kid,” Williams told Variety in 2022. “It’s the ultimate creative act.”
Read on for more stars who have welcomed babies via surrogate:
Naomi Campbell
The supermodel confirmed in June 2024 that she welcomed both her daugther in 2021 and her son in 2023 via surrogate.
Michelle Williams
The Emmy winner confirmed via shout-out that she and husband Thomas Kail had welcomed their third child together and Michelle’s fourth overall.
“I’ve got to give a big shout-out to Christine,” she said during an Aug. 18, 2025, appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. “Because this last baby did not come through my body, but the miracle of our little girl is thanks to Christine.”
John Legend & Chrissy Teigen
The couple welcomed baby boy Wren Alexander Stephens in June 2023 after Chrissy gave birth to older children Luna, Miles and Esti.
Casey Wilson & David Caspe
The Happy Endings duo welcomed their third child—a baby girl named Frances Rose—with help from an “angel” surrogate, Casey shared in January 2023. “A large factor of surrogacy was my postpartum depression that I had through both kids,” she said. “It’s actually a very strong choice to make when you’re parenting other kids, and for myself.”
Nick Jonas & Priyanka Chopra
“We are overjoyed to confirm that we have welcomed a baby via surrogate,” the singer and actress shared in January 2022. E! News later confirmed they named her Malti Marie Chopra Jonas.
Khloe Kardashian & Tristan Thompson
In July 2022, The Kardashians star welcomed a baby boy, Tatum Thompson, via surrogate with the NBA player, though the pair split soon after their son was conceived.
Rebel Wilson
The Pitch Perfect star welcomed a daughter named Royce Lillian in November 2022, writing at the time, “I can’t even describe the love I have for her, she’s a beautiful miracle!”
Paris Hilton & Carter Reum
The couple, who wed in 2021, welcomed their first child together, a baby boy named Phoenix, via surrogate in January 2023.
Alec & Hilaria Baldwin
In March 2021, the actor and his wife announced the arrival of baby no. 6, a daughter named Lucia. A source close to the couple confirmed to E! News she was born via surrogate.
Kristen Wiig & Avi Rothman
The Bridesmaids star and her husband welcomed twins via surrogate in 2020.
Kandi Burruss
The Real Housewives of Atlanta star welcomed daughter Blaze Tucker via surrogate in Nov. 2019.
Kim Kardashian & Kanye West
Following two high-risk pregnancies, The Kardashians star and the rapper, who have since divorced, enlisted the help of a gestational carrier to welcome daughter Chicago West in January 2018 and and a baby boy, Psalm West, in May 2019.
Gabrielle Union & Dwyane Wade
The Bring It On star and the retired NBA player welcomed a healthy baby girl, Kaavia, via surrogate on Nov. 7, 2018. “Our miracle baby arrived last night via surrogate and 11/7 will forever be etched in our hearts as the most loveliest of all the lovely days,” the actress shared.
Andy Cohen
The Watch What Happens Live host became a first-time dad with the arrival of his son, Benjamin Allen in February 2019. “I’m in love,” he wrote on Instagram, adding, “And speechless. And eternally grateful to an incredible surrogate. And I’m a dad. Wow.” Three years later, daughter Lucy joined their family.
Tyra Banks
The supermodel and Erik Asla welcomed their first child, York Banks Asla, via a surrogate in 2016.
Neil Patrick Harris
The actor and husband David Burtka welcomed their twins Gideon and Harper via a surrogate in 2010.
Nicole Kidman & Keith Urban
The couple welcomed daughter Faith in December 2010 via a surrogate. She joined the pair’s first child together, daughter Sunday Rose, and Kidman’s eldest children with ex Tom Cruise, Connor and Isabella.
Sarah Jessica Parker & Matthew Broderick
The Sex and the City star and the Ferris Bueller’s Day Off alum welcomed twins Tabitha and Loretta in 2009. They joined big brother James.
Elton John
The legendary British singer and hubby David Furnish welcomed sons Zachary and Elijah via surrogate in 2010 and 2013, respectively.
Jimmy Fallon
The Tonight Show host and wife Nancy Juvonen welcomed two daughters, Winnie and Frances, via a surrogate in 2013 and 2014.
Elizabeth Banks
The Pitch Perfect star and husband Max Handelman welcomed two sons, Felix and Magnus, via a surrogate in 2011 and 2012.
Lucy Liu
In 2015, the notoriously private Charlie’s Angel actress announced the birth of her son, Rockwell Lloyd Liu, via surrogate.
Ricky Martin
The Latin performer became a father to twins Matteo and Valentino in 2008.
Jordana Brewster
The Fast & Furious star and then-husband Andrew Form welcomed two sons, Julian and Rowan, via a surrogate in 2013 and 2016.
Ellen Pompeo
The Grey’s Anatomy star and husband Chris Ivery revealed in 2014 they recently welcomed daughter Sienna via surrogate. The actress gave birth to their first child, daughter Stella, in 2009, and the couple welcomed a third child, son Eli, in 2016.
Ryan Murphy
The Glee creator and husband David Miller welcomed sons, Logan and Ford via a surrogate in 2012 and 2014, and son Griffin joined their family in 2020.
George Lucas
The Star Wars creator and wife Mellody Hobson welcomed their first child, daughter Everest, via a surrogate in 2013.
Shayne Lamas
In 2015, a year after suffering a miscarriage, The Bachelor star and Lorenzo Lamas‘ daughter Shayne Lamas and husband Nik Richie welcomed their second child, son Lyon, via a surrogate —the reality star’s stepmother, Shawna Craig. The child joined big sister Press Dahl.
Amy Smart
After battling fertility struggles for years, the actress and husband Carter Oosterhouse welcomed daughter Flora via surrogate in December 2016.
Katey Sagal
The Married…With Children star and husband Kurt Sutter welcomed daughter Esme Louise in 2007 via a surrogate.
