Cameron Diaz's Choice To Have Kids Later In Life Proves It's Never Too Late To Chart A New Course

Being childfree is more popular than ever, thanks to a host of valid social, economic, and personal reasons. Many women, like Helen Mirren, who is childless by choice, make the decision not to have children early on and happily stick to it throughout their lives. Others, like Cameron Diaz, have a change of heart later in life, and show that it's okay to change your mind and reinvent how you think life will go.

In 2014, Diaz was one of the most prominent advocates for the childfree life. She was 42 years old, single, gorgeous, absolutely thriving, and made it clear that having children wasn't something she was interested in. "I like protecting people, but I was never drawn to being a mother," she told Today. "It's so much more work to have children. To have lives besides your own that you are responsible for — I didn't take that on. That did make things easier for me."

However, that same year, everything changed when she met Benji Madden. They fell in love, were engaged at the end of 2014, and married a month later. Not only did Diaz become one of the celebs who married later in life, but she also changed her mind about having children. The "Charlie's Angels" actor has never directly revealed why she changed her mind, but at a Goop wellness summit in 2017, she shared that meeting Madden made her view commitment differently. "I think it's a matter of I just hadn't met my husband," she said (via People). "I've never had anyone who supported me so much and gave me so much courage to be myself and to really explore myself."

Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden eventually had their first child in December 2019, but sources reported that they'd been trying for much longer. In 2018, Us Weekly reported that the couple had been trying everything to have a child since getting hitched in 2015. "It's been a long, hard struggle with many ups and downs. Cameron would love more than anything to be a mom," a source reportedly told the outlet.

The couple reportedly attempted in vitro fertilization (IVF), supplements, and even acupuncture. Diaz isn't one of the celebs who bared it all about being unable to conceive with IVF, but in 2020, Us Weekly reported that the couple had eventually turned to surrogacy. "They went through so much to get to this point. Cameron feels like this baby is truly a miracle," their source revealed.

After having their first daughter, Raddix Madden, in 2019, the couple had their first and second sons, Cardinal and Nautas Madden, in 2024 and 2026. Diaz was 47 when they had their first child, 52 with their second, and 54 with their third. Thankfully, she's in good company. Halle Berry, Janet Jackson, and Salma Hayek are just some of the celebs who had their first child at 40 or older.