23 Stars You Didn't Know Were Adopted

Nicole was adopted by singer Lionel Richie and his then-wife Brenda when she was 9 years old. She was born Nicole Camille Escovedo, and her biological parents are Peter Michael Escovedo, a musician who toured briefly with Lionel, and Karen Moss, an assistant to Nicole's aunt, singer and drummer Sheila E. When Nicole was four, her birth parents agreed to let her move in with Lionel and Brenda, as they were unable to care for her financially. About being adopted, Nicole has said, "My parents were friends with Lionel. They trusted that they would be better able to provide for me."

Marilyn Monroe was born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926. Her mother, Gladys Baker, was mentally unstable and financially unable to care for her, so she placed her with foster parents whom she lived with until she was 7. Not long after her mother attempted to get Marilyn back, she suffered a nervous breakdown and was hospitalized; Marilyn was then declared a ward of state and her mother's best friend, Grace McKee, became her legal guardian. That only lasted for a few years, and Marilyn was sent to the Hollygrove orphanage in LA — and then a series of foster homes — before returning to Grace McKee's home.

Unfortunately, Grace and her husband were about to move to the East Coast and could not take Marilyn with them. They approached the mother of a neighbor, James Dougherty, about him marrying Marilyn. They tied the knot just weeks after she turned 16 so that she wouldn't have to return to foster care or an orphanage.

The DJ, born Sonny John Moore, was adopted at birth by family friends of his biological parents. He found out when he was 16.

The late Apple CEO was given up at birth in 1955 and quickly adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs, a San Francisco couple who were unable to have children.

The American football player and activist was born to Heidi Russo in 1987 and was adopted three weeks later by a couple named Rick and Teresa Kaepernick.

Sultry singer and actress Eartha Kitt was born on a South Carolina cotton farm in 1927. She was raised by a black woman named Anna Mae Riley, whom she believed to be her mother. When she was 8 years old, Anna Mae began dating a man who refused to accept Eartha in his home because of her light complexion; she was soon sent to NYC to live with Anna Mae's sister, her "aunt" Mamie Kitt, who she later found was her biological mother. She never met or knew anything about her father, except that he was white and that his family owned the farm where she was born.

The Oscar winner was adopted by his maternal grandmother when he was just 7 months old.

The country crooner was adopted as an infant and grew up in rural Mississippi. It wasn't until she moved to Nashville to embark on a singing career that she decided to search for her birth family. She has since said of the journey, "I have a lot of respect for my birth mother. I know she must have had a lot of love for me to want to give what she felt was a better chance."

The Key & Peele star was adopted at birth by a couple, and when he was 25, he had an emotional reunion with his biological mother.

The former *NSYNC member was born in 1976, and his biological mother handed him over to her former foster parents, Roy and Karen Chasez, in the hopes that they could provide him with an education and stable home life. He was officially adopted at age 5.

The late politician and peace activist was adopted and raised by a tribe chief and his wife at the age of 9, shortly after his biological father's death.

The Blondie frontwoman was born in Miami and adopted by Catherine and Richard Smith Harry, a New Jersey couple. Debbie grew up there, and after college she moved to NYC, where she worked as a waitress, go-go dancer, and Playboy bunny before starting her epic singing career.

The former Jersey Shore star was born in Santiago, Chile, in 1987. At 6 months old, she was adopted by Italian-American parents and raised in New York and New Jersey.

The rapper and Law & Order: SVU star was born Tracy Lauren Marrow in 1958. When he was 8, his mother passed away from a heart attack, and just four years later, he lost his father the same way. He was then raised and later adopted by his aunts.

From the age of 5, John Lennon was raised by his maternal aunt and uncle in Liverpool, England, after his father went absent without leave in the military and his mother ran off with another man.

The Fargo actress was born in Chicago and adopted by a Canadian-born couple. Her adoptive father was a pastor, and Frances has since said that her biological mother may have been one of the parishioners at his church.

Melissa was born in LA in 1964. One day later, she was adopted by actor and comedian Paul Gilbert and his wife, actress Barbara Crane. It was these Hollywood connections that helped Melissa land the role of Laura Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie (her adopted brother Jonathan also starred on the hit show). Her parents divorced when she was 8, and her mother remarried and gave birth to Melissa's half-sister Sara Gilbert, who starred on Roseanne and is now married to music producer Linda Perry.

The Tony Award-winning singer and actress was adopted by Oklahoma couple Junie and Jerry Chenoweth when she was 5 days old.

The former president was born William Jefferson Blythe III in Hope, AK, in 1946. His father died in an accident three months before his birth, and his mother moved to New Orleans to study nursing, leaving her baby boy with family members. He was raised by his grandparents, Eldridge and Edith Cassidy, until his mother returned four years later. She married Roger Clinton, Sr., who adopted Bill as his own.

Rocker Liz Phair was born in Connecticut in 1967. She was raised in Illinois by her adoptive parents, Nancy, a historian at the Art Institute of Chicago, and John, an AIDS researcher at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

When George was 2 months old, his father deserted their family, and he was later abandoned by his mother at age 10. He was later raised and adopted by his maternal grandmother, Benita Gutierrez, and her husband, Refugio, in LA.

The singer was born and adopted in Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1968. Sarah spoke about finding out that she was adopted at age 9, saying, "It was like, 'Oh, okay, good to know, you're still my mom and dad.' Perhaps I was too young to understand it really, but it just never was a big issue to me. I never had this empty place in me thinking that I've missed out somewhere, or that I was abandoned."

Ray was born in New Jersey and adopted by Mary and Alfred Liotta when he was 6 months old. He has said that he knew he was adopted as a child and even did a show-and tell-report on it when he was in kindergarten. He didn't meet his birth parents and siblings until he was in his 40s.