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Oscar-winning actor Jamie Lee Curtis is known for her slew of iconic movie roles, but, at home, she is best known as “mom.” The Hollywood star has openly advocated for ethical adoption ever since adopting her own two children. The actor, producer, and children’s author wears many hats, but none as proudly as her role as an adoptive parent. This is the Jamie Lee Curtis adoption story.
A Hollywood Tale as Old as Time
Jamie Lee Curtis was born into Hollywood royalty. As the youngest daughter of actors Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, Jamie made her television debut back in 1977. Since appearing in an episode of NBC’s Quincy, M.E., Jamie certainly outgrew the title “nepo baby,” appearing in dozens of critically acclaimed films like the “Halloween” franchise, “Trading Places,” “True Lies,” and many more. Over her 50-year career, she has accepted an Academy Award, a BAFTA, a Primetime Emmy, two Golden Globes, and a Grammy nomination.
Jamie married filmmaker Christopher Guest in 1984. It is reported that Jamie first saw her now-husband as she was flipping through an issue of Rolling Stone Magazine with Debra Hill, co-writer and producer of “Halloween.”
“I said to Debra, ‘Oh, I’m going to marry that guy,’” Jamie told The New Yorker. The pair were engaged two months later and got married three months after the engagement.
Deciding on Adoption
After experiencing infertility, Jamie and Christopher decided to grow their family through adoption.
“Adoption was the only way for us to have a family,” she said. “It becomes the viable option for you. If you want to be a family, that’s how you’re going to be it.”
In December 1986, Jamie and Christopher adopted their daughter, Annie, shortly after she was born.
“We were awakened in the middle of the night with a phone call announcing that she was born,” Jamie told People Magazine.
The Curtis/Guest crew became a family of four after Ruby arrived in 1996.
“I would have said no to any more children because Annie was 9,” Jamie told Pact’s Point of View. “But a set of circumstances occurred, all of which were celestial. It was serendipitous and involved a friend of mine who died [in 1996.] Five or six events came together, all of which resulted in our family growing within four days.”
A Life of Advocacy and Love
In addition to her role as a mom and actor, Jamie has written many children’s books. In 1996, she authored a book about the love adopted children bring to families. According to Jamie, Tell Me Again About the Night I was Born “was written to let children who join their families through adoption know that their own birth stories were exciting, too.”
Jamie Lee Curtis has embraced parenthood with compassion and pride. In 2020, Ruby came out to her parents as transgender. Jamie shared the news with the world the following year, telling AARP The Magazine that she and her husband “watched in wonder and pride as our son became our daughter Ruby.”
Jamie Lee Curtis has been an outspoken advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights since her daughter’s transition.
“I’m not proselytizing, and I’m not trying to force-feed something to people. I’m simply saying, ‘This is our family’s experience,’” Curtis told People. “I am here to support Ruby. That is my job. Just as it is to care and love and support her older sister, Annie, in her journeys. I’m a grateful student. I’m learning so much from Ruby. The conversation is ongoing. But I want to know: How can I do this better?”
While she proudly supports her daughter and her transition, Jamie Lee Curtis does not wish to be hailed as a hero. In an interview with The Morning Joe, Jamie said:
“This life is about love. Being a parent is about love, and I love Ruby. Love her. People have said, ‘You’re so great to accept her love.’ What are you talking about? This is my daughter, this human being has come to me and said, ‘This is who I am.’ And my job is to say, ‘Welcome home.’ I will fight and defend her right to exist to anyone who claims that she doesn’t.”
Both of Jamie Lee Curtis’s children remain close with their mother, and both got married in their parents’ backyard. While acting and producing films are what she is known for, Jamie Lee Curtis has a special place in her heart for adoption and parenthood.
“Motherhood is every wonderful cliché in the book. There is an unexplainable sort of thing you just feel. It’s a permanent commitment, one I’ve changed my life to meet.”
Learn More About Adoption
Whether you are considering adoption for your child or would like to follow Jamie Lee Curtis’s footsteps and adopt a child, contact Adoptions With Love today. We can help guide you through the adoption journey every step of the way. Call 800-722-7731 or reach out online.