Why Kristin Davis Chose Adoption

Kristin Davis is best known as Charlotte “Sex and the City.” She has achieved household-name status after starring in the massively popular film and TV franchise. At home, however, she is simply known as “mom.” The adoptive mother of two has spoken publicly about the joys and challenges of transracial adoption. Whether you are hoping to adopt or considering adoption for your baby, Kristin Davis’s adoption story may inspire you on your adoption journey.

Her on-screen character, Charlotte, is a happy wife who loves caring for her household and doting on her husband. Off-screen, the actor is happy to be a single mom to two children.

“[In my 20s], I thought I’d never get married. I guess I was right!” Davis told PEOPLE in 2008. “I grew up in the South so all everyone talked about was marriage, but all I wanted was to move to New York and do theater. And in my 30s, I was busy doing [Sex and the City] so I just didn’t have time.”

Welcoming Gemma Rose

Much like her TV character, however, Kristin always wanted to have children. She adopted her daughter, Gemma Rose, in 2011.

Much to fans’ surprise, the middle name has nothing to do with her character’s adopted child. It was simply a coincidence.

“I had totally forgotten that on Sex and the City I also had a child named Rose,” she said in an interview with Anderson Cooper in 2012. “Since I did this whole thing in secret, I didn’t talk to anybody about the naming or the adopting really at all, and I didn’t realize the connection. And then we announced, and everyone was like, ‘Oh, she named her after her Sex and the City baby.’ I didn’t even consciously [realize it], not at all.”

She went on to add, “I almost named her Rose as a first name because I kept thinking, ‘It’s such a beautiful name.’…I think it was lodged unconsciously.”

In 2016, Kristin spoke to WNYC about adoption and the challenges of transracial adoption.

“I am White. I have lived in White privilege. I thought I knew before adopting my daughter that I was in White privilege, that I understood what that meant. But until you actually have a child, which is like your heart being outside you, and that heart happens to be in a Brown body, and you have people who are actively working against your child, it’s hard.” She shared. “It fills me with terror.”

Kristin also explained that she frequently offers Gemma daily affirmations to boost her self-confidence and remind her that she is a beautiful and worthy person. “I always tell her that her curls are beautiful. ‘Your Black skin is beautiful. You’re beautiful. You’re powerful. You’re a goddess.’”

She also makes sure to expose her daughter to as much representation as she can when it comes to beauty standards. She has noted that Serena Williams is a “household fixture” of theirs. The tennis legend’s New York Times Magazine cover was up on display in their home for months.

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A Little Brother for Gemma

When Gemma was 5 years old, she told her mother that she wanted a “Black little brother.” Upon hearing this, Kristin contacted Gemma’s adoption agency to begin the process again.

“I just told them that our hearts were open and our home was open and if a baby needs us, we’re here,” Kristin recalled during an episode of Red Table Talk with Jada Pinkett Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norris.

In 2018, the Davis family became a family of three, welcoming Wilson and making Gemma a big sister and giving her the little brother she had requested.

“And so then one day, there he was. And I tell you, my daughter didn’t bat an eye. She was like, ‘There he is.’ … She’s just the best big sister.”

What Kristin Has Learned About Transracial Adoption

Kristin has kept the details of her second adoption private, but she is willing to speak about the importance of making her kids feel at home in the Black community.

“Because my children are African American, I feel like it is my duty and my job to do as much research, as much work, build as many bridges as possible because you are their community,” she explained. “I work at that every day trying to figure out how I can make sure they have access to the Black community, that they’re part of it, that they’re not separated from it.”

She also engages in open, honest conversations with her children – even when difficult – to keep them informed and help them understand what is happening in the world. In the months following George Floyd’s murder in 2020, the Davis family had some serious discussions about racism and police brutality.

“I talk to Gemma a lot about what’s happening and she’s fascinated, of course, and sad and upset,” Kristin explained. “I just want them to feel empowered, and I want them to know what’s going on because it’s not something that you can not talk about.”

The actor has also been open about how she prepared for both adoptions by educating herself on Black culture. The Sex and the City star has shared that she took a class on styling Black hair.

“What I learned [about styling Black hair] is that it’s a big thing and it has a whole long cultural history to it, and you absolutely need to learn because it’s a bonding situation,” she explained. “And you can’t just like, send her off somewhere, or him off, you know, to have his hair twisted or braided or whatever — you need to, just like you would your own child that you gave birth to, learn what is best for their skin or their hair.”

Learn More About Adoption

Are you inspired by Kristen’s story? If you are interested in adopting or placing your baby for adoption, contact Adoptions With Love today. We can help guide you through every step of the adoption journey. Call 800-722-7731, text (confidentially) 617-777-0072, or contact us online.