As the holidays draw near, it’s almost impossible not to think of our families: those beloved (if awkward — just check out these holiday photos!) people who are never too far to remind us where we come from. One celeb in particular has family on the brain more than ever, as she’s just recently revealed that hers is far from what most would consider “normal.”
In an interview with Byrdie magazine, This Is Us actress Mandy Moore spoke about her clan for the first time, saying that her mother actually left her father for another woman and her two brothers are both gay. The actress then went on to say that while they might no longer be the nuclear unit once idealized by society, her family is better for it. “Everyone’s so much happier, richer and more fulfilled being their authentic selves,” she said.
It just goes to show that no matter how “strange” or “weird” you think your own family is, you’re probably a lot more normal than you think, because the truth is there is no normal. Just take a peek at these seven other unconventional families for proof.
1. The Kardashian-Jenners: This massive blended gang is practically the poster family for unconventional. The family blends eight children from previous marriages in the four Kardashian children (Kourtney, Kim, Khloe and Robert) and four Jenners (Brandon, Brody, Cassandra and Burt) plus two from Kris and Bruce Jenner’s own union (Kendall and Kylie, who are quickly becoming the most renowned of the bunch, sans Kim, of course). They’re nontraditional for their size for sure, but Caitlyn’s transition into womanhood as the patriarch of the family is certainly not an everyday occurrence either. The Kardashian-Jenners are one mighty modern Brady-esque bunch. (Photo via Jamie McCarthy/Getty)
2. The Harris-Burtkas: Between their amazing family Halloween costumes and super cute Instagram posts, this clan is the family you probably wish you had. In fact, they’re about as normal as they come — with the slight exception that the household’s heads are super famous men Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka. Together for more than 10 years and parents to twins Harper and Gideon (born via surrogate), they’re the picture of stability, with only society’s “traditional” family model making them an anomaly.
3. Jodie Foster: Where Neil and David’s twins, Harper and Gideon, have two dads, Jodie Foster’s kids, Charles and Kit, have two moms — three if you count Jodie’s current wife Alexandra Hedison. The Oscar-winner’s two boys (rumored to be fathered by Jodie’s BFF and gay Hollywood producer, Randy Stone) are from her union with former partner of 14 years, Cydney Bernard. Sounds like the two brothers have more sources of love than anyone could ever ask for!
4. Sandra Bullock: Sandra Bullock singlehandedly proved a family doesn’t need two parents or a biological one to function just fine. Following a divorce from former husband Jesse James, Sandra announced her plans to follow through with the adoption of a son named Louis. She adopted again in 2015, welcoming daughter Laila to her family.
5. The Gosselins: Hoo, boy. Not only is this family huge — mom Kate gave birth to twins then sextuplets following fertility treatments — but they’ve more or less put all of their dirty laundry in public since filming their reality series, Jon & Kate Plus 8 (now just Kate Plus 8) on TLC. Jon and Kate divorced back in 2009, adding heavily to the drama, but the family appears to be back on track these days, with the latest season of the revamped show airing last month. (Photo via TLC)
6. The Jolie-Pitts: The already complex Jolie-Pitt family got a lot more complicated this year when Angelina and Brad filed for divorce after nearly 12 years together. As of last week, Angelina (very publicly) retains sole custody of their six kids (Maddox, Zahara and Pax, who are adopted from Cambodia, Ethiopia and Vietnam, respectively, and Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne, all born to the couple) with monitored visitation rights for Brad and group therapy sessions for all. (Photo via Junko Kimura/Getty)
7. The Arquettes: Long before the Kardashians were on the Hollywood scene, there were (and still are) the Arquettes. TV actor Cliff Arquette unleashed upon Tinseltown a whole brood of children who followed in his famous footsteps, most of whom went on to become far more renowned than their namesake. It’s unlikely you haven’t heard or seen at least one of his five children in a film, between David Arquette (Scream), Richmond (Seven, Fight Club), Patricia (Stigmata), Rosanna (Desperately Seeking Susan, Pulp Fiction) — who went on to have not one, but two songs written about her — and Alexis (The Wedding Singer). Not only did all second generation Arquettes go on to pursue careers in acting, but Alexis identified as transgender, making the family even more unique. (Photo via Mark Mainz)
Do you have an unconventional family? Tell us about it @BritandCo!
(Photos via Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty)
