Five Latina Celebs Who Got Candid About Single Motherhood

Kim Kardashian has made headlines again — this time for talking about the struggles of single motherhood.

The reality star sat down to chat with Jay Shetty on his “On Purpose” podcast and got candid about raising her kids as a single mom.

Granted, the star probably has a “Game of Thrones” Unsullied-esque army behind her when it comes to getting things done. But in light of her divorce from Kanye West last year, she still describes parenting as “f*cking hard.”

The Los Angeles-born O.G. influencer got candid on the podcast, describing feeling like “the worst mom” when her kids have tantrums. She even admitted to “locking herself in her room” in tears when it happens.

While telling Shetty that “it’s okay to feel like you’re not 100% at being the best mom,” she called it “the hardest job in the world” and “full madness.” She described, “There are nights I cry myself to sleep. Like, holy sh*t, this f*cking tornado in my house. Like, what just happened?”

If you can relate, many of the most prominent Latina celebs relate just as hard. Stars like Jennifer Lopez, Sofia Vergara and Shakira have all opened up about single motherhood in the past. And yes, their comments are equal parts inspiring, surprising, and real.

1. Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez gave birth to twins Emme and Max Muñiz while married to singer Marc Anthony in February 2008. However, Lopez and Anthony famously split in 2011, starting their co-parenting journey.

Lopez has been vocal on the subject for years, telling ABC in 2013: “I [have] a non-traditional family.” Describing “Me being a single mom, their dad doesn’t live at home with them.”

“Do I want my children to feel weird about that? No I don’t” she told the outlet. “It’s about love and that’s what I constantly remind myself of because I kind of let society get inside my head, ‘Oh, it shouldn’t be like this. I did this, I did that. I failed.’ And it’s like, no. They’re happy, they’re healthy, they’re loved more than anything in the world and they’re going to be fine.”

The “On The Floor” singer also recalled to Elle Magazine how she felt like she failed during her separation.

‘”When Marc and I first broke up, I did think: ‘I wish I could have held this together'” she said. “But when you realize it’s not the right thing for anybody, you think: ‘OK, well how do we make this work?'”

While Lopez once called being a single working mom “a juggling act,” she often spoke about hoping to find a partner who “will worry about Max and Emme’s well-being.” Fast-forward to today and her marriage with Ben Affleck is precisely that.

The star recently shared with Today, “[Affleck] is a wonderful, wonderful father. And a father figure to [Max and Emme] as well because he has his own three beautiful children, and then there’s us.”

Lopez also compared her single motherhood experience to her non-famous sister, Lynda Lopez’s struggles. She told Cosmopolitan, “I just love and respect her so much. She’s a single mom, but not like I’m a single mom.” Adding,“I have a lot of help — she doesn’t.”

Of course, those two experiences are worlds apart.

2. Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera, also opened up about single motherhood. After separating from her ex-husband Jordan Bratman in 2010, she shared her own journey.

For example, she dished on co-parenting toddler son, Max Liron Bratman, while on The Ellen Show that year. “My focus first and foremost is my son Max,” she said. “More power to single moms and those out there doing it.”

The “Beautiful” singer also mentioned her own mother, Shelly Loraine Kearns, who raised her as a single mom. As Christina Aguilera has detailed in the past, Kearns divorced her father, Fausto Wagner Xavier Aguilera, when she was seven years old. She claims he physically abused the family.

She told Ellen Degeneres, “I was raised by a single mom. But you know what, at the end of the day [Max is] the love of my life.”

Aguilera also told Jay Leno on The Tonight Show in 2010: “I am [a single mom]… It’s hard to be a working mom and trying to balance and juggle everything on your plate.”

Still, as she told Marie Claire, being a celebrity clearly has benefits, at least when it comes to extra help. “I have help from family and good people around me supporting my career. I couldn’t do what I do without a strong team behind me.”

3. Sofía Vergara

Barranquilla-born actress Sofía Vergara, 50, had her son Manolo Gonzalez Vergara when she was 19 years old after marrying her high school sweetheart. However, she divorced her ex-husband two years later, setting her into single motherhood. Notably, this happened much before she was a household name.

Vergara has been very open about single motherhood in the past, telling PEOPLE, “I was really young when I divorced [Manolo’s] father, so I raised him trying to set the best example and give him the best that I could.”

In fact, now that her son is 31 years old, Vergara says it is “rewarding” anytime someone compliments him. Saying, “When people compliment me on him, on how well mannered, how charming, funny and well-behaved he is, it makes all the sacrifices worthwhile.”

The “Modern Family” star also described her beginnings with her son to Coveteur. “I was a single mother very early,” she said. “What made me wake up every day, what made me be responsible, was that I had the motivation that I needed to make money.”

The Colombian bombshell wanted to give her son “all the things [she] thought that he needed.”

And while she once told El Nuevo Herald that her “soul would break every time [she] left” Manolo with her mom to go work “across the world,” in the end, it was worth it. Still, she explained on the Kelly Clarkson Show that single motherhood made it more challenging to let her guard down.

Vergara recalled, “I was a single mother…I felt like I had to be the strong father and the mother at the same time.” Adding, “If I could go back I would be different, I would be more vulnerable.”

4. Shakira

While Shakira just separated from longtime partner Gerard Piqué last year, she has already opened up about single motherhood.

The “Antología” singer described her family life after her separation in a tell-all interview with NMás earlier this year.

“I depend on myself, and I have two kids that depend on me,” she explained. “I feel that I’m enough for me, and that when a woman has to fight life’s battles, she comes out stronger.” Yes.

While the singer described always dreaming of having “a family with the kids having a mom and dad under the same roof,” she realized, “Not all dreams come true.”

Still, she said her “incredible” kids Milan and Sasha Piqué make up for all of it. She mentioned she has become as “strong as a lion” for them now.

In her October 2022 interview with Elle, Shakira also spoke about parenting after separating from Piqué— and alluded to being strong for her children.

The star said music was the only thing helping her “pick up the piece of [herself] from the floor.” However, she shared how her biggest passion was crucial in being there for her kids.

“You know, to really, like, put myself back together and to see myself in the mirror and know that I am a mom and my kids depend on me,” she said.

She continued, “Sometimes a woman can be enough. I can be enough at this point for myself and for my family, for my kids.”

Still, while there’s no doubt Shakira has been “as strong as a lion” for Sasha and Milan, it’s difficult being in the public eye. Especially when the paparazzi is concerned.

“I’ve tried to conceal the situation in front of my kids,” she spoke out. “I try to do it and to protect them, because that’s my number one mission in life.”

While being a star certainly helps some aspects of single motherhood, particularly having help and resources, there are other battles to confront. Still, as the Loba put it, “I try to conceal the situation from them as much as I can.”

5. Christina Milian

Actress and singer Christina Milian, has also talked about her experience being a single mom. Milian had daughter Violet Madison Nash in February 2010 with ex-husband, The Dream. The couple married in September 2009, but separated months later — before she gave birth to Violet.

While that experience must have had its challenges, Milian has never cowered from being authentic about it. The “Love Don’t Cost A Thing” star told HelloBeautiful, “Being a single mother can be tough.”

Adding,”I want to show the example that you can be a single mother and work and handle a lot of other things at the same time.”

Milian also got very real with ABC News about the intricacies of co-parenting. Telling the outlet, “I think that communication will save you half the drama. It makes things so much easier. And I think I learned that.”

“My motivation at the end of the day was making sure that my daughter had two parents that were in her life consistently,” she shared.

The star then talked about her daughter: “She’s a really smart girl and I think she has a healthy understanding of knowing that mommy and daddy are no longer together but we both love her.”

And when it comes time to meet someone new, like Milian did when she met her future spouse M. Pokora? “I think it’s very important to take your time when introducing a new person into your child’s life.”

She said, “You want to make sure this is going to work out so you’re not introducing them to a new person over and over again because you never know who is going to be the one.”