12 Celebrities Who Are Child-Free By Choice

Despite becoming more progressive, the world we live in still hasn't quite processed the fact that some people don't have children because some people don't want children.

Celebrities make up a few names on that list, of course, including the following who are child-free by choice.

1. Oprah Winfrey

Needless to say, with a talk show, charities, producing shows, and a whole lot more, Oprah is a busy woman. She doesn't have time for children!

"If I had kids, my kids would hate me. They would have ended up on the equivalent of the Oprah show talking about me...," she said about motherhood.

2. Betty White

Our favorite grandma isn't actually a grandma. She elaborated on choosing not to have children during or outside of her three marriages with an incredibly relatable explanation:

"I love children. The only problem with children is they grow up to be people and I just like animals better than people. It's that simple," White said.

3. Rashida Jones

"I'm happy, but the fact that I'm not married and don't have kids — it's taken me a long time to get to a place where I actually am OK with that, where I actually don't feel like I'm some sort of loser,” the Parks and Recreation star said.

4. Katharine Hepburn

Katherine Hepburn was a film legend, but never had children, choosing not to because she wanted to focus on herself and what she wanted.

"I would have been a terrible mother, because I'm basically a very selfish human being," she said in the biography Kate Remembered.

5. Dolly Parton

Country superstar Dolly Parton is another example of being married for a long time but not having children. She has a ton of nieces and nephews, though, that she treats as her own children.

Um, who wouldn't want a Great Aunt Dolly?

6. Renée Zellweger

Bridget Jones's Diary and Chicago star Renée Zellweger has said that motherhood has never been an ambition of hers.

Her brother has two children, and she has said that being an aunt is a lot more appealing to her than being a mom.

7. Ellen DeGeneres

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi have been married since 2008, and have been outspoken about their desire to remain child-free. Ellen said the following about not wanting to be a parent:

"I don't want to have one. I don't want to have six. I don't want to have any."

8. Ricky Gervais

Actor, musician, producer, and comedian Ricky Gervais and his partner Jane Fallon, who is an author, have agreed that they don't wish to become parents.

9. Lily Tomlin

Lily Tomlin chose to pursue her career in acting rather than having children, noting that it would have been impossible for her to care for both without sacrificing one.

10. Ashley Judd

Actress Ashley Judd has said that she'd rather care for children who are already here, rather than bring more children into the world.

11. Christopher Walken

Can we talk about how Christopher Walken and his wife Georgianne have been married for almost half a century? There is hope!

Despite this, the couple has never had any children, citing his career as a reason to be childless.

12. Chelsea Handler

Like other leading ladies of Hollywood, Chelsea Handler has a lot on her plate and felt like she wouldn't have time to raise a child like she'd want to.

"I don't have the time to raise a child myself," she said.