Famous Folks Who Were Adopted, Orphaned Or Have Adopted was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
1. NFL wide receiver Demaryius Thomas was raised by his aunt Shirley and her husband after his mother was incarcerated for intent to distribute cocaine when he was 11-years-old. His father was serving overseas in the Army..
2. Comedian Tommy Davidson was adopted by a white couple when he was around two years old. (Photo: PR Photos)
3. Dancer and actress Victoria Rowell was a foster child for most of her childhood with both black and white families. (PR)
4. The late Nelson Mandela was taken to a larger village and raised as a ward after his father died.
5. Rachel Crow of X Factor was adopted by a white family when she was small.
6. Darryl McDaniels of RUN-D.M.C. discovered he was adopted while gathering information for his autobiography in 2000. (PR)
7. Louis Armstrong was raised by his grandmother and in an orphanage when she was unable to care for him. (Photo: AP)
8. Actor & Rapper Ice-T was orphaned at the age nine and was looked after by a variety of family members and neighbors. (AP)
9. Actor and comedian Jamie Foxx was adopted at seven months by his maternal grandmother. (Photo: AP)
10. Bo Diddley was adopted and raised by his mother’s cousin, Gussie McDaniel, whose surname he adopted. (Photo: AP)
11. Malcolm X was raised in an orphanage and in foster care. (Photo: AP)
12. Marilyn Monroe spent much of her childhood in foster homes due to her mother’s mental illness. (Photo: AP)
13. Daunte Culpepper was adopted by one of the housemothers of the jail his teenage mom was in when he was born. (Photo: AP)
14. Keegan Michael Key was adopted as a child by two social workers. Later on in life her met his mother and found out he had two half brothers who died.
15. Keyshia Cole was adopted at the age of two by family friends Leon and Yvonne Cole which is where her last name comes from. She met her biological father boxer Virgil Hunter in 2016 after a paternity test.
16. Gary Coleman He was adopted as a small child by W. G. Coleman, a fork-lift operator, and Edmonia Sue, a nurse practitioner (Photo Credit: Facebook)
17. Jesse Jackson was adopted by his stepfather at the age of one. He took his stepfathers last name. (AP)
18. Viola Davis Julius Tennon adopted their little girl Genesis as newborn in October of 2011
19. Madonna
