7 Celebrity Caregivers Who Helped Loved Ones and Advocated for Change
From Patrick Dempsey to Queen Latifah, you may not be aware of some of these celebrities’ backgrounds in caregiving
Most of us likely know someone who is a caregiver, or perhaps serve as a caregiver ourselves to a loved one. While being a caregiver is common, it’s undoubtedly one of the most challenging and simultaneously impactful roles one can take on. With the sad reality that millions of people around the world are suffering from a physical or mental illness or struggling with deteriorating health, we know that caregivers are all around us. Your neighbors, your friends, your family, the passerby on the street all could be caring for a loved one without you even knowing. And, celebrities are not immune to caregiving either, just like us. Below, you’ll find some of the most well-known celebrities who have been caregivers for a loved one.
Bradley Cooper
You may know him from award-winning films and critically-acclaimed acting, but did you know Bradley Cooper was also a caregiver? The actor cared for his late father as he fought lung cancer. His experience even inspired him to executive produce a PBS documentary on caregiving, which is set to premiere in 2025.
Queen Latifah
While her mom fought a battle against scleroderma and interstitial lung disease, actress, rapper and singer Queen Latifah served as her caregiver. She appeared in a documentary on the illness, titled Beyond Breathless, in 2022.
Rob Lowe
Actor Rob Lowe has opened up publicly about his experience with caregiving, as he and his three brothers cared for their mom during her stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis. He’s shared his thoughts on the importance of support for caregivers, and has done advocacy work through EMD Serono and Embracing Carers. In a column he wrote for USA Today, Lowe shared, “What I’ve learned along the way is that many caregivers don’t feel supported, they don’t know where to turn for help, and they often suffer stress-related health problems of their own, yet the last thing on their minds is their own well-being. The irony is that to effectively care for someone else, we caregivers must first remember to take care of ourselves.”
Rosalynn Carter
The former First Lady of the United States, married to former President Jimmy Carter, started caretaking as a young child, caring for her father during his battle with cancer. He passed away when she was just 13 years old, and then her grandfather moved in with her and her mother as he needed care. Before Rosalynn passed, she spent much of her life doing philanthropic work for caregiving, including founding the Rosalynn Carter Institution for Caregivers in 1987. She’s famously known for saying, “‘There are only four kinds of people in the world: those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers and those who will need caregivers.”
Patrick Dempsey
Patrick Dempsey is known for his roles in hit shows like Grey’s Anatomy, as well as films such as Made of Honor and Disenchanted. He started his caregiving journey by caring for his mother while she battled ovarian cancer. His personal experience inspired him to found The Dempsey Center in 2008, a space for “personalized and comprehensive cancer care at no cost,” their website states. While the center doesn’t treat the actual cancer, it focuses on providing support and care for those battling cancer and their caregivers and loved ones.
Holly Robinson Peete
Actress Holly Robinson Peete has extensive experience with caregiving, as she cared for not just her late father who suffered from Parkinson’s Disease, but also cares for her son who has Autism. Her philanthropic work is nothing short of inspiring. She and her husband Rodney Peete founded the HollyRod Foundation, an organization that offers support and awareness for both Parkinson’s Disease and Autism.
Seth Rogan
As a caregiver, it’s important to find joy in the little things and share laughs with loved ones. Comedian Seth Rogan is here to support just that with his and his wife’s foundation Hilarity for Charity. The organization brings together comedians and actors at their annual event for Alzheimer’s Disease. His personal tie to the disease is through his mother-in-law, who both Seth and his wife care for.
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