Sandra Bullock has been one of Hollywood’s darlings since 1990, when she raced her way onto the big screen in Speed. Since her high-octane debut, the star has elicited numerous emotions from fans, breathing life into uptight executives, gravity-defying explores, and powerhouse moms. Despite her career as an actor, her ubermom vibes aren’t all for show. The Blind Side actor has several little ones to call her own.
How many kids does Sandra Bullock have?
Sandra Bullock has two children to call her own, and had it not been for a disastrous 2010 cheating scandal, she might have several stepchildren. Bullock was married to Monster Garage host Jesse James from 2005 to 2010, and the TV personality had several children from a previous relationship, including his young daughter, Sunny. Bullock’s stepdaughter lived with the couple full-time after her mother, former adult film actress Janine Lundemulder, was jailed for tax evasion.
Bullock was happy in her marriage and well into the adoption process, one that, she told CBS, took years to come to fruition. She had been anxious and ready to start her family for years, but she was, “So glad the universe had [her] wait.” Her marriage to Jesse James ended publicly after several women accused James of having extramarital affairs. James denied the accusations, but the pair was unable to reconcile and divorced in 2010 – just a few weeks after the couple had brought home 10-day-old Louis.
The couple’s fallout was so intense that Bullock and Sunny fell out of touch after a few years of limited contact.
Sandra Bullock’s son
Though he was planned, the baby’s arrival was unexpected, “It literally was out of the blue. And so, I was handed a plastic bag and a child.” Just like that, Bullock had a newborn. While juggling a divorce and a newborn, Bullock was also picking up an Oscar for her performance in The Blind Side. But as she accepted the award, Bullock couldn’t stop thinking about how much she would rather be at home. “All I kept thinking about was, ‘He’s at home.’ Like, I didn’t care. I didn’t care that I was there, I just wanted to go home.”
Bullock’s early days of motherhood may have been tainted by a highly publicized divorce and the daunting task of being a single mother, but the trial by fire prepared her for the next step in building her family – dealing with the American Foster Care system.
Sandra Bullock’s daughter
Sandra Bullock said of her experience, “People don’t know about it because people don’t want to talk about it. It gets deep and it gets dark.” She felt discouraged by the intensity, and despite her tenure in the spotlight, the scrutiny over her parenting skills was almost too much, “If I don’t answer this right, I’m not fit.”
The trial was well worth it. In 2015, Bullock had a 3-year-old girl placed in her care. Despite her young age, Laila had been shuffled through three homes by the time she landed with Bullock, deeply traumatized, “I would walk in, and I wouldn’t be able to find her. She’d be in the closet, with all of her clothes on. She’d be on a bookshelf; she’d be hiding. She’d always be ready to leave,” she told Red Table Talk.
Bullock took classes to ensure she could give her daughter everything she needed, and her long-term partner, Bryan Randall, who Bullock started to date in 2015, was just as diligent. It took years for them to identify triggers and work through deep-seated fears, but they were able to create a safe space.
After the premiere of her Netflix movie, The Lost City Bullock announced that she would be taking a hiatus from acting so she could spend more time with her family, a sentiment that looks different in the light of Bryan Randall’s mid-2023 passing.
Bryan Randall’s daughter
Bryan Randall also has a 30-year-old daughter, whom Bullock considers her own, “I found the love of my life. We share two beautiful children— three children, [Randall’s] older daughter. It’s the best thing ever,” Bullock said at the time. Randall passed from complications with ALS, though the two were never married, Bullock knows that “I don’t need a paper to be a devoted partner and devoted mother.”