Quick Links

For whatever reason, men are obsessed with their mom. It’s been a phenomenon for years and many psychologists have suggested that men are secretly attracted to their mother. Sigmund Freud came up with the Oedipus Complex theory, which stated that every child wants to become romantically involved with their parent of the opposite sex. For men, it meant that they secretly wanted to marry women like their mother, and for women, it meant that they wanted to marry men like their father. It’s a stereotype, but there’s some truth to it.

Men in Hollywood are no exception to the Oedipus Complex. In fact, it seems like actors and musicians are a lot more open about their love for their mother than everyday people. Are they just faking their love for their mother to boost their career or is Hollywood actually filled with a bunch of momma’s boys? It’s hard to say. But, for now, let’s take a look at some of Hollywood’s biggest momma’s boys and some celebrities we always thought looked like momma’s boys.

Ryan Gosling — Definitely A Momma's Boy

Ryan Gosling is a dreamboat. He’s handsome, charming, but most importantly, he really loves his mother. He’s demonstrated his strong connection to his family on more than one occasion. Most notably, Gosling brought his mom to the 2011 premiere of his movie Ides of March. Additionally, Gosling made sure his girlfriend spent ample time with his mother when the two were starting to get serious. According to reports, Mendes, Gosling, and his mother, spent an entire afternoon together in uptown Manhattan watching movies and hanging out.

For the most part, Gosling’s relationship with his mother isn’t weird, but he's told a few weird stories about the love he has for his mother. For example, in 2007, Gosling took his mother and sister Mandi as his dates to the Academy Awards. As the story goes, Gosling’s mother styled her hair like a beehive, which she thought was going to be the latest craze, but it wasn’t. Everyone had natural hair at the ceremony. In order to prevent his mom from feeling embarrassed, Gosling asked Meryl Streep to compliment his mother’s hair and it lifted her spirits for the rest of the night!

Justin Timberlake — Definitely A Momma's Boy

When Justin Timberlake was just a kid when his parents called it quits on their marriage and filed for divorce. According to reports, Timberlake says his parents did the best they could to raise him and considering his success, it’s safe to say they did a pretty good job. Though not much is known about Timberlake’s dad, he frequently shows off his mother and doesn’t shy away from bringing her to award shows. He loves his mom. So much so, that he got a tattoo of her initials on his back.

In a 2003 interview with Rolling Stone, Timberlake talked about his relationship with his mom. He said, “She’s been my best friend since I figured out who I wanted to be. She’s great and such a fun woman. She goes out with me and stays out later than I do. She’s always been there beside me and I think that’s part of my problem with girls. You keep searching for somebody as good as your mother and that’s a losing battle.”

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson — Definitely A Momma's Boy

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson owes much of his career to his father, who was the reason that he was able to have a career in professional wrestling. His dad, a former wrestler himself, provided The Rock with business connections and tips necessary to succeed. But, his mom, Ata Johnson, is the other key figure responsible for his success. After all, she helped raise him.

In 2015, Johnson brought his mom to the premiere of Moana, but the most touching mother-son moment can be found in one of The Rock’s Instagram posts. He shared a photo of her on Instagram for Mother’s Day with a quick story about his mom. He wrote, “Early a.m. flight and I’m sitting across from my mom when out of the blue she looks around the plane, then looks at me and says ‘Son, I can’t believe the life I have… grandma and grandpa would be so proud.’ I asked her, ‘Are you happy ma?’ Just then, the flight attendant placed my moms breakfast down on the table and my mom said to me, ‘Am I happy? I used to worry about how I was going to buy groceries for us and now I just had my breakfast placed down in front of me.’ She burst into tears and said ‘Yes, son I couldn’t be happier.’”

Colin Farrell — Definitely A Momma's Boy

Colin Farrell has been fading from the spotlight in recent years, but the love he has for his mom burns strong. He’s brought to her a number of award shows, with the most recent being the 2017 Golden Globes. And, as it turns out, Farrell says one of the greatest moments of his career was finding a suitable partner for his mother.

In 2011, Colin Farrell starred in a movie called Fright Night, which he considers to be his greatest success. While working on the movie, Farrell’s mother, Rita, met the producer of the movie, Joel Michaels. According to Farrell, “The two of them have companionship and love together for the rest of their days. My mother is in her 70s and so is her husband, and that’s it, done. So excuse me for being an idealist for a second, but anyone can create their own definitions of success and failure in their life or career. If my being in Fright Night led to my mother’s happiness, then, yes, absolutely, that film will always be the greatest success of my career.”

Justin Bieber — Definitely A Momma's Boy

For years, Justin Bieber was made fun of for being a bit of a momma’s boy. Nobody’s really sure why loving your mom can be used as an insult, but people were probably just looking for more reasons to pick on Bieber. Bieber was raised primarily by his mother, which is why the two became so close when his career took off. In the 2011 documentary Never Say Never, their tightly-knit relationship was displayed on the big screen for the world to see.

In 2015, Bieber said that his relationship with his mother has become practically nonexistent. In his own words, Bieber said “I was distant because I was ashamed. I never wanted my mom to be disappointed in me and I knew she was. We spent some time not talking, so it takes time to rebuild that trust. She’s living in Hawaii now, so it’s hard, but getting better. She’s an amazing woman and I love her.” He has every reason to love his mom. After all, she gave birth to him when she was just 17, and is nearly the sole reason that he became famous.

Drake — Definitely A Momma's Boy

Drake is one of the only rappers that is so open about his emotions. As his career progressed, fans have noticed that Drake’s music has gotten a little more emotional, and his albums have gotten to the point where they could make just about anyone tear up. He raps about relationships that could have been, what it was like for him growing up, and of course, how much he loves his mom.

Drake is no stranger to posting photos of his mother on Instagram. One photo is captioned “Happy Mothers Day to my tiny hero. Love you so much.” He’s also used his music to express his love for his mom like on the song “You & The 6.” In the song, Drake raps, “They will not tear nothing down but I built this home for you momma. Know I don’t call you enough momma, I just been working with so little time for personal momma. Hard labor let me pay the price. You and six raised me right, that sh*t saved my life.”

Leonardo DiCaprio — Definitely A Momma's Boy

Leonardo DiCaprio is living the dream of every bachelor. He’s rich, he’s famous, and he can hook up with just about any supermodel he wants. His looks carried the start of his career, and though they are now fading away, his talent remains. Without a soulmate to tie him down, Leonardo DiCaprio has expressed all of the love that he can for his mother, Irmelin.

Through his career, Leonardo DiCaprio was always spotted with his mom. Whether he’s thanking her at award shows, walking her down the red carpet, or bringing her with his girlfriends on exotic vacations, it’s clear that DiCaprio loves his mom. After winning the BAFTA Award for The Revenant, DiCaprio used his speech to address his mom. In the speech, DiCaprio expressed his love by saying, “I would not be standing here if it weren’t for this person. I didn’t grow up in a life of privilege, I grew up in a very rough neighborhood in East Los Angeles, and this woman drove me for three hours a day to a different school to show me a different opportunity. It is her birthday today. So Mom, happy birthday. I love you so much.”

Bradley Cooper — Definitely A Momma's Boy

Bradley Cooper is one of Hollywood’s biggest actors. He pretty much only stars in one movie a year, which is a pretty sweet gig if you think about it. After all, it only takes a few weeks, maybe a few months, to film a movie. Outside of that time, Bradley Cooper is free to do whatever he pleases. Lately, it seems that he’s interested in spending time with his mom.

In 2011, Bradley Cooper’s dad passed away and two years later, Cooper revealed that his mom had been living with him. In an interview, Cooper said that his family is very close, and that after the death of his father, it was necessary for the two of them to be close to each other. During this time, many reports were saying that his mom was cooking for him, doing his laundry, and just about anything he needs. Some sources have said that Cooper’s relationship with his mother has prevented him from getting serious with women in the past. But he’s with Irina Shayk, now, so who cares?

Matthew McConaughey — Definitely A Momma's Boy

Matthew McConaughey is somewhat of a strange character. During the first few years of his career, the only work McConaughey could find was in chick flicks. Then, after appearing in Tropic Thunder, his career took a turn and he was offered roles in more serious movies like Mud and Dallas Buyers Club. And the woman that’s been there through it all is his mother, Kay, who has always supported him. They have a bit of a weird relationship.

To start, Matthew McConaughey calls his mother K-Mac and has told interviewers that they enjoy spending nights together. In his own words to Esquire magazine, Matthew McConaughey said, “I do not remember the last time when we partied when she didn’t go to bed after me and get up before me.” And when they’re not partying or attending concerts together, Matthew McConaughey said that he makes sure to call his mother every Sunday to have a catch-up chat. He’s the type of son every mom wants to have because he actually calls her.

Kanye West — Definitely A Momma's Boy

Kanye West hasn't hid his love for his mom, Donda, ever. Throughout his career, Kanye cited his mom as his inspiration and has dedicated numerous songs to her over his many albums such as "Only One" and "Hey Mama." Even his design and content company is named DONDA after her. But sadly, Kanye's mom suddenly passed away back in 2007 and the rapper never fully recovered.

In 2007, Donda West passed away a day after receiving multiple cosmetic surgeries. The exact cause of her death is unknown, and even Kanye hasn't explicitly revealed what happened. In his own words, Kanye said, "If I had never moved to L.A., she'd be alive. I don't want to go far into it because it will bring me to tears." According to reports, multiple post-operative factors played a role in her death. Though we don't have all the details (only theories), what we do know is that her death was completely preventable.

Hugh Jackman — Looks Like A Momma's Boy

Hugh Jackman is an all-around lovable guy. He has a distinct manly look, too, but he loves things that are traditionally considered feminine, such as singing and dancing. He’s extremely talented and is one of the most beloved Australian actors of all time, which is why it would almost make sense for him to be a complete momma’s boy. Sadly, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

When Hugh Jackman was 8 years old, his mother abandoned him, his four siblings, and his father. Up until recently, his mother’s abandonment scarred him, as it would anyone. But Jackman discovered that his mother had been battling with post-natal depression and was struggling to be the parent she thought her children needed and deserved. Though his mother left, Jackman says he never felt that his mom stopped loving him. When he became a parent, he was finally able to reconcile with his mother.

Tracy Morgan — Looks Like A Momma's Boy

If we were to look at Tracy Morgan through his work as a comedian, we’d think that he put family first. He’s a friendly, charming guy and it’s hard to imagine that he would have any problems with the people that raised him. But he does, and this became apparent to the public in 2014, after Morgan was hospitalized with serious injuries.

According to reports, when Tracy Morgan’s mother, Alicia Warden, went to visit him in the hospital after his car crash in 2014, she was shut out of the hospital room. In other words, Tracy didn’t allow his own mother to see him when he was suffering from critical injuries. When asked about the incident, Morgan stated that he isn’t going to go into the details publicly, but added that things hadn’t been good between him and his mother for around 11 years. In his own words, Morgan said “We all have personal family issues that we have to deal with in life, but I choose to deal with mine in private and not through the media.” Well said, Tracy!

Eminem — Looks Like A Momma's Boy

Eminem has spent most of his career rapping about how much he hates his mom. You would struggle to find a celebrity that has openly bashed their mother as much as Eminem has, but after the release of The Marshall Mathers LP II, Eminem’s opinion on his mother seemed to shift, specifically with the song "Headlights."

In the song, Eminem addresses all of the times that he’s publicly bashed his mother and said that he regrets every insult he ever wrote about her. In the song, Eminem also says that he cringes every time he has to sing Cleaning Out My Closet at concerts, because it’s a song he wrote about how his mother failed him as a parent. It could have been that Eminem was lashing out about how his mom felt, but as he’s gotten older, he’s realized just how hard his mom must have had it. He admits in "Headlights" that he loves his mom, but it appears that the two are still estranged.

Ryan Reynolds — Looks Like A Momma's Boy

Ryan Reynolds is one of the most beloved actors in Hollywood today. You’d struggle to find anyone that wanted to punch him in the face, except for maybe his mom. For the most part, Reynolds’ relationship with his family has been nothing but positive, but in December 2017, he shared something on Instagram that may have upset his mom.

Reynolds shared a photo of him and his mom walking the red carpet at the Time 100 Gala back in April, 2017. However, instead of sharing the original photo, Reynolds added some fake tattoos to his mother’s face and neck, like a Deadpool heart on her cheek, a spider web on her neck, and a Brazilian flag with Deadpool in the center. After posting the photo, Reynolds tweeted: “My mom barely has any room left on her face for another tattoo. But she’s going for it. Because she cares.”

Andy Samberg — Looks Like A Momma's Boy

People have always had a suspicion about Andy Samberg’s relationship with his mother, but nobody has been able to report much. It seems that the two keep their relationship pretty private, which either means that there is nothing worth talking about or that Andy Samberg lives a very private life. Or, you know, both could be true.

Looking back on Samberg’s history in the entertainment business, it’s pretty clear that he has a thing for moms. Back in 2011, Samberg, as part of The Lonely Island, released the song Motherlover featuring Justin Timberlake. The song, which has become the anthem for Mother’s Day, is about how Samberg is going to have sex with Timberlake’s mom, and vice versa, as a gift for Mother’s Day. It’s not that they’re attracted to each other’s mom, it’s because they love their own mom’s so much that they want to give her the best gift ever, or something like that. It’s a weird song, but it’s catchy.