I remember George Lucas being interviewed years ago on 60 Minutes, I think, and he was asked about his love life. He was single at the time, and he basically said that he only wanted to date women with their own stuff going on. I believe he named Queen Noor as his dream date. Well, he didn’t get Queen Noor, but he did get a nice lady named Mellody Hobson. Lucas and Mellody dated for seven years before he proposed, and they were married this past June on his Skywalker Ranch. The wedding was a huge, star-studded event with guests like Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Robert De Niro, Glenn Close, Harrison Ford, Calista Flockhart, Quincy Jones and Rashida Jones, and the ceremony was officiated by Bill Moyers.
It was all very lovely and it didn’t seem at all controversial or noteworthy, really. It was Lucas’ second marriage, and he came into this relationship with three adult children (son Jett and daughters Katie and Amanda). George is 69 years old – Mellody is 44. So, there is a 25-year age gap, but mostly I’m just mentally high-fiving Mellody for having really awesome game, you know? George Lucas is crazy rich. So good for Mellody for riding that neck-beard all the way to the bank, right? Right.
But, as it turns out, Lucas and Hobson had another reason for the June wedding – they had already arranged for a surrogate to carry their first child together. They just had a girl.
Surprise! George Lucas is a dad for the fourth time! The Star Wars creator and his wife, Ariel Investments president Mellody Hobson, welcomed a daughter via surrogate on Friday, Aug. 9, Huffington Post confirms.
The new addition will join Lucas’ three adopted children, Amanda, 32; Katie, 25; and Jett, 20, whom he shares Amanda with ex-wife Marcia Griffin. A name for their new daughter — the first biological child for both parents — has yet to be revealed.
The happy news comes just two months after Lucas, 69, and Hobson, 44, tied the knot at Skywalker Ranch, in Marin County, Calif. on June 22 after first meeting at a business conference in 2006. “How else would a financial person and a movie person ever be at the same place at the same time?” Hobson later joked during a January 2012 appearance on OWN’s Oprah’s Next Chapter.
The wedding — the first marriage for Hobson and the second for Lucas — was officiated by PBS journalist Bill Moyers and was attended by famous pals like Ron Howard, Francis Ford Coppola and Steven Spielberg.
Remember when Elton John and David Furnish welcomed their two kids via surrogacy too? Elton was 62 when Zachary was born in 2010 and he was 65 when Elijah was born earlier this year. And while I have no shade whatsoever for gay parents, I do have shade for people becoming parents this late in life. I’m sorry, but having babies when your partner/husband is 69? Granted, Mellody is young and chances are, she’ll live to see her daughter into adulthood. But will George Lucas? Ugh. I mean, congrats. Ugh.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Congrats! Guess the force was with them.
LOL Brin!
Although I have many thoughts on parenting in your seventies, I’ll just keep them to myself. The child in this case will be well provided for.
Instead, I’ll just say, “Congrats!”
ha!
Oh they have the Force alright. Mellody is no slouch. Shes chair of one of the biggest hedgefunds in the country. Shes crazy accomplished. I remember from reading up on her years ago. She is consistently on Most Powerful People of Color list. If I remember correctly she met George when she was appointed onto the Board of his company.
I am surprised this article doesnt even mention this, right after the bit about how George likes accomplished women.
She was a speaker at some business conference and after she spoke George wanted to meet her.
Yes, it was disappointing that the article read as if she just hung around all those years hoping he would provide for her when, chances are, they were working around her schedule. I don’t begrudge older parents; I doubt Tony Randall’s kids would rather not have been born since he was in his 70’s when they arrived.
hopefully they do not name her Leia. they look happy so congrats to them.
They named her Everest. I think I like it, but still mostly on the fence.
I think I like the name, it’s different.
The age thing doesn’t bother me when the couple are crazy rich, because no matter what the kid/s will be taken care off, and it’s likely the parents will be healthier/live longer because they can afford the best healthcare available. Watching couples nearing 50 bankrupt themselves to pay for their 17th round of IVF is another matter.
I had older parents, and the main difficulty of that was financial. Younger parents have a chance to save for retirement after their kids have moved out, but mine were more than ready to retire by the time I became a teenager. And kid with an ounce of awareness is going to feel like a massive burden in that situation.
Excellent point about the finances, but I think you also have to consider that he will be elderly during his baby’s childhood and probably not live past his child’s teens or early twenties. I think that would be difficult. Money doesnt compensate for everything. Of course, you could have a child at 30 and die the next day, but that’s not deliberate.
I agree, I have personal experience with having an older parent and it’s not fair to the child. My dad wasnt too old when I was born, he was 40, but after my parents divorce he remarried and had another daughter at 58. He died of heart failure at 60 just days after her second birthday. Now there is this six year old little girl without a dad who only knows him through photos and stories, it’s just sad and unfair because our dad was awesome and she’s missing out. I think ppl have to think of that before they become older parents.
wonderwoman21 – There is no right age for a parent to die whether they parented for decades or a day.
A really good friend of mine is inconsolable at the loss of her father and she had him for 50yrs whereas another lost her 30yr old mother when she was 5yrs old. She’s 40something now and still feels the loss as if it were yesterday.
Of course there’s no right age to lose a parent, but i disagree that it’s the same at any age. Losing your dad at 50 is way different than losing your dad at 20 like I did: at 50 they’ve seen you start your life, possibly marry and have children and of course that’s 30 more years of time together. I’d give anything for 30 more years. Losing a parent at 20 means my dad wont see me get married, finish college, or meet my children. He wasnt there for my brother’s high school graduation, to walk my sister down the aisle, or to see all of us off into adult life. At 50 youve had time to establish a relationship with a parent as an adult, at 20 youre barely out of the tumultuous teen relationship. I think it’s strikingly different, though painful either way.
I am having massive boob envy in that first pic.
I don’t know, I’m on the fence with the whole older parents. Because on one hand, I don’t get why you’d even want a new baby once you hit your mid forties, but on the other hand things happen. You can be a young couple with a new baby and die tomorrow, which is one of the scary and beautiful things in life.
All I have to say is I hope that the poorer couples who choose to have babies at crazy ages actually PLAN for the kid, make sure everything is financially taken care of.
But congrats! This is like deja vu w/De Niro. I don’t even think we’ve seen his daughter. All I saw was his wife carrying a car seat.
Whoa at the boobs in the pink dress!
Holy push-up bra. Talk about overkill.
Double whoa.
I hadn’t realized they made triangle shaped implants.
The waddle fits right perfectly there.
Melody is rich and successful herself, so I’m sure she was fine even before George came into the picture. Lovely couple, congrats!
Her wealth may be substantial compared to the average person but it really is pocket change to him. She is in a completely different league now married to Lucas, one she couldn’t attain on her own. With the baby on board (extra insurance I call it) all I can say is “well played Mellody, well played.”
I just said the same thing below (before reading your comment). She seems like a beautiful, accomplished woman, but yeah, the baby is insurance.
Congrats to them 🙂 She sounds very smart and she’s pretty too. Good for George!
I question having kids when one partner is in their 60s. I don’t think that is fair to the child, no matter how financially set they are. losing a parent is devastating and if you are almost 70 with a baby, chances are you will not be around when they even graduate from school. I have no problem with someone under 55 having kids. and in many ways, if you are financial sound, you will be a very stable and dedicated parent at that stage in life. but 60s is too old and not fair to the child in my opinion.
I agree. He could live for a long time, but it’s not pretty! My parents are now 92 and 94 – dementia, incontinence, it is horrible! But Mellody wanted a child so good for her. She’ll have company when he can’t remember her name any more.
My uncle was in his early 60s when his kids were born. He’s in his 80s now, and still in good physical and cognitive health. But I think after a certain point, most people are set in their ways. They were his first children, and wasn’t prepared for all of the mental and physical work that children are, and left most of it to his 30-something wife. (He’s also from a generation that required less involvement from dads.)
But George pretty clearly loves being a dad. He went out of his way to adopt his second and third children as a single parent after he was divorced from his first wife. So, as an experienced parent, he knows what he’s getting himself into — even if it’s been a while.
I don’t think it’s ideal to have a kid at such a late age. But then there is no such thing as the “ideal” family. Some of the families that I know with “ideal” demographics are some of the unhappiest.
69, wow. That’s way too old to have a baby. Otherwise – congrats!
Yeah, he’ll be 90 when the kid graduates college. Seems a bit much.
That being said, I really like this woman’s taste in sparkly clothes!
Yep. Granted they are rich and can afford help in the areas where George’s age might be an issue — but I think it’s sort of selfish for a 69 year old to become a parent. Sure, George will live out the rest of his life with a young(er) child — but the child will almost certainly lose his father before he’s even 20.
I wonder if all this fertility stuff later in life is going a bit overboard. I haves mixed opinion about it.
i agree.
Wow her boobs are defying the force!
Sadly, I worked with a tv reporter well into his mid 60’s when he and his wife adopted, he passed away less than 2 years later.
I wish ’em all the best tho!
In my opinion, 69 is just too old. I just feel it is not fair for the child. I realize that their are no guarantees in life and many people die young from accidents or disease, but at 69 you are already closing in on the average life expectancy in US.
+1
Because a 6 year old child needs a 75 year old father? Additionally, birth defects rise significantly with the father’s age so I think it’s irresponsible for men to become fathers when they’re old.
They used a sperm donor.For you people who have an issue with this family.Do you have a problem with a single woman or lesbian couple who use a sperm donor? Their child will also grow up with no father what’s the difference.At least this kid will have a father for a few years in all probability.The aforementioned kids have no father just a sperm donor.
The article says this is the first biological child for both of them, so how could they have used a sperm donor? Plus you are missing the point of the age issue. It has nothing to do with a child having a father or not, but growing up with an elderly parent that is going to die while the child is still fairly young. Could be the mother that is old instead of the father, and people are going to have the same issue with it.
Well I would rather have an older father or mother than none at all.My mom died when I was ten from breast cancer ,she was diagnosed before I was born.Yet she still wanted to be a mother and I am thankful she fulfilled her dream of giving birth and we had ten years ,seven months and 4 days together.
According to “Skywalking: The Life and Films of George Lucas,” his first marriage fell apart when he and his wife wanted kids but they learned he was infertile and she left him. He adopted his kids post-divorce so that he could parent. As an infertile person and adoptive mom myself, I understand the desire to have biological kids despite an advanced age. Bio and adoptive are very different parenting experiences (though neither should be considered better than the other). He’s a billionaire with a youngish wife and that child will be taken care of irrespective of what happens to him. Congrats to them!
I just read up on him on wiki…he and his first wife adopted his eldest daughter when they figured out that she couldn’t have kids. But maybe she didn’t want any bio kids with him, or maybe she did IVF, because his ex wife got remarried and had a baby w/her new husband.
One of the things I really like about George Lucas is that he isn’t like these newish it boys when it comes to family. He got divorced in the early eighties, he was apparently in a long term relationship for the majority of the eighties, BUT he adopted two more kids in 1988 and 1991 (if i remember the dates right), as a single father.
How many celebrities, let alone male ones do we see do that? Who have enough money, who say they WANT kids, but then continue dating people who aren’t suitable for that next step. He didn’t. He decided what he wanted, and he went on and did it. I would love to meet a guy like that.
Too often women are the ones who are always portrayed as a sort of kid-mongers, crazy about their kids, but we never really hear that from the male side. I think the only celebrities I can think of famous for being really good dads is Brad Pitt and Pierce Brosnan (he was single for 5,6 years after his first wife died right?).
But I just love the fact that he went on and “made” his family. That’s awesome.
There are many men that are passionate about being a father. And Yes they go out and make it happen. As a single father or finding the right partner that wants what they want.
I don’t get the double standard society has. If a man wants to be a father it is a little bit of a more challenging journey than that of a woman (who is able to conceive).. If a woman wants a child and the man she is with doesn’t then society is all behind her. HOW dare he deny her the right to be a mommy. But if a man is passionate about being a parent and the woman is not, then the man is “pressuring her. Well I support men for making that dream a reality too. If you are with someone that is not where you are then BRAVO.. go make it happen for yourself. Men have a right to be fulfilled in that way too.
I won’t weigh in on the age thing because the child is here now so welcome baby Lucas and congratulations to her parents. I am a big George Lucas fan as a Marinite.
I sold Marcia her wedding dress for her second wedding. She is lovely as well.
Well played, Melody, well played. Alimony will only get you so far, but child support is forever. I’m more impressed by her boob game. I swear her boobs are saluting her eyebrows in that pink dress.
She is already a multi-millionaire, president of a big financial company and sits on the board of other companies including Lucas’ she doesn’t need his money. Click on the Huffington post article. Disappointing that people think she is some type of gold digger. Lucas is the one who loves kids so she probably had it for him.
Congrats to the couple. I don’t have a problem with people having kids in their senior years, but YMMV.
And I like Mellody’s smile. She has that contagious one 🙂
On another note, there are a few people up thread calling out her (“well played”). Did I miss what everyone else knows? Is she a somewhat gold digger?
I don’t understand why people are calling her a golddigger. It’s not like she doesn’t have a job, especially a very well paying job. I just saw a short clip of them both on Oprah (youtube), they were together for five years before anyone found out i.e. he brought her to the Oscars.
Just because a younger woman (who has her own stuff going on) dates an older, rich dude doesn’t mean she’s just after his money. Especially since we didn’t hear a peep of her until after they got married. If she was a golddigger she would’ve been married a long time ago…..she wouldn’t have been working hard all these years.
It just bothers me that people start in on this type of thinking, when she’s shown no indication of being with him, marrying him, just for his money. First Lucy Damon, now her.
Mellody is only 44. So what if he kicks the bucket in ten years? Sad for the child to lose their father so young, as this child will, but the baby wll be loved. There’s a lot of mothers in their early 40s and a lot of divorced women with children where the dad isn’t around as much after the divorce. The child will be well provided for and loved. She looks very young and fit. They were probably trying for years and it didn’t happen for her, so went the surrogacy route finally. I don’t believe it’s his sperm, though, no matter what they say.
Mellody is absolutely beautiful. Go George!
Mine were 43 and 61 so i cant say shit about older parents
Congrats!
Melody is an extremely accomplished women in her own right Kaiser, Look it up! She is a highflying hedge fund manager or something like that.
This woman doesnt deserve the gold digging comments that people are leaving here, seems very unfair. I am surprised this article didnt mentioned that she is a highly successful business woman.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mellody_Hobson
Congratulations to the happy family! My little sister is 4. My dad is 70. I was upset at first, but she’s here and she’s wonderful. Smart, funny, and running circles around my dad. Yes, there are things that need to be considered, but that’s true of any parent at any age. No one is promised a long life. Everyone’s worried about George dropping dead, when it could be Melody. Everest will be loved and cared for and that’s really all that matters.
And can we please stop with the gold digging comments. This is an accomplished, extremely successful woman, who was already rich. She didn’t need to marry him to have a very healthy bank account.
I wonder how your 4 year old sister will feel when her father isnt there to see her graduate college, get married, have grandkids, etc. 69 is way to old to be having a baby. Its selfish.
Judgmental and rude. Perhaps the child will be so thrilled to have had such a wonderful person for a dad, she wouldn’t trade it for the world. Because for the brief time she had with him, she was the happiest human ever and her goal would be to live life like her father and treat everyone else the way he would have treated them. Maybe that.
Better than not have been born at all. Not all younger parents are close tomtheir children, or even tend to their needs. It is a different experience. I am telling it as a child of an older father, I would notnhave traded him for the world, but others have different views.
My mom was not there to see me graduate from elementary school.I feel blessed I had her for ten years.She died at 46
I’m sure she’ll feel sad, but feel incredibly blessed she had him for as long as she did. That’s life. No one is promised forever. Not me. Not you. No one. So just live & let live. Worry about your own reproductive choices.
Wow the responses here are so different than the responses for Halle Berry’s pregnancy at 46.
people are afraid she will run them over if they criticize her
I think seniors having babies is just completely irresponsible, even if the father is rich beyond measure.
Assuming George lives that long, he’ll be almost 90 years old when the kid graduates high school. That’s completely f’d up.
Just imagine the HUGE deal it would be if their genders were reversed…a 44 y/o man and 69 y/o woman…
Exactly. They are both way to old to be having a baby. Selfish & disgusting.
I don’t think that she is necessarily too old. After all, women naturally go through menopause up until the age of 50(or even later!) Before modern birth control, many women had children up until menopause age, so it was fairly common to have mothers of an advanced age having children. In the Lucas’ case they did not conceive naturally, however that does not mean that her age is too advanced. As long as the child has a loving family I don’t think it is anyone’s place to judge.
She wants a child with Mr. Lucas. What’s wrong with that? Even George cannot live to see his 4th child becoming an adult, she probably can.
At the end of the day the child will be loved by two parents. How many children have parents who are in their 20’s or 30’s and are treated badly? Also exactly at what age is considered too old to raise a child? I wonder if we would be having this conversation if this had been a grandchild he was raising. I would rather have older parents than the messed up parents I had growing up.
You make a great point NewWester! My parents and my husbands parents were in their twenties when they had kids and they
were “messed up”. I would argue that having parents that don’t care about you is maybe more painful than having lost a kind loving one at a young age. Just a thought.
Rich people think they will love forever.
Does anyone else have a problem with people hiring s woman to give birth to their baby? I just feel it’s icky on some level. ON the one hand, it’s a business arrangement, on the other, it’s the ultimate exploitation of a woman. THen again, as busy as these parents will be with their big careers, little Everest will be sure to have a staff to take care of her.
I have no problem with it. The surrogate knows exactly what she is doing and she is being very well compensated for it.
i do. we live on an overcrowded planet where so many people don’t have basic resources and rich people manufacture more people with the help of a lab. it just seems wrong to me.
She’s a hottie! GO GL!! woomp woomp – I love it when I hear these stories of these gettin’-cozy’-in-the-oldies stage of life…warms the heart! (Ok, I know that her bank account won’t be suffering, but hey! She looks pretty stoked in these pix) Who knew that geriatric orgasms could be cute…
*STAR WARS 4EVA*
As for the whole “older parents” thing, I personally would have the cut off age of 50. Like if I turned 50 and I still didn’t have a kid, whether naturally or by adopting, I would just give up. I just wouldn’t want to be entering a retirement or nursing home, just as my kid is really starting off with college. It just seems like a big burden for them. I realize though, that some people are very healthy and active way into their 70s, but I just wouldn’t want to risk it.
These two are not fickle minded adults. I am sure both of them have made an informed decision though people do have valid points about having a kid after 50. That being said if having a kid was only about practicality, I don’t think many would have kids anyway. I have a harder time with folks not using birth control when they really can’t afford to raise a child, regardless of age.
Life is rarely perfect. Their kid may not have the dad at all stages of her life but she will have her mother, her extended family, her step siblings and relative stability in terms of wealth. Anyway congrats to the family for the addition. She has quite a lovely and pleasant face by the way. Looks and smarts, not bad.