In a lovely piece of “Stealing Ellen Pompeo’s Thunder” News, sources close to Katherine Heigl and Josh Kelley condirmed to Radar and now People that the couple is just days away from finalizing an adoption. Radar reports that Josh and Katherine will be adopting a baby girl from South Korea named Nayleigh, nicknamed Leigh. I love the name Leigh – it’s always seemed to me a very Southern name, and a lot Southern girls have “Leigh” as their middle name. Sandra Leigh, Jennifer Leigh, Grace Leigh, Georgia Leigh, you get the picture. All that being said, I find the name Nayleigh very strange. I’m trying to say it out loud, and it just comes out like I’m a drunk Southerner: Is it pronounced “Naw-Lee” or “Neigh-Lee”?
Katherine Heigl is adopting a baby this week, RadarOnline.com has learned exclusively. The Grey’s Anatomy star is becoming a mom to a baby girl, sources told RadarOnline.com.
Heigl and husband Josh Kelley have wanted a baby for a long time, the source said, and the adoption process has been in the works for at least six months.
The baby is from Korea. Her full name is Nayleigh and her nickname will be Leigh, RadarOnline.com learned. The baby is approximately 10 months old.
“She is thrilled,” a source close to the situation told RadarOnline.com. “She and Josh are so happy.”
The idea of adoption is nothing new for the actress, as she told USA Today two years that it’s something she’s “always planned.”
“I’m done with the whole idea of having my own children,” Heigl said.
“[It] doesn’t seem like any fun. I don’t think it’s necessary to go through all of that.”
Heigl’s own sister Meg is adopted from Korea. Heigl is on leave of absence from “Grey’s” and starts filming the big-screen feature Life As We Know It next week.
Katherine also recently hosted costar Ellen Pompeo’s bridal shower. Heigl and Kelley married on December 27, 2007 in Park City, Utah.
[From Radar Online]
Katherine has an adopted sister, Meg, originally from Korea, and Katherine has said before that she feels very strongly pro-adoption. So pro-adoption, at one point last year she seemed very anti-biological children in total, saying “I’m done with the whole idea of having my own children. [Giving birth] doesn’t seem like any fun. I don’t think it’s necessary to go through all of that.” Just last month while Katherine was promoting The Ugly Truth, she was asked again about getting pregnant, and she said “One day, sure. But pregnancy scares me. I know I’ll be one of those women who looks pregnant all over the body. I’ll get fatter and fatter from my toes up.”
There were even rumors last year that Katherine was on the verge of adopting from South Korea, but I guess they decided to wait. I was looking up South Korean adoption laws, and I found out something interesting – according to the International Adoption Guidebook, South Korean guidelines include: “Couples aged 25 to 44 years old who have been married at least three years may adopt. There must be no more than one divorce in each parent’s past. Single parents may not adopt from South Korea.” Katherine and Josh have only been married for about 20 months… so, maybe they got some kind of waiver or something. I’m sure they make exceptions.
Katherine Heigl and Josh Kelley are shown out shopping on 8/22/09. Credit: O’Duran/Fame Pictures
As an adoptee, I’m very pro-adoption. Heck, I’m in the process of possibly donating my eggs to a close girlfriend.
However, I am anti-Heigl. Even if her heart is in the right place, and it may as well be with her having an adopted sister, all I can think is that she’s picking up a baby so she doesn’t have to get fat. It’s like the baby version of take-out food.
Hmm…I’ve lived in the south for 34 years and have never known a girl with the name “Leigh,” either first or middle. I’ve known a few LeeAnn’s, but that’s it.
I do know a man with the first name Leigh, however.
Roma, what a wonderful, precious gift you are considering giving to your friend.
Best wishes to them.
“The baby version of take-out food>”
Lmao! Thanks for that!
Why would they make an exception to a couple that only sees each other ever few weeks? Isn’t that what Heigel claimed? Or maybe she was just talking about of her a$$ again. Ugh.
Anyway, best wishes to the new baby! Poor thing.
Just wanted to point out that Heigl and her husband are adopting a special needs baby, which deserves major kudos. MAJOR.
I don’t care what you feel about her – she adopted for the right reasons (her Korean sister is adopted) and adopted a little girl who is less likely to be adopted but just as much in need of love. Good for her.
EONLINE article:
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b143390_katherine_heigl_hubby_opt_adoption.html
“She and Kelley first found out about Naleigh six months ago. “She is a special needs baby and because of that it all moved so much faster,” Heigl said. “They wanted to get her to us as quickly as possible.”
“It’s been a big part of my life and my family,” the 30-year-old actress continued. “My sister is Korean and my parents adopted her back in the 70s and so I just always knew that this is something I wanted to do.””
Considering that the adoption was in process for months I doubt it was about stealing Ellen’s thunder. I can’t imagine Katherine as a mother but goodluck to her. It’s great that the baby is special needs. Very few people, celebrity or not, adopt special needs kids.
Let’s see………she’s been a complete BITCH to everyone that she works with, and now they are all tired of her. She will have a little one ‘to go all diva on’ of her own. How her husband puts up with her is beyond me.
Anyone who makes the commitment to adopt a special needs baby needs encouragement and support, not ignorant and rude comments like the first poster.
Congrats Katherine and Josh!
six months! I thought adoption took years
Len: the adoption process was sped up because the baby is special needs.
Tazina, as a child who was adopted, how could I possibly be considered ignorant? When women make comments that they fear pregnancy due to the fact it’s going to make them fat and then choose adoption instead, it’s a logical conclusion. Also, I stated that her heart probably was in the right place – I just don’t like the fact that she comes across as a raging B and that she’s rude to the crew members she works with. Being a condescending wench is not suddenly forgiven by one genuine act of kindness.
I’m sorry if you considered me rude. I consider her rude.
Barnes I may be wrong but I believe Leigh is the Gaelic original spelling of Lee.
I am definantly in support of any fit person giving an unwanted child a good home instead of ego maniacs multiplying themselves into insanity.
All the best wishes for this little girl who is about to have a loving home for the first time.
Both Heigl and Sarah Jessica Parker make me think a lot about “Mommie Dearest,” the book written by Joan Crawford’s adopted daughter, Christina.
Christina maintained that her mother used her mostly as a showpiece, a prop for magazine layouts, and was rarely present when the journalists were gone. When she WAS present, she was terrifying.
Crawford adopted a total of four children – Christina, a boy named Christopher, and a pair of twins. As I recall, none of them remained in contact with her after they grew up.
Joan Crawford was pretty career-obsessed. In her own biography, Crawford said the true love of her life was her fans.
The name is a combo of her moms name and her sisters name, Nancy and Leigh… but “Nayleigh” ? Leighna (LAY-na) sounds much better to my ears. Celebrities are weird.
About the only nice thing she has ever done. Good for her and her husband.
Katherine Heigl and Sarah Jessica Parker are nothing like Joan Crawford. I see no similarities at all between that old harridan and these two celebrities who are adding to their family.
So big deal if Katherine adopts because she doesn’t want to get fat. Obviously that is just one reason. Her heart is in the right place and families are made in different ways.
Awwww my heart just melted a little!
Considering Ellen is about to pop any day now, she probably started the process soon after she found out Ellen was pregnant.
But of course, she probably didn’t know it would only take six months.
i agree with some of these past comments. but i also disagree with a few. Katherine to me seems like a nice girl.. yeah shes mean to people she works with. but we all have our downfalls. one thing im not happy about is that shes doing all this so she doesnt get fat? come on. seriously? why would you be scared of that. i mean jeez. but then again she is adopting a little girl in need. and i have all the respect in the world for that. so. lets just see how the baby turns out when its grown and then judge on how she raised it.
I can not believe I share the same view on adoption as Hiegle, when everything else she does I find annoying. I’d prefer to adopt as oppose to having biological children as well.
I’m very happy for their new arrival. This actually almost makes me like her a tad bit.
Kay-Lee/Nay-Lee? Right?
Good for her for adopting, but I hope she’s a lot nicer to her kid than she is to….everyone else in the world. Ug. Good luck, child!!!
I may not be a fan of her work or general demeanour (I don’t like romantic comedies, and I haven’t watched ‘As Doctors’ in years), but what if this is coming from somehere–perish the thought–genuine?
If at this point, if she doesn’t want a biological child for any reason, I say go with it: it’s legitimate. If there is a person who privileges biological obstinacy, they can bask in the beatific glow of Santa Duggar of Ovulation.
Her sister was adopted, so she’s going to have a leg-up in the sensitivity department there. True, she grates on me, but Joan Crawford was loosed from noxious loins of Pazuzu himself, so she’s still top maniac.
I don’t care for her, but whatever her reasons (hopefully the right ones) a child in need will now have a family, so that’s great. I wish them the best.
I’m actually very surprised, considering she seems to be all about furthering her career and not really caring about who she steps on to do that. I have to wonder how she will have time to continue her job (she’s just about to start filming a movie, that’s a MAJOR time committment) and now is going to try to be a mom to a special needs 10 month old too? I’m sure there will be nannies and her husband will probably take on a lot of the responsibility, but I personally can’t imagine making that sort of commitment in the middle of all the other stuff she has going on.
Hopefully it all works out well.
Who cares if she doesn’t want to get fat? Those are her reasons. Who are you to say it’s a bad reason?
Are you angry because you had a kid and ruined your body?
What’s bad is when people HAVE kids for the wrong reason.
I’m surprised at her overall timing, considering how much she has going on right now, with being in the middle of a season AND about to start a film. I guess I’d be curious to find if she speaks Korean or plans to have a Korean-speaking caretaker around to help the child make such an enormous adjustment, especially since Heigl plans to start a new film just one week later. I hope she can get a grip on her nic fix.
I think it’s great she’s adopted a special-needs baby. How old is the baby and just what are her special needs?
pardon my being completely off-topic, but I never heard that Leigh was a southern appellation, even being a Floridian Brooke Leigh myself.
Congrats Katherine and Josh! What a wonderful thing they are doing for this little girl.
As for the fat issue, I bet Katherine struggles with her weight–that she has to do a lot to maintain it (hence the nicotine addiction). In her profession appearance is huge and if she loses it now (possibly the apex of her career) she’ll likely not recover.
It’s actually an interestng topic for all women: the conflict created when childbearing years coincide with critical professional years. That’s why women are the largest growing group of entrepreneurs (where they can set their own rules). Not too much room for entrepreneurs in HWood, though.
All that said, if she would exercise and eat right she could maintain her figure w/o the cigs!
Because American orphans don’t need to be adopted. It doesn’t make you look like such a f*ckin* hero if you adopt within your own homeland.
@Hieronymus Grex: she was adopting form the same place her sister was adopted from. I myself will probably adopt from America first because it’s my country, but that doesn’t make it any less selfless to adopt from another country.
I’m happy for Katherine, and maybe she’ll tone down. @elvisgrace I highly doubt they’ll need a Korean nanny. babies that young don’t talk much and at a young age (even “disabled”-though we don’t know what her special needs are) children can pick up languages exceedingly fast.
I’m a southerner, and until my generation (fortunately for me) every woman in my family had Lee as a middle name.
Yeah, imagine having this bitch as your mom. Though I guess it probably beats growing up in South Korea. But still.
I’ve been to SK and it’s actually pretty nice. But it would suck to grow up in a orpanage.
Katie Heigl is kind, sweet and a really nice person. One of the most genuine and down to earth people I have met in Hollywood. It is a shame that people are given to think otherwise by media articles.