Actress Katherine Heigl, 30, and her husband of two years in December, Josh Kelley, 29, have adopted a special needs daughter from South Korea, little Naleigh, 10 months. Instead of selling the photos to a magazine, they released the photos themselves on the website for the animal foundation Katherine founded with her mother, the “Jason Debus Heigl Foundation.” It’s named after Katherine’s late older brother Jason, who died in a car accident at the age of 15 in 1986. Katherine’s charity runs a special ranch for dogs in which they rescue and re-train “medium to large dogs from high-kill shelters throughout Southern California.”
On the website for Katherine’s foundation, she explains that Naleigh is a nickname for the baby’s full name, Nancy Lee, which is a mix of her mother’s name, Nancy, and her adopted sister’s middle name, Margaret Leigh. Margaret is also from Korea and Katherine once said that adoption is something she’s “always planned.”
Meet Katherine Heigl’s new baby, Naleigh.
The Grey’s Anatomy actress and husband Josh Kelley have released the first photos of their daughter, a special-needs child they adopted from South Korea, on Heigl’s fundraising site.
“She was actually born the day before me in November, which I thought was really serendipitous and just kind of like a sign,” Heigl, 30, said when announcing the news of her adoption on The Ellen DeGeneres Show last week.
In addition to four intimate photos of the family, the site explains that Naleigh is just a nickname for Nancy Leigh – named after Heigl’s mother Nancy and Heigl’s sister Margaret Leigh.
[From People]
Kaiser wondered in our last story on Naleigh – is it pronounced “Naw-Lee” or “Neigh-Lee”? Heigl said on Ellen that her name will be pronounced like “Neigh-Lee” and that she first saw photos of her six months ago and had not yet met Naleigh at that point. She said that normally the process of adopting from South Korea takes much longer, but that her daughter has special needs and that “because of that, it all moved so much faster. They wanted to get her to us as quickly as possible.”
Katherine Heigl is not my favorite person and I generally find her insufferable, it’s something I just can’t not mention when talking about her, but this is a very wonderful thing she’s doing and she’ll make all the difference in that little girl’s life. She also deserves a lot of credit for releasing the photos on the website for her charity. Best wishes to Katherine, Josh and little Naleigh. These photos are just adorable.
Here is Katherine’s adoption announcement on Ellen last week:
Has it been announced exactly what the baby’s “special needs” are?
Wonder if Mom will stop smoking now, or at least hold herself back from smoking around the baby.
Well, now I like her. Goddammit.
Babies are my kryptonite.
Never liked her, but this story really does bring her up in my estimation. Maybe she isn’t the insufferable witch that I thought she was.
And I admit that while I normally hate the goofy names celebs give their kids, I think this one is kind of sweet, after reading about how they came up with it.
Yeah, I still don’t care for Dame Heigl, but that is one cute baby! The sweet, emotional look on Heigl’s face is killing me. Must. Not. Pinch. Baby. Cheeks.
I usually find her to be insufferable too, but this is a good thing she did.
and that baby is too cute…those chubby arms are adorable. love the pic of her and her new daddy, too.
I read that she has quit smoking this Summer, so hopefully that is true. Anyway, I am sure that Heigel is smart enough not to smoke around a baby, if she hasn’t quit, but I am almost positive she said she quit. She may have had to in order to adopt.
Darn, I kinda like her now. The picutres are very sweet.
All the best to the new family.
@ Ling – “babies are my kryptonite” LOL!
Agree with all, I usually don’t care for KH at all but these photos are sweet and it’s really wonderful that she’s adopted a special needs baby. All of it shows how close she is to her family – the names from her mom and sister, adopting from the same country her sister is from. KH and Josh look so happy in the pics. And that baby is too cute! I even really like the name Naleigh.
Those are great pictures, and that’s the best – most human – I’ve ever seen her look. God bless them… Even though I still don’t like her as a person, I really like what she does for dogs, and even moreso now that she’s given this sweet girl a loving home.
This is potentially seismic.
What’s next for AJ and Madge?
Well played Heigl…I can’t stand you and even I’m melting looking at these. UGH–I’m disgusted with myself
Damn her! As if the dog charity weren’t enough, now the adorable baby, too. And she released the pics in a decent way. My arsenal of snark has been disarmed.
Intersting, Katherine’s sister was adopted as well. Cutie of a baby = )
Awwwwww…The baby is so so cute.
Still I HATE HATE HATE Heigl. Never liked her, saw through her from day one. This changes nothing. She is just a more polished Megax Fox. Still she seems more genuine than other celebs who adopted from abroad. I don’t get the ‘latest accessory’ vibe from this adoption.
Special needs baby? Well thought out family name for baby? Dog charity? What a minute – dog Charity named after her brother that died when he was 15?
OMG. I think I might love her now. Bitches of the world UNITE! She can be our queen… LOL.
good for her, the baby is a cutie pie
This is a thread about Heigl and her baby not about any other celebrities
Definitely a cute baby (and a great PR move judging by the posts).
What a sweet looking baby! Best wishes to the family.
Why can’t we see this charitable, warm side of her ALL the time? How can such a bratty beast of a woman do such kind things? I wish she’d pick a personality and stick with it.
That’s two people whom I cannot stand melting my heart in one week by doing something really nice… first Beyonce, now Heigl. Maybe it’s a new trend?
I think she’ll be a pretty good mom and I wish her and her family the best.
Love KH. always have-sh’es a bitch who needs to keep her mouth shut but she’s always seemed genuine about what ever she says or does-even when being rude.
This baby is gorgeous!
Adorable baby. How old is she and what are her special needs?
So what are the baby’s special needs? I guess I’ll be the one to say it: that part smells fishy.
But whatever, now Madonna is going to have to buy–adopt a Korean baby.
“But whatever, now Madonna is going to have to buy–adopt a Korean baby.”
You mean kidnap from a family that doesn’t want to give up their child, don’t you? That’s what Madonna does…
I think this is wonderful. Katherine has gotten a lot of flack lately in regards to shooting her mouth off — some of it probably deserved, some of it probably not. But this is such a happy occasion that I hope even people who aren’t fans of her can see how wonderful it is that this little girl will be loved and provided for.
Any time a high-profile person adopts at all, they can’t help but raise awareness. I think there are lots of people who could adopt, and have thought about adopting, and would make wonderful parents, but haven’t done it for whatever reason. This really has the potential to make them think about it harder.
On top of that, Katherine and Josh haven’t adopted an infant. They haven’t adopted a child who looks just like them. They’ve purposely adopted a little girl with special needs. While I encourage adoption in general, I’m especially glad to see anyone who’s priority seems to be finding a child who simply needs a caring home. I don’t think their thought process was “Let’s adopt a special needs child and make a point.” I like to think that they saw her and felt “This is our daughter.” But if it gets people who wouldn’t have otherwise considered this to give it some real thought, that’s amazing.
I’m sounding cheesy, but I really think this is great news, and I wish all the best for this family.
PR move.
Just goes to show you, that you can’t always believe everything you hear about celebrities. I think 80% of the tabloid gossip is bullshit anyway. Katherine seems like a real genuine person and she was very excited about the baby when she went on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. I’m very happy for her & her new family. I hope she continues to surprise all those people who say she’s a bitch or they can’t stand her, when they don’t even know her personally.
I think it’s a great (though surprising) thing for her and her husband to do. I wonder what the child’s special needs are. Sweet photos.
When I first saw these pictures, the header in particular, I thought it was Suri. Not going to lie.
You know, I kind of don’t think it’s any of our business what special needs that (ADORABLE) baby has.
Think of it like this, it gets out, and then people start treating Naleigh (which is a great name, better than Soleil Moon-Frye) like she’s some kind of little porcelain doll instead of letting her lead a normal life.
It’s really none of our business, frankly, it’s none of our business that she’s even special needs. We should just all be glad that another child has been helped out from poverty today.
Awww, good luck to the family. Katherine doesn’t censor much of what comes out of her mouth and it riles people, but I still like that she is honest about her feelings.
SuperDeeDuper Cute Bambino! So jealous of her nonfamous life. If I had the $ I would adopt a child wish special needs & start a dog charity just like hers. We couldn’t be more different as people so I’m shocked to be jealous of her!
I know people want to know this child’s special needs, but as a mom of a child with special needs I understand why she isn’t broadcasting that. We want to meet our child’s special needs so that they can participate in the community and society just like everyone else. We don’t want to broadcast those special needs and risk labeling our children. If you google Disability is Natural and read some of what is there it really will change your whole way of thinking about people with special needs.
Awwwwww wuddyalookitdehliddlechubbyarms!!!
helllooooooo little chubby arms!!! 😀
(I love the fact that the child has a nice, sensible and meaningful name (Nancy Leigh), and recognising Naleigh as a nickname). But yeah, who knew the Heigl was that “nice”. I would so agree with having her as our queen… but I’ve sworn life-long allegiance to the Empress Z. And, well. I’d be on the search for a non-slutty Bratz doll for the rest of my life if I were to let such a treasonous thought cross my mind 😉
@Annie: I was just about to say the same thing.
That is an aggressively lovely baby. I tend to think that the overwhelming majority of infants look like nonplussed gila monsters, but not this time.
Hopefully this will be the nostrum needed to soften her up a bit.
uh-oh, between the adorable baby and the shelter dogs i may start liking katherine heigl. how can this be?! this means everything i so firmly believed is wrong…
“gila monsters” hahahaha
Whats wrong with adopting a baby from the USA? Jeesh, I hate it how that issue is never addressed. Why go overseas when there are so many here, waiting for a Mother and Father!!
I don’t like her either, but I like how she’s handled this. First and foremost, great they adopted, especially not a newborn, and also a child with special needs. But I also like how they released the pictures – normally I’m a little wary of celebs promoting their kids, but this might be the way to go and isn’t as intrusive and glaring as magazine covers. I like that they just did a few in one place for a specified charity – no millions for magazine pics for “charity” that we hear little about after the fact.
The baby is beautiful and they look happy. I wish them the best.
Aww man…I started tearing up at the one of Josh holding the smiling chubby baby in his face… I don’t know what happened. I used to be able to look at anything and everything and remain physically unaffected. Ever since I had my daughter though, just the slightest sighting of a baby – be it happy, sad, etc – makes me bawl.
“I tend to think that the overwhelming majority of infants look like nonplussed gila monsters”
holy crap, that made me laugh so hard!
Well, said, Felicia.
Aww, Naleigh looks like a little porcelain doll! And her mommy isn’t making her usual bitch face! I kid, I kid. I actually kinda like Katherine because she isn’t afraid to speak her mind, but she could do so with a little less whining.
Anyway, I think it’s great that she and her husband chose to adopt a special needs child. Too often, those are the ones who are overlooked, because it takes a special sort of person to have the necessary patience, not to mention the necessary bank account.
How adorable! I usually loathe Heigl, but she is starting to show a side to her that is actually cool. I hope this lasts. She looks so genuinely happy that I am actually quite happy for her and her hubby.
I am particularly fond of the photo of Katherine and Naleigh together. Talk about doe eyes, Katherine’s look gorgeous. I just love the entire lot of pictures they released. I am not ususallu that way, but these phtos are simple and sweet.
I agree with @RubyKaur. Although it is very cool of her to adopt a special needs baby there are lots of special needs kids in the US that could have been adopted. Why do celebs have to go overseas to adopt? What’s wrong with adopting US kids?
I also agree with RubyKaur and Lina. I guess kids from the US aren’t interesting-looking enough and don’t make for neat photo-ops. It’s like buying a fancy european luxury car as opposed to one made in the states.
I cannot believe the posters that cited this adoption – of a child that may have a more demanding childhood and life no less – as a PR stunt. It beggars belief.
@RubyKaur, Lina, & Gatsby Gal
In this particular instance, I think they chose S. Korea because that’s where Katherine’s sister was from. Along with the baby’s name, I think it’s a great way to honor her family.
Generally speaking, though, I think one major reason that so many Americans choose to adopt from abroad is because US adoption law is a mess, with plenty of loopholes that could result in a biological parent fighting for and regaining custody.
My computer wouldn’t load all the pics earlier for some reason, but now that I see them, they’re just gorgeous. I love the one of Josh holding Naleigh. He’s just melting, and her smile looks like she already knows that she has her daddy wrapped around her chubby little finger!
They chose Korea because her sister is adopted from there. Also, U.S adoption laws make adopting very diffficult time wise. Foreign countries tend to be much quicker in placing their children then the U.S and that is why so many U.S children wait so long to be adopted.
I have never been pro KH, but I seriously doubt that they adopted for the publicity or the novelty of a foreign baby. From what I have read, KH always had in mind to adopt from the country where her sister was from.
that is so sweet, those pictures are great, and I have actually liked Katherine before.
so nice that they didn’t just sell those photos to a magazine.
Aw how can I hate her now? Now she has the most adorable daughter on the planet…damn you Heigl you witch. I’m coming round but I’m fighting it every step of the way!
How beautiful the pictures are, but I have some concerns. First of all, Katherine and Josh are STILL newlyweds. To bring a baby into the realtionship so suddeny (especially one with special needs) could potentially cause major strain on such a new union. Secondly, Katherine has mentioned more than once in the past that a Korean baby would be a “tribute” to her older sister. A tribute? WTF? This is a human life we’re talking about here, not another Emmy for her to put on a shelf! I certainly do hope however, for the sake of all of them that it does work out. She is a doll.
Good for them! And a special needs child to boot! We need more of this with all the “trendy” baby adopting going on in La La Land. I would love it more if it was a child from the U.S. but helping a child, is helping a child I guess. I just wish more would help the kids in our country that need it.
AAAh she’s too cute man! 🙂 Well done Catherine and Josh!
Wow I am all up for adoption, I did it my self. A United States child , a Los Angeles child to be exact. Is there a reason these celebrities leave the country when we have so many here that need homes?
Has anyone else noticed what a blatant rip off the Josh Kelley/Katherine Heigl baby photo is of the Tom Cruise Katie Holmes “Vanity Fair” cover from when Suri was a baby? Just saying….