Dakota Johnson opened up about what it’s like being in a blended family during an interview with Bustle.
“I grew up in a family that was so big, and I just believe in the saying ‘Blood is thicker than water.’ The actual saying is ‘The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb,’ which means that the connections with people you choose are more solid than the connections to the people you’re actually born to,” Johnson told Bustle.
The “Madame Web” star is the daughter of actor Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson. Through her parents’ other relationships, she has six siblings — two through her mother and four through her father.
In the Bustle interview, Johnson shared that she thinks a chosen family can be “equally as important, if not more,” than those related by blood.
“I have four brothers and two sisters, and my two sisters are not blood-related to each other, but they are sisters and they call each other sisters and they are always together. And my two older brothers are not blood-related to each other. And they are brothers,” Johnson said.
At the end of the day, they all see themselves as family, regardless of blood relation, Johnson said: “And we are always going to be a family. It’s really real.”
Johnson is also in a relationship with Coldplay front man Chris Martin, who has two kids — Apple and Moses — with his ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow.
“I love those kids like my life depends on it. With all my heart,” Johnson told Bustle, when asked if she liked being a stepmom.
Johnson isn’t the only celebrity who has a blended family.
There’s Nick Cannon, who fathered 12 children with six women, and Elon Musk, who has 10 known children with three different mothers, too.
Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker also have a large, blended family as a result of their marriage. They each have three children from previous relationships and welcomed their first child together in November 2023.
But blended families aren’t just seen among celebrities — regular people can be in them too. A study by the US Census Bureau indicated nearly 4 million households in the US included stepchildren or half-siblings.
And as Gen Z now begins to redefine family, its meaning will continue to evolve.
A representative for Johnson did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours.
Carol Dennis is an entertainment aficionado with an eye for all things pop culture. She dives into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry, from movie premieres to music festivals. Carol’s passion for storytelling extends beyond her reporting, as she’s an aspiring screenwriter in her free time.
