Fans of Cardi B want 3.2 children on average. Fans of Billie Eilish want just 1.72.
The difference? Cardi has four kids. Eilish has none.
A groundbreaking study from the Institute for Family Studies surveyed over 4,700 Americans and uncovered a stunning pattern: the number of children a celebrity has directly shapes how many kids their fans want to have.
Each additional child borne by someone’s most-admired celebrity was associated with larger family-size desires for the fan — about as strong an association as the number of siblings that person grew up with.
“For women, the celebrity effect was larger and more statistically reliable. The effect of being a fan of a big-family celebrity on desired family size was nearly as large as the effect of being a regular churchgoing person.”
Fans of Tom Brady, who has three children, want more kids than fans of Pope Leo XIV, who has none. Michael Jordan’s five children correlate with his fans desiring 3.2 or more children. Chris Brown’s three children show the same pattern.
The researchers controlled for demographics and found the celebrity effect held strong. Billie Eilish’s fans, after adjustments, dropped to the lowest desired family size of any celebrity studied: 1.72 children.
America’s birth rate sits below 1.6 children per woman and continues falling. The Institute for Family Studies argues the culture itself — set by the famous — is suppressing fertility desires.
Lyman Stone, senior fellow at the Institute for Family Studies and lead researcher on the study, said modern fame rewards the opposite of family life. K-Pop stars are often contractually required to remain single and childless. Fans turn on them if they start families.
Fame in 2026 rewards availability, mobility, reinvention, and perpetual youth. Parents set limits on availability and put down roots. The culture-shaping class tends to be childless or present themselves as such to maintain their image.
The data shows exceptions. Elon Musk and NBA YoungBoy both have around a dozen children, yet their fans have below-average desired family sizes — around 2.2-2.3 children. Stone suggests having children with many women undermines the family-life appeal.
“Most people don’t just want offspring; they want a family — a spouse who loves them, children around them, and a home full of memories.”
The study proposes a provocative solution: incentivize high-profile Americans to have big families. France already does this through tax breaks for high-earning parents.
Stone’s math suggests that if Taylor Swift had two children, it could theoretically boost fertility for her cohort of fans by over 200,000 babies. A billion dollars spent on baby bonuses for regular people would only generate about 40,000 extra babies, according to published studies of cash benefits.
The researcher stopped short of proposing direct celebrity payments but argued cultural interventions could reverse the birth dearth more effectively than traditional subsidies.
The same study found supportive friendships matter too. Individuals whose friends would deliver meals after a baby, celebrate with them, or babysit not only wanted more kids but actually intended to have more.
Stone concluded celebrities can ripen the culture for family life, but supportive American communities remain essential to turning desires into reality.
The charges remain allegations. The case has not been proven in court.
