Down Angle Symbol A symbol in the form of an angle pointing downwards. “Madame Web” star Dakota Johnson recently opened up about life in a blended family in a Bustle interview. Lionel Hahn/WireImage
- Dakota Johnson says people don't have to be related by blood to be considered family.
- The “Madame Web” actress has six siblings from other relationships of her parents – Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson.
- Johnson is in a relationship with Chris Martin, who has two children with his ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow.
Dakota Johnson talked about what it's like to live in a blended family in an interview with Bustle.
“I grew up in such a large family 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,” meaning that the connections to the people you choose are stronger than the connections you have with the people you're actually born with,” Johnson told Bustle.
The Madame Web star is the daughter of actress 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 believes chosen family can be “just as important, if not more important” than blood families.
“I have four brothers and two sisters, and my two sisters are not related by blood, but they are sisters and call each other sisters and are always together. And my two older brothers are not related by blood.” “Others. And they’re brothers,” Johnson said.
At the end of the day, they all see each other as family, regardless of blood relationship, Johnson said: “And we will always be family. This is really real.”
Johnson is also in a relationship with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, who has two children – Apple and Moses – with his ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow.
“I love these kids like my life depends on them. With all my heart,” Johnson told Bustle when asked if she enjoyed being a stepmom.
Johnson isn't the only celebrity to have a blended family.
There's Nick Cannon, who has fathered twelve children with six women, and Elon Musk, who also has ten known children from three different mothers.
Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker also have a large blended family through their marriage. They each have three children from previous relationships and welcomed their first child together in November 2023.
Patchwork families not only exist among celebrities, but also among ordinary people. A study by the U.S. Census Bureau found that nearly 4 million households in the U.S. had stepchildren or half-siblings living in them.
And as Generation Z 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.