Jennifer Connelly's 3 Kids: All About Kai, Stellan and Agnes (2024)

Jennifer Connelly's 3 Kids: All About Kai, Stellan and Agnes (1)

Jennifer Connelly has a creative trio of kids, including sons Kai and Stellan and daughter Agnes.

The Top Gun: Maverick star welcomed her eldest child, son Kai, in 1997 with her ex, photographer David Dugan. The actress confirmed her marriage to actor Paul Bettany in January 2003 and the couple went on to have two children together, son Stellan, that same year, and daughter Agnes in 2011.

Connelly has been open about how motherhood has changed all aspects of her life. She previously said, "Becoming a mother has made all the difference in terms of learning to take more responsibility for myself and my life.”

"Parenthood changed the way I do everything,” the actress added. “The biggest thing for me is wanting my kids to grow up safely and have happy lives. To me, that's enough."

Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany's Relationship Timeline

The Oscar winner told Anderson Cooper on Anderson Live in June 2012 that she felt “blessed” by her three children and their bond with one another.

"It's really unbelievable. They are all such extraordinary kids and they're great together,” Connelly shared. "They never fight, they look after each other. They are loving.”

The actress said her children have always been “really wonderful kids,” attributing their good behavior to the large differences in their ages. She explained, “Maybe it has something to do with the huge age gap between them. There’s no competition. They all have so much attention and focus.”

Here’s everything to know about Jennifer Connelly’s kids: Kai, Stellan and Agnes.

Kai Dugan, 27

Jennifer Connelly's 3 Kids: All About Kai, Stellan and Agnes (2)

Connelly and Dugan welcomed their first and only child together, son Kai, on July 9, 1997.

The Dark City star spoke to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) about co-parenting with her ex and Dugan's relationship with their son.

“I’m very grateful that my son has a good relationship with his father that’s very consistent, so I really support that and do everything I can to protect and nurture it,” she explained.

“We live in New York, so we see a lot of different versions of family and it helps my son feel more comfortable with our version of our family, but he thinks of us as a family," the Hulk star continued. "His father and I still co-parent, even though we don’t live together.”

Connelly also opened up to the HFPA about how becoming a mother affected the choices she made in her career.

She shared, “Now I think about the world that my son Kai is growing up in, and I don’t want to put anything out into the world that’s going to cause any more suffering or pain or confusion, which isn’t to say I won’t make challenging movies, like Requiem for a Dream.”

Jennifer Connelly's 3 Kids: All About Kai, Stellan and Agnes (3)

In addition to his relationship with his father, Kai has created his own dynamic with his stepfather, Bettany. The WandaVision actor told Parade in January 2010 that the duo bonded over their shared passion for music.

“When I was younger, growing up in London, I'd go to Westminster Bridge and play guitar to pick up a few coins from passersby,” he said. “Every year we have a band that gets together and plays rock songs."

Bettany continued, "This year, my stepson joined the band for the first time playing guitar and it was such a lovely, moving experience."

As a family unit, Kai has walked the red carpet with his mom and Bettany at the San Diego premiere of Top Gun: Maverick in May 2022.

While Kai’s parents and stepfather are all in the arts, Connelly revealed on Jimmy Kimmel Live in February 2019 that her elder son studied mechanical engineering in college.

Stellan Bettany, 21

Jennifer Connelly's 3 Kids: All About Kai, Stellan and Agnes (4)

Connelly and Bettany welcomed their first child together, son Stellan, on Aug. 5, 2003. The couple's elder child was named after Bettany’s friend, actor Stellan Skarsgård, per The Guardian.

Shortly after welcoming Stellan, Connelly told the HFPA that having a baby was “another element to balance” but that the infant would travel with the rest of the family.

“When kids are little it’s actually easier,” she said. “The harder part will be that, as Kai gets older, he will need to stay in school. That’ll be something to negotiate, but it’s worked out well so far, and I feel like we can balance it all.”

Bettany told Parade that he shared a love of reading with his son and stepson.

"Actually, reading to both my kids has always been important. My wife, Jennifer, and I read to them every night,” he said. “It's the most delicious time of the day when your child is all sleepy and cuddly and they get to snuggle up and you read them a bedtime story."

Jennifer Connelly's 3 Kids: All About Kai, Stellan and Agnes (5)

The Avengers star joked, "It's the bit of parenting that makes up for when they're screaming and shouting at you."

Much like his dad and Kai's relationship, Stellan and Bettany have music in common. Connelly told Jimmy Kimmel in February 2019 that Stellan was “an amazing musician.”

Before she joined Instagram, Bettany celebrated a milestone moment for Stellan in June 2021. The actor shared a throwback photo on Instagram of him holding Stellan as an infant, noting that he was set to graduate high school later that day.

“Very proud of everything Stellan has accomplished so far and even more excited about what the future holds,” Bettany wrote in the caption.

Similar to his brother Kai, Stellan has attended Hollywood events with his mom. Connelly brought her middle child as her date to the 95th Academy Awards in March 2023.

Agnes Bettany, 13

Jennifer Connelly's 3 Kids: All About Kai, Stellan and Agnes (6)

Connelly and Bettany welcomed their second child together, daughter Agnes, on May 31, 2011.

When she was young, Agnes had an undisclosed health scare, which became the root of Connelly’s fear of flying. The actress opened up about her unease with travel in May 2022 to The Sunday Times Style magazine.

“It wound up being nothing, sort of a false alarm, but it was enough to really frighten me. As a result I struggled with separation," Connelly told the outlet of Agnes' health concerns.

“I never loved flying, but it got worse the first time I traveled without her, that was the first time I had a real panic,” she said. “I always knew it was something I could out-think because I was always better when I was coming home.”

The Blood Diamond actress has also opened up about how her children grew up going to work with her and Bettany. Connelly revealed on Jimmy Kimmel Live that Agnes tends to give notes on her performance when she visits one of her sets.

Jennifer Connelly's 3 Kids: All About Kai, Stellan and Agnes (7)

“She likes to sit by the monitors,” Connelly explained. “She likes to actually run lines with me at night, which is great. It’s very helpful. And then she’ll sit by the monitor and watch with headphones on, quite critically.”

Agnes has provided the same amount of feedback to her father, too. On Late Night With Seth Meyers in April 2022, Bettany was asked if his children thought it was “cool” that he had a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

"Yes, but they torture me with it," Bettany said. "My daughter has moved through all the different Avengers as her favorite. It’s never, never me."

Despite the occasional joke, Connelly, Agnes and Bettany also have sweet moments in the public eye. In April 2023, the trio went to a Brooklyn Nets game and the actress later shared the moment on Instagram, posting a photo of her and her family displayed on the Jumbotron at the game.

Jennifer Connelly's 3 Kids: All About Kai, Stellan and Agnes (2024)
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