Why Diane Keaton Chose To Be A Single Mom

Known for her eclectic style and charming personality, Diane Keaton is hard not to love. First appearing on stage in the 1968 Broadway production of Hair, she has since gone on to win an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and the AFI Life Achievement Award. During her decades-long career, Keaton seems to have done it all, except one thing—get married. 

Although marriage was never on the docket for the Annie Hall star, she still managed to find time for motherhood in her fifties and has never been happier. So, why did Keaton decide to conquer parenthood on her own and what sparked that decision so much later in life? We’ve got the details on her not-so-common lifestyle, why it works for her, and what her kids are up to now. 

Diane Keaton Has Never Been Married

When it comes right down to it, Keaton made the conscious choice not to marry simply because she didn’t want to give up her independence. It’s also no surprise that she based her initial decision on her childhood and watching her own parents. Speaking with Lisa Kudrow via Interview magazine, the Hollywood actress elaborates about seeing her mom sacrifice everything for her family—including her own dreams.

“I mentioned watching her get that crowning glory and being Mrs. Highland Park. After that, we moved down to Santa Ana, and it was over,” she said. “There was no more trying things out. I feel like she chose family over her dreams. And she was just the best mother, but I think that she is the reason why I didn’t get married. I didn’t want to give up my independence.”

In complete “Keaton” form, she went on to make a joke about her love life as well, saying, “By the way, no one has ever asked me to marry them, either, so that might be a good answer. I should’ve started with that and called it a day.”

Just because the beloved actress hasn’t been married, doesn’t mean that she hasn’t had a few relationships and flings in her past. She’s been linked to Warren Beatty, Woody Allen, Al Pacino, and Jack Nicholson. However, none of these relationships ever evolved past dating, even though she had hoped of a lasting connection. As of now, Keaton has no plans of dating any time soon—if at all. 

“I have a lot of male friends,” Keaton told InStyle magazine. “I have a lot of friends, but no dates. No mwah-mwah.”

She Adopted Two Children In Her Fifties

Relationships aside, the “Something’s Gotta Give” star still wanted to become a mother. This realization came to her after her father passed away. She had spent the first four decades of her life being a daughter and realized she need to move on and do something with her life now that her father was gone. 

“Motherhood was not an urge I couldn’t resist, it was more like a thought I’d been thinking for a very long time…I wanted to be in a good relationship. Those good relationships that are strong and substantive never happened for me, and that prolonged my indecisiveness,” Keaton told People.

It wasn’t until Keaton was in her 50s that she decided to take a giant leap and begin the adoption process. In 1996, Keaton adopted her daughter Dexter, who was born the year prior, then adopted her son Duke in 2001, also born the year prior. 

Keaton’s Kids Are All Grown Up Now

Quite a bit of time has passed since Keaton adopted her two children and she’s been loving every minute of being a mother. Watching Dexter and Duke grow up has been an incredibly humbling and rewarding experience for her, and it appears that both of her kids absolutely adore their mother—which is understandable when your mother is the one-and-only Diane Keaton.

Dexter often posts photos and gushes to her followers on Instagram about her adoring mom, “Happy Mother’s Day to my amazing momma! I’m so thankful to have been adopted by such a strong, beautiful, and talented woman. I couldn’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me. I love you!” reads a caption from a previous Mother’s Day post. Keaton’s daughter recently got married in June 2021, and she, of course, was in attendance, beaming with pride.

As for Duke, he likes to his life private and keeps things fairly low profile. According to his Instagram account, he has lots of interesting hobbies where he can showcase his talents—cooking and photography seem to be his favorites. Keaton herself is an accomplished photographer, so we’re certain she’s ecstatic about her son’s shared interest. Duke also seems to be out and about, rubbing elbows with celebs Cara Delevingne and Rita Ora.