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Connie Britton opens up about the emotional reason she decided to adopt

The actor explained the reason behind her decision during an appearance on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen."
/ Source: TODAY

Connie Britton says the death of her parents inspired her to expand her own family through adoption.

The “American Horror Story" actor, who People reported adopted son Eyob from Ethiopia when he was 9 months old in 2011, was asked Thursday on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” if she ever had a “light bulb moment" when she realized she could adopt and raise a child.

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“I had no idea what I was even getting into, so it wasn’t so much ‘I can do this’ as much as I knew that I wanted to be a mom,” she said.

The single mom and former “Friday Night Lights” star, 53, said the death of her parents proved to be a true wake-up call for her.

“And, in truth, both of my parents had passed away within three years, and suddenly I was like, ‘Oh, no. My family is no more,’" she said. “I mean, I have a twin sister, but that was a big loss, losing my parents, and I wasn’t in a relationship that felt like it was going to be a marriage relationship.

“And so I was like, ‘What am I waiting for? I know I want to adopt. I can do this,'” she said laughing. “But that was a little delusional because it turns out it’s a really hard thing to do, but I would only encourage anybody to do it.”

The actor, who stars in the new movie “Promising Young Woman,” also asked Cohen, who welcomed son Ben, 1, via surrogate in 2019, to have her back.

“You can do it. Right, Andy? Don’t you agree?” she asked.

“Yes, I agree,” he replied.