Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden quietly welcomed the birth of their second baby. The couple surprised fans on March 22 by announcing the arrival of their first son on social media. They also announced the newborn's name, and as always, it's a unique one: Cardinal Madden.
Become a family of four
Madden, 45, announced that he and Diaz, 51, are now parents to two children. "We are blessed and excited to announce the birth of our son Cardinal Madden," he wrote on Instagram. "He's awesome and we're all glad he's here!"
The announcement was accompanied by artwork rather than any baby photos, a choice he and Diaz made to keep Cardinal and his 4-year-old sister Radix safe. "For the safety and privacy of the kids, we won't be releasing any photos, but he's really cute," Madden added. "We feel so blessed and grateful." He concluded by sending followers "so much love" from his family.
The love in the comments is back. His twin brother, Joel Madden, sent five red heart emojis, and Joel's father-in-law, Lionel Richie, sent a brown emoji. Pete Wentz opted for a sparkly emoji, while Katy Perry commented, "Another earth angel."
fly high
Madden didn't specify the origin of Cardinal's name, but the post's artwork strongly suggests it was inspired by nature. The art reads: "A little bird whispered to me." Adorably, it matches the ornithological name Joel and wife Nicole Richie gave their 14-year-old son, Sparrow.
The piece includes a sketch of half a man's face, neck and shoulders, as well as a colorful rose. Madden tagged Diaz, potentially indicating she was the artist behind the incident. Cardinal's sister also helped, given the graffiti on the bright background.
Family life
Diaz and Madden were together long before they had children. Although they tied the knot less than a year after dating in January 2015, it's been almost four years since Radix arrived. She was born via surrogate in December 2019, and Diaz later gushed about her parenting experience with her husband. "I'm so lucky to be doing this with Benji and we're having the best time," she said during an Instagram Live in April 2020.
The couple keeps their family life mostly private, but Madden has a "little tradition" of expressing his love for his "queen" on social media on special occasions. On her birthday in August, he called her his "beautiful wife," "the best partner in everything," "the greatest mom," and more, before adding, "So grateful to have the family we have, I'm a lucky "I'd rather spend my life with someone else," Diaz responded in part.
