NATALIE Suleman has allowed her history-making octuplets to step into the spotlight for the first time after years of private living.
It’s been 16 years since the single mom gave birth to eight kids at once, earning her the nickname “Octomom” – and now she says the teens are ready to tell their family’s story.
Instagram/nataliesulemanNatalie Suleman’s octuplets, who just turned 16 years old[/caption] © Polaris ImagesSuleman and her octuplets celebrating their second birthday[/caption] InstagramOctomom and her kids, who star in an upcoming docuseries about their family[/caption]Suleman, 49, shared a rare picture of her youngest eight kids all together on Instagram on their 16th birthday on Sunday.
“Happy Sweet 16th birthday to Noah, Isaiah, Nariyah, Maliyah, Jeremiah, Josiah, Jonah, and Makai!” the mom-of-14 wrote.
“You are loved, valued, and appreciated more than words can express!
The picture showed the octuplets smiling in front of their home in Orange County, California, with a boom mic peeking through the top of the picture – likely from filming their upcoming projects.
“I am so blessed to have you all in my life, and excited and grateful for the journey we are about to embark,” Suleman wrote.
A Lifetime movie and docuseries about the family are set to premiere in March.
“Today, my family and I are taking our life back,” Suleman, who just became a grandma, told People about the docuseries.
“I’ve been saying, I want to keep them safe and protect my kids, and well, they’re older now,” she said.
“They’re turning 16 and making the decision to really do this.”
After making headlines for giving birth to the first ever surviving octuplets in 2009, Suleman stepped out of the limelight in 2013 due to backlash.
“It wasn’t until they were maybe about 4 years old, I finally was able to escape all of that, the attack it felt from the world… and all that global scorn and condemnation, being the target of misplaced hate,” Suleman said.
“I could escape and finally go back to the life I had once known before.”
Suleman said she made difficult decisions to help her family make ends meet, including a nude photo shoot and acting in an adult film.
“In the beginning it was complete pandemonium,” she said of her sudden fame.
Octomom and her children's rise to fame
Natalie Suleman, also known as Nadya, rose to fame as Octomom after she gave birth to the first surviving octuplets in history.
Suleman first began IVF treatments at age 21 in 1997, when she was married to Marco Gutierrez.
The couple had four sons and two daughters together before divorcing in 2006.
In 2009, Suleman found she had six embryos from an unidentified sperm donor left over from her previous IVF treatments. She requested for them all to be transferred into her uterus at once.
However, Beverly Hills fertility specialist Dr. Michael Kamrava transferred 12 embryos into Suleman’s uterus – which led him to have his license revoked two years later.
Suleman became pregnant with eight out of the dozen embryos.
She gave birth to the octuplets, six boys and two girls, on January 26, 2009.
Now a mom of 14, Suleman openly struggled to financially support her kids as she planned to return to school to finish her master’s degree in counseling.
She faced backlash over her parenting and even received death threats as she worked to make ends meet.
Suleman worked to make money by posing nude for a photoshoot, collaborating with tabloids for stories, and appearing on shows including Dr. Phil and The Oprah Winfrey Show.
She stepped away from the spotlight in 2013 and led a more private life, aside from sporadically posting updates about vegan meals and her kids’ birthdays to her Instagram account.
In September 2024, Suleman became a grandma months before her octuplets turned 16 years old.
In January 2025, Suleman announced her family was taking back control of their story with a new Lifetime docuseries and movie that will be released in March.
I Was Octomom, the movie, premieres on Lifetime on March 8.
Confessions of Octomom, which is the first time the kids have spoken out, premieres on March 10 on Lifetime.
“There was, of course, all of the details of the death threats and fearing for my family’s life.
“And then on the other hand, I had to continue to sacrifice my integrity repeatedly to survive and provide for my family.”
Suleman previously said her daughter sparked her transition to a private life.
“There was definitely a catalyst – my girls, particularly my oldest daughter Amerah,” Suleman told People in 2016.
“She was about 10, and she started integrating my traits and behaviors.”
“After I had observed my daughter beginning to emulate me, I saw her going down that same potentially destructive path, and I realized at that moment I’d rather be homeless in my van with all 14 kids than continuing down this path.
“It was not what I wanted for my children,” she said.
PolarisSuleman and her octuplets, six boys and two girls[/caption] PolarisSuleman and her octuplets[/caption]Now, her kids have joined her as the family prepares to pull back the curtain on their busy home.
“My kids are going to share for the first time,” Suleman explained, adding that she didn’t want to speak out at first.
However, Suleman’s 16-year-old daughter Nariyah told People she’s “very excited” for the new docuseries and movie.
“Our mom would finally be able to say her side of the story, because I feel like it was very unfair how she was terrorized and hated for just being a mother,” Nariyah said.
“And she had to sacrifice so much just for her children.”
I Was Octomom, the movie, premieres on Lifetime on March 8. The docuseries called Confessions of Octomom comes out on Lifetime on March 10.
Getty - ContributorSuleman at the Celebrity Pillow Fight in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, in June 2012[/caption] Instagram/nataliesulemanSuleman and her kids, who are now speaking out for the first time[/caption] Read More Details
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