Pop culture's single moms

By Molly McGonigle

There's no doubt about it: Being a single parent is tough. But over the years we've seen lots of rock-star women raise kids all on their own, whether on TV, in movies or in real life. Since Tyler Perry's movie "The Single Mom's Club" hits theaters on March 14, let's click through to check out some of our favorite pop-culture moms!

Lorelai Gilmore on 'Gilmore Girls'

After getting pregnant at 16, Lorelai Gilmore left behind her affluent life in search of creating a more modest one with her TV daughter. Lorelai and Rory had a close relationship — more like best friends than mother and daughter. But the best part of the show was that no matter what they fought over or disagreed about, they aways supported each other in Sleepy Hollow. Their bond made fans want to move to a small town and just hang out with their families.

Michelle Williams, mom to Matilda Ledger

When Michelle Williams was pregnant with Matilda, she was happily together with her beau Heath Ledger. Sadly he passed away when Matilda was just a young girl. But ever since, Michelle has remained single and utterly devoted to her daughter. During her 2012 Golden Globe win, Michelle Williams gushed about Matilda. "I want to say thank you," she said. "For sending me off to this job every day with a hug and a kiss. I couldn't have done it any other way." It's pretty cute how much Michelle loves being a mom!

Miranda Hobbes on 'Sex and the City'

After a failed casual relationship, Miranda Hobbes discovered that she was pregnant with Steve Brady's baby. Though the two decided to raise the child, Brady Hobbes, together as friends, Miranda ended up developing feelings for Steve during their first year as parents. One thing led to another and the two wound up together, putting their time as single parents behind them.

Sandra Bullock, mom to son Louis Bardo

"Gravity" star Sandra Bullock was still married to Jesse James when baby Louis Bardo was adopted. However, when that marriage went up in flames, Sandra took her baby son with her and never looked back. The happy family of two split their time between New York, New Orleans and Los Angeles. And we rarely see Sandra Bullock these days without her cute son in tow.

Julia Roberts on 'Erin Brockovich'

As we all know, this movie was based on a true story. The movie followed a single mom of three children, who was unemployed and seemed out of luck in life. However, after convincing a lawyer to give her a job, she ended up fighting for clean water rights in her local community and it ultimately transformed her life. Her life story was so compelling, that Julia Roberts even won the Academy Award for her portrayal in the movie.

Rachel Green on 'Friends'

We all thought it was their moment when Rachel Green and Ross Gellar got together and accidentally got pregnant. But sadly, the TV couple decided to raise their daughter Emma separately while still remaining best friends. It worked out pretty well and Rachel did a bang-up job navigating her professional and private life as a single mom. That is until the end of the show, because we all know how that turned out …

January Jones, mom to Xander

After a few months of being single, January Jones shocked the world when she announced that she was pregnant in 2011. "She's really looking forward to this new chapter in her life as a single mom," a source close to the actress said. While she's never said who the baby daddy is, she's been quite the proud and devoted mom to her 2-and-a-half-year-old son, Xander.

Amy Jurgens on 'The Secret Life of the American Teenager'

Shailene Woodley played Amy Jurgens, who at 15, finds out she's going to be a mom after sleeping with a rebellious guy at band camp. When the show first premiered on ABC Family, some viewers were unhappy that a TV show would glamorize teen pregnancy. But over the course of the show, fans saw how Amy struggled as a teen mom, even though she had the help of her parents.

Brandi Glanville, mom to Mason and Jake

Brandi Glanville was happily married to Eddie Cibrian and a doting mom to their two children. That is until Eddie Cibrian was caught publicly having an affair with LeAnn Rimes. Brandi filed for divorce and Eddie and LeAnn have since married. Meanwhile, Brandi's struggles as a single mom and co-parenting were well documented both on "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" and on her very TMI Twitter account.

Dorothy Boyd on 'Jerry Maguire'

Renee Zellweger played Dorothy Boyd, a single mom to Ray, in "Jerry Maguire." Audiences fell in love with the chemistry between Dorothy and Jerry and even more so with Jerry's adorable relationship with Ray. When it came time for Dorothy to make a better life for her son in San Diego, Jerry swooped in and made them his family so he wouldn't lose them both. By the end of the movie we saw them all embark on their own happily ever after. Aw!

Susan Mayer on "Desperate Housewives"

For eight seasons, Teri Hatcher played Susan Mayer, the divorced mother of Jane. Over the years we saw Susan try desperately to find lasting love, while also surviving the drama of the neighborhood she lives in and, of course, the tribulations of living one-on-one with a teenage daughter. Throughout the show, though, Susan and her daughter, Jane, remained close and completely involved in each other's lives.

Bethenny Frankel, mom to Bryn Hoppy

After multiple failed relationships fans saw play out on "Real Housewives of New York," it seemed like Bethenny had found her happy ever after with Jason Hoppy. The two were in love, engaged and pregnant! However, after only two years of marriage, the two called it quits and it's been a bitter split ever since. These days, Bethenny seems focused on providing her daughter with a stable home life and is even relieved that her talk show was canceled.

Nancy Botwin on 'Weeds'

Viewers spent many seasons invested in how Nancy Botwin would provide for her family after her husband died suddenly of a heart attack. While her decision-making was questionable at best, it was clear she loved her two teenage sons — Shane and Cody — a lot.

Jenny McCarthy, mom to Evan

Jenny McCarthy and her then-husband John Asher welcomed their son, Evan Asher, on May 18, 2002. The couple ended their marriage in 2005 and since then Jenny McCarthy has been very outspoken about being a single mom — especially when it comes to dating and having a son. "I don't introduce my son to anybody unless I have dated them for 6 months,' she said. Now that she wants to marry her current beau, Donnie Walhberg, we can only imagine that she's ready to put her single mama days behind her.

Angela Bower on 'Who's the Boss?'

Children of the '80s will never forget "Who's the Boss?" It showed a powerful woman, Angela Bower, hiring a manny, named Tony, to take care of her children while she was at work. Though Angela Bower was divorced, she was lucky enough to create another kind of family with Tony and his daughter. By the end of the show's run, Angela and Tony admitted that they had feelings for each other, but their future was left undetermined. We like to think they lived happily ever after.