Being Latino or Latina brings a certain kind of pride that is hard to explain. Whether you were born in Latin America, or one or both of your parents were, no one can take away that sense of belonging to the culture. And it's a culture that is for sure beautiful to be a part of!
Many celebrities who have made it big in Hollywood have been making their people proud with their success. There are a lot of famous actors, singers, and entertainers who have a Latino parent and have used their platforms and their art to make it known that we are a force to be reckoned with.
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There are some obvious ones, like Selena Gomez and Cardi B, who have previously talked about their Latina roots, while others may come as a total surprise. While it's a complicated history, Latinos have been living in the United States for a long time, so it's no surprise there are plenty of celebrities who are descendants of people from countries including Mexico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Argentina, and Colombia.
These stars are proud of where they come from and are proud of their roots that made them who they are. For some, their Latino parents were fully present in their lives to teach them their respective countries' language and about our food, music, and values. For others, their parents weren't as involved in their lives and they may not be as in touch with their Latino side as could be, and that's totally fine. Being a Latino means so much to so many of us, so we're sure they're just as proud of being who they are. Click through to learn about these celebrities who are half Latino. While some might be obvious, others might be a total surprise.
Aubrey Plaza is half Puerto Rican.
The hilarious Parks and Recreation actress is half Latina. Her father, David, is Puerto Rican and her mother, Bernadette, is of Irish-English descent.
Howie Dorough brought some Latino representation to pop.
Howie D is one of the five members of Backstreet Boys, one of the biggest boy bands in music history. His mother is Puerto Rican and his dad is of Irish descent.
Sara Paxton is half Mexican.
The Last House on the Left star's background is pretty diverse. Her mother, Lucia, was born in Monterrey, Mexico, while her dad is of Irish, Scottish, and English descent.
Selena Gomez is half Mexican.
Selena's dad, Ricardo Joel Gomez, is of Mexican descent and it is widely known that he got the inspiration for his daughter's name from Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla.
Cardi B is proud of her Dominican heritage.
Although the rapper was born and raised in the Bronx, New York, her dad is from the Domincan Republic while her mom is from Trinidad.
Bruno Mars is making Latinos proud worldwide.
The "Finesse" singer, whose birth name is Peter Gene Hernandez, was born in Hawaii. His mom moved there from the Philippines and that's where he met his dad, who is Puerto Rican.
Christina Aguilera has opened up about her Ecuadorian roots.
The singer doesn't have much of a relationship with her Ecuadorian dad, Fausto Xavier Aguilera, due to her claims that he was abusive to her mother when she was younger.
Rosario Dawson is part Cuban and Puerto Rican.
Her mom, Isabel Celeste, who is a Puerto Rican and Cuban singer, raised her on her own. Her dad is said to be of Irish and Native American descent.
Naya Rivera is a proud Latina.
The former Glee actress is Puerto Rican and African American.
Lourdes Leon's dad is Cuban.
Lourdes is Madonna's first child and she was the product of the singer's relationship with fitness trainer, Carlos Leon.
Jordana Brewster is half Brazilian.
The Fast & Furious actress was born in Panama, but her mom is a former model from Brazil while her dad was an American banker.
Lynda Carter's mom is from Mexico.
The Wonder Woman star's family on her mom's side hails from Mexico.
Bella Thorne is half Cuban.
Bella's dad, who died in 2007 after a car accident, was Cuban. The Disney Channel star has said that Spanish was her first language.
Lela Loren's mom is Mexican.
The actress, who plays the role of Latina Angela Valdez on Power, says her ethnicity has helped her in her career. "I learned to speak Spanish later in life. I learned after the age of 10. And I have a really great accent but no, I have family from Mexico and I wanted to be able to communicate with them and my father’s Caucasian, so we never spoke it in the home," she told The Source. "And then in some ways it was a really great skill because, actually, now with television spanning the range that it spans it’s a good skill set. I also speak Italian."
Ryan Guzman's good looks might have something to do with his Latino genes.
The Boy Next Door actor's dad, Ray Guzman, is Mexican.
Ryan Lochte has Cuban roots.
The Olympic swimmer's mom, Ileana Aramburu, was born and raised in Havana, Cuba.
Tyler Posey was super believable as Jennifer Lopez's son in "Maid in Manhattan."
That's because the actor has Latino roots, since his late mom, Cyndi Terese Garcia, was of Mexican descent.
Fabolous is proud of his Dominican Roots.
The Brooklyn rapper is half Dominican and half African American.
Miguel is half Mexican.
The California-born R&B singer's father is Mexican American. He sang the duet "Remember Me" with Natalia Lafourcade for the Coco soundtrack in 2017.
Demi Lovato shared her DNA test with the world.
Her father, Patrick Martin Lovato, is of Mexican descent, though his family has been living in New Mexico for generations. She even tweeted her results to her Ancestry DNA test in 2017.
Mack Wilds' mom is from the Dominican Republic.
The actor, who also goes by Tristan Wilds, has an Afro-Dominican background from his mom Monique Moncion, and his dad, Paul Wilds, is African American.
Aubrey Plaza is proud of her large Puerto Rican family.
The Parks and Recreation star's dad, David, is Puerto Rican. "I was like the only diverse kid in my high school, and I'm half Puerto Rican. But, yeah, I have a huge family and tons of cousins in Puerto Rico," she once told Latina magazine. She has since found plenty of success as a hilarious actress in Hollywood.
Victoria Justice is a Latina thanks to her mom.
The former Nickelodeon star's mom was born in Puerto Rico!
Cameron Diaz is half Cubana!
The Charlie's Angels star's dad, Emilion Diaz, was born in California but his family had moved from Cuba shortly before he was born.
Alexa PenaVega's dad is Colombian.
The Spy Kids actress was born in Miami, Florida, to a Colombian dad and an American mom.
Freddie Prinze Jr. is one of us, as well!
The Scooby-Doo actor's dad was Puerto Rican.
Alexis Bledel's dad was born and raised in Argentina.
The Gilmore Girls star was born in Houston but considers herself a Latina. The actress has said that since her American mother was raised in Mexico, she was raised with a traditional Latino upbringing as a child.
Frankie Muñiz is half Puerto Rican.
The Malcolm in the Middle actor is part Latino on his dad's side.
Kid Cudi has Mexican roots.
While his mom is African American, his dad was part Mexican American, part African American.
