It’s no secret that I have a love affair with pop culture. Us Weekly, Celebitchy and yes, even TMZ, give me my fix. More recently I have loved watching pregnant and parent celebrities. It makes me feel like, yes, celebs – they are just like us!

With that in mind, I have put together my favorite celebrity moms and dads for my playgroup.

Melissa McCarthy

“It plagues me. I feel intensely guilty for working,” says McCarthy. “You have to be able to provide for your kids. But I feel like it’s a weird modern phenomenon that you always feel guilty for it.” – Parade Magazine

I love that Melissa is a working mom who has a lot of money and resource, yet still feels the mom guilt we all feel from time to time. She also tells the funniest damn stories about her girls, so I know she would keep us laughing. Oh, and we could totally share clothes.

She is now BFFs with Sandra Bullock and her son, so I might consider letting them join us every so often.

Jennifer Garner

“There’s an internal battle. I need to work, I need to work, I need to work, and I need to be home with my kids and the kids win. It’s about getting the kids up and fed, getting one to school, getting the other down for a nap, going to the grocery store, picking one up from school, getting the other one down for another nap, cooking dinner . . . I live my life at these two extremes. I’m either a full-time stay-at-home mom or a full-time actress.” – Huffington Post

No, I am not including her so I can get closer to Ben.  She is so often pap’ed, yet she never looks like she is prepared for it. She has on sneakers and hardly any makeup and the kiddos look like they dressed themselves. If I know Mike is going to be in pictures, I make sure his shoes match. Not Jen, nope. And I LOVE that. I think she would add some realness to our group and be a good ‘taker carer’ to all of us parents.

Neil Patrick Harris

“The older they get, the more I love being a dad. Now that they’re talking, I’m really loving the camp counselor end of parenting,” he says. “I’m all about reasoning. If they fall and are okay but crying, David [Burtka, his partner] will be the hugger, and I’ll be the ‘Show me where it hurts; let’s talk about it’ one. I come from a family of lawyers, so explanation is crucial.” – People Magazine

Another funny guy! I bet he would riff with Melissa really well on the playground. I am drawn to how he describes what kind of father he is and how he has evolved over the last three years. He has really been honest in the media and seeing him go from an unsure, backseat dad to a very involved dad has been nice. I think he would be known for giving us facts about kids and parenting styles.

Have you seen his twins? Those kids are too adorable for words.

Savannah Guthrie

“My 3am wakeup call sounds a lot different now,” Guthrie added. “Sweeter…” – Twitter

I love, love, love Savannah. As the newest Mom she can use a lot of support. When she said Vail is wearing mittens because she is too scared to cut her nails the internet exploded. Gimme a damn break, every parent has been there. I think she could benefit from my group – especially from Jen – for parenting advice and getting over the first time celebrity mom hurdles.

Jimmy Fallon

“I just want to hang out with my daughter,” he said. And he does a great job, according to his wife: “He is the fun, goofy, make-her-giggle kind of dad.” That’s something Jimmy is very proud of. “I make my daughter laugh every day,” he said triumphantly. – People Magazine

The excitement Jimmy has for being a Dad warms my heart. ure, he would be a fun addition to our group, but he would also be the one the kids flock to for high fives and tickles. I also like how open he was about their infertility issues. I wasn’t going to include his wife in the group until I saw this quote from her:

“Men don’t get left with babies ever, so they’re told the message is, You can’t really do this,” says Nancy. “Everyone plays that game. And that’s some BS. Walk away and let him handle it.”

Get it girl. You are welcome on my playground any time.

Joel Madden

“I mean, we’re not the first people to have babies so you’re going to be alright no matter what,” he explains. You have to have your own experience and learn as you go. Kids are very resilient and you just have to take it a day at a time.” – People Magazine

Oh Joel, how I loved you during my late 90s mall punk phase. We are from the same state so I feel like we would be instant friends on that fact alone. I like how he lets his wife shine and is protective of his kids. They have both spoken out about how they are doing things different than their parents did and that is admirable. I bet he would share some tips on that front.

Who would be in your celebrity playgroup?