The Truth About Benicio Del Toro And Kimberly Stewart
If you thought that Eddie Murphy and Melanie B were the most unlikely celebs to have ever welcomed a kid together, think again. Four years after the Spice Girl gave birth to daughter Angel Iris Murphy Brown — and a paternity test proved to the skeptical "Beverly Hills Cop" star that he was indeed the father — another couple of showbiz figures you'd never have put together in a month of Sundays revealed they were expecting a baby.
Academy Award winner Benicio del Toro accepted straight away that he was the man who'd impregnated Kimberly Stewart, the one-time wild child daughter of gravelly-voiced rock legend Rod Stewart. In fact, the "Traffic" star has apparently been very much a hands-on dad since the birth of their daughter.
But what about the relationship between del Toro and Stewart? Was there ever one at all? And how have they fared since becoming mom and pop? Here's a look at their intriguing [non] love story.
Things reportedly began at a Hollywood landmark
Described as a hotel "populated by people either on their way up or on their way down," the Chateau Marmont has welcomed a seemingly endless list of starlets, counterculture icons, revered A-listers, and Tinseltown hopefuls through its hallowed doors over the years. As actor Griffin Dunne said in Vanity Fair, "The Chateau Marmont is the pure essence of what Hollywood is. It has an authenticity to it and an aura unlike any other place you can think of."
It also happens to be the place where Benicio del Toro and Kimberly Stewart apparently got together in 2010, per Daily Mail. While their hookup didn't spark a long-lasting romance, it did prompt them to start a family: Stewart and del Toro reportedly conceived their daughter Delilah that evening.
Legend has it that del Toro had form when it came to bedding celebrities at the Chateau Marmont (although "bedding" might be pushing it). He is said to have got hot and heavy with Scarlett Johansson in the hotel's elevator following an award show, something which he didn't seem keen to deny in an interview with Esquire (via Page Six): "Let's leave that to somebody's imagination. Let's not promote it. I'm sure it has happened before. It might not be the last time, either."
They may go way back
There seems to be some dispute about how well Benicio del Toro and Kimberly Stewart knew each other before they got together at the Chateau Marmont. While Daily Mail reports that the couple only clapped eyes on each other for the first time at the legendary Tinseltown hotel, People claims that they have a much lengthier history. Well, one of its anonymous sources does, anyway.
Following the surprising news that the "21 Grams" star and model/socialite were expecting a baby, an insider told the magazine, "They've been involved for years. But it's always been on and off with them, and for a very long time."
Del Toro and Stewart have always kept schtum about the origins of their relationship, a marked contrast to the latter's usual tabloid-friendly approach. Indeed, the daughter of rock icon Rod Stewart had previously been more than happy to show off her high-profile romances with the likes of "Laguna Beach" graduate Talan Torriero and musician Cisco Adler, both of whom she briefly got engaged to. Despite rumored dalliances with Scarlett Johansson and Lindsay Lohan, del Toro has largely preferred to keep his private life exactly that.
Did Kimberly Stewart want something serious?
A spokesperson for Benicio del Toro was very keen to point out that their client and Kimberly Stewart were not romantically involved when news that the couple were expecting first emerged in 2011. In a statement obtained by Reuters, they clarified, "Although they are not a couple, they are looking forward to the arrival of the baby."
According to some reports, though, the model was hoping that at some point "The Usual Suspects" star would have put a ring on it. An insider allegedly told Closer magazine (via Independent.ie), "Kim was hoping they'd live happily ever after. Kim knew Benicio just considered her a fling. Then when she ended up pregnant, Benicio said he wouldn't marry her and didn't want a relationship — but he'd support the baby."
Del Toro has always made it clear that he's happy to remain an eternal bachelor. When asked why he'd never walked down the aisle in a chat with Esquire, the two-time Academy Award nominee replied (via Daily Mail), "Why do I have to get married? So I can get divorced?"
Benicio del Toro stays 'very involved'
Academy Award winner Benicio del Toro might have been determined to keep his Hollywood playboy reputation intact after briefly getting together with Kimberly Stewart. But that didn't mean he swerved his duties as a father.
In her first interview after giving birth to daughter Delilah Genoveva Stewart del Toro, the socialite told Hello! magazine in 2011 that the "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" star had been the picture of attentiveness. She said, "The whole family, including Benicio, was at the hospital and my mom and Benicio were in the delivery room with me. Benicio's very involved; he and Delilah have a very special bond." As for which of her famous parents Delilah most closely resembles? According to Stewart, she's inherited traits from both parties. "Delilah is starting to smile; she's the perfect little angel," she said in Hello! magazine. "She definitely looks like her dad, but she has my legs and eye color."
While their hookup was a tabloid fixture, del Toro and Stewart are set on keeping their daughter out of the spotlight — so much so that Stewart didn't include her in the E! reality series "Stewarts & Hamiltons." "I felt that she needs to grow up in a normal — or as normal as you can get in this town and in my family — and she should remain private and have her privacy," she said in news.au.co. "So that was my only boundary."
Did Kimberly Stewart want a second child?
Kimberly Stewart and Benicio del Toro surprised everybody in 2011 when they revealed they were going to become parents, although not partners, together. And according to the rumor mill, the former was hoping at some point to surprise everyone again.
Yes, in 2013, Star magazine (via Heavy) reported that the one-time model desperately wanted daughter Delilah to grow up with a younger sibling. And who better to help expand her family unit than a certain brooding actor? An anonymous insider said, "She said she couldn't imagine having a baby with any other man. She said they have a great system going, and she really wants Delilah to have a full blood sibling."
Who knows whether this was all just pure speculation? But we can confirm that Stewart and del Toro didn't have a second child together, nor have they had one with any other party, either. Luckily, Delilah isn't likely to have been short of company while growing up. Stewart told Hello! that her daughter had already become attached to Aiden, the socialite's half-brother from dad Rod Stewart's marriage to Penny Lancaster: "Since they are only six months apart, I am counting on them being best friends."
They've both learned from their daughter
You're never too old to learn, as the saying goes, and Kimberly Stewart and Benicio del Toro have both revealed that the daughter they share has taught them plenty of things about this thing we call life.
In 2015, the former told news.com.au that despite once making a living as a model, she doesn't always get it right with her sense of style. Well, that's according to her only child Delilah anyway. Stewart said, "She'll look at me sometimes and she doesn't need to say anything — she'll just look at me and I just know that I'm wearing the wrong shoes or something." Luckily, the youngster knows how to throw shade while remaining unfailingly polite. As Stewart said in Hello!, "She's sassy and has great manners — I really instilled that from a young age — so she's always saying 'please' and 'thank you.'"
And while promoting "Sicario: Day of the Soldado" in 2018, del Toro told Us Weekly that fatherhood has helped to improve his compromising skills and ability to keep cool, something which apparently comes in particularly handy whenever Delilah is in the midst of a tantrum. In a chat with Independent.ie shortly after his daughter's birth, the actor also revealed becoming a dad has made him reassess life in general: "And so having a child now you look back at yourself and you have to think about things that are important that you learn from your parents and your upbringing and move it forward."
Benicio del Toro and Rod Stewart get along
Benicio del Toro might not have made an honest woman out of Kimberly Stewart, but despite reports to the contrary, the latter's rock star father doesn't appear to have held this against the award-winning screen star.
In fact, Rod Stewart will often join his daughter and her former beau for family trips, something which the latter still can't quite get his head around. In 2015, del Toro told Port magazine (via Us Weekly), "Who would have thought it? I told a friend from school and he goes, 'Bro, if I'd told you, 'I see in your future that you'll go to Disneyland with Rod Stewart,' you would have said, 'No way.'" As for what it's like to go to the theme park with the musician? "It's cool," del Toro said on "Conan." "He knows what rides to hit."
The "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" actor might get along well with the "If Ya Think I'm Sexy" hitmaker, but there does appear to be at least a bit of professional rivalry between the pair. As del Toro joked in the aforementioned Port interview, "I might pull the Oscar out to show to my daughter. Grandpa has a lot of stuff, but he ain't got one of those."
Kimberly Stewart has found love elsewhere
Kimberly Stewart might not have settled down with the father of her only child but she does appear to have found love elsewhere since her brief dalliance with Benicio del Toro. According to the Daily Mail, the former model began dating Jesse Shapira, a film producer whose resume boasts Academy Award favorite "Room," in 2019. And two years later, the two were still being pictured out and about together. They're also not averse to the odd public display of affection, either.
Stewart needed to kiss a few frogs before she found her man, though. In 2013, E! News reported that she apparently had something going on with Harry Styles, the One Direction heartthrob 15 years her junior. In fact, her father Rod Stewart pretty much confirmed that she and the boybander spent the night together during an appearance on British talk show "Alan Carr: Chatty Man" (via Hello!). And shortly after, outlets like Page Six reported she supposedly connected with Scott Disick, a reality TV star who's good friends with her brother Sean Stewart.
But none of these relationships seem to have been particularly serious. When asked about the state of her love life in 2015 by Hello! magazine, Stewart revealed that she'd been "dating here and there, but no one who I would want to introduce Delilah to."
Benicio del Toro is still a proud bachelor
Before Benicio del Toro briefly got together with Kimberly Stewart, his romantic history read like a who's who of Hollywood. Calling him a "laid-back ladies man," the Evening Standard pointed out that the rumor mill has linked him to a number of A-list stars like Alicia Silverstone, Minnie Driver, and Scarlett Johansson.
However, his love life has been less of a tabloid staple since becoming a parent. In a 2018 chat with Esquire, the Golden Globe winner admitted that he was something of a loner before explaining why he's still very much one of Hollywood's most notable bachelors. Del Toro said, "I've been in love. Yeah, I've been in love several times. A lot of times when you've started having a relationship with someone and you fall in love, you're very vulnerable, so you become unstable really quick and that causes all kinds of drama, and that's not good." However, the actor did hint at a new love interest by revealing that "someone special" had gifted him a silver ring shaped like a lion's head.
According to the Oscar winner, dating around isn't his thing. "I've never been a guy who likes to play the field and even though you get more opportunities as your level of recognition goes up, I'm not interested in playing that game because it's a pretty shallow lifestyle," he once told Cinema.com. "Right now I'm so busy I honestly don't think I can have a long-term relationship."
Kimberly Stewart and Benicio del Toro continue to co-parent
Kimberly Stewart and Benicio del Toro's relationship might allegedly have only lasted a single night at the Chateau Marmont, but thanks to the child who was reportedly conceived at the Hollywood landmark, they are both still very much involved in each other's day-to-day lives.
The pair have often been pictured together enjoying family days out with their daughter Delilah. In 2016, the Daily Mail ran photos of the trio visiting Los Angeles' California Science Center. A few years before that, del Toro and Stewart were spotted leaving a friend's house with their tot in tow shortly after her first birthday, per Us Weekly. And then in 2013, the Daily Mail shared snaps of the former paramours at a Puerto Rican airport with their little tot ahead of her christening.
As for why they chose to call their child Delilah? Well, it turns out that a ladies' man who's been a fixture of the British music scene since the 1960s was an inspiration. No, we're not referring to Stewart's famous father Rod. The socialite told Hello! magazine in 2013, "I named her after the Tom Jones song, as I'd always loved that."
Benicio del Toro is 'grateful'
Benicio del Toro's world changed in a big way after his fling with Kimberly Stewart, but he has no regrets about their supposed one-night stand becoming something of a lifelong commitment thanks to the birth of daughter Delilah.
"Life has taught me that you can't say never," the star of Wes Anderson's "The French Dispatch" told Esquire in 2018. "I don't know what the future will bring. I'm not with the mother of my daughter, and we have a good understanding of what happened and I'm grateful." However, the actor did admit that if he was to become a parent again he'd much prefer to be in a stable relationship. Del Toro also acknowledged that he would have been a "terrible dad" had such a development occurred earlier on in his life. "I went out every night to pubs and discos and parties," he said. "Every night. That started to change in my late twenties, when I started getting really busy, but still I went out every day. I don't understand how people get married really young. I mean, I do understand it but you can see that it's difficult."
Becoming a father has also changed his outlook on his career. "So there's a responsibility here that I never had before," he explained to Independent.ie. "When I worked, I only looked at myself and now I've gotta think there's someone else."