Ryan Murphy is best known for creating some of TV’s most iconic and genre-defying shows — Glee, American Horror Story, Pose and Feud, to name a few — but he’s also a father to three young boys with his husband David Miller.
The award-winning writer and producer shares Logan, Ford and Griffin with Miller. Their journey into parenthood began in 2012 with the birth of their first son, Logan, via surrogate. In 2014, they welcomed their second son, Ford. Six years later, the couple became dads once again with the arrival of their youngest, Griffin, in August 2020.
Murphy has posted about his children on social media, celebrating birthdays and milestones, and even opening up about personal struggles, including Ford’s cancer journey.
In a 2018 Instagram post, Murphy reflected on Ford’s health just after his 4th birthday, writing, “Ford was strong … and today he is thriving. He just celebrated his fourth birthday, a milestone we are all so thrilled about.”
Though Murphy initially envisioned himself as a strict parent, he told Entertainment Tonight in 2015 that his softer parenting style took him by surprise.
“I thought I was going to be the biggest hardass ever,” Murphy said. “I am shocked to tell you that I am the opposite. I am the biggest pushover. I’m the biggest softie.”
Here’s everything to know about Ryan Murphy’s three sons: Logan, Ford and Griffin.
Logan Phineas Miller Murphy, 12
Logan Phineas Miller Murphy is the eldest of Murphy and Miller’s three sons, born Dec. 24, 2012, via surrogate. He arrived at 9:47 a.m., weighing 6 lbs., 6 oz, and measuring 21 inches long.
News of Logan’s birth came as a surprise as Murphy didn’t publicly share that he and Miller were expecting. However, two months earlier, Murphy teased what kind of parent he hoped to be in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
“I think I’ll be incredibly fun and overwhelmed and all about manners,” he said. “I’m excited to have somebody or something come in and say: ‘Really? I don’t care what you think. I’m going to do what I want.’ ”
While Murphy and Miller tend to keep their children’s lives private, Logan has walked a few carpets with his dad. In 2019, he joined both his fathers’ sides at the premiere of Netflix’s The Politician in N.Y.C.
Six years later, Logan walked the carpet with Murphy again at the Television Academy’s Hall of Fame ceremony.
Ford Theodore Miller Murphy, 10
Murphy and Miller welcomed their second son, Ford Theodore Miller Murphy, on Oct. 3, 2014, via surrogate.
“He came home today — I’m so excited!” Murphy told PEOPLE at the premiere of American Horror Story: Freak Show days after Ford’s birth.
“It’s so emotional. I’m always so stunned how emotional it is,” he continued. “As a gay guy, growing up I never thought I’d have a family. So the fact that I have two children … that I’m married … it’s very overwhelming for me.”
Ford experienced a number of health scares from a young age. When he was an infant, he stopped breathing in the middle of the night due to a previously undiagnosed tracheal issue.
“We called 911. Obviously we were in panic and we were doing CPR and they showed up at 2 a.m. in the morning,” Murphy shared during a 9-1-1 panel in 2018, looking back on the incident. “They brought him back to life.”
When Ford was just 18 months old, he was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare childhood cancer. On his 6th birthday in 2020, Murphy marked the occasion by honoring his son on Instagram.
“Much love and respect to our warrior Ford Theodore Miller Murphy, who battled neuroblastoma cancer at 18 months and survived and thrived and today celebrated his SIXTH birthday,” he wrote in the caption.
He also expressed deep gratitude to the doctors and nurses who helped him during treatment, and revealed a special tribute to his son.
“There is in fact a wing with Ford’s name on it to honor his spirit and all the children who are still in the fight,” he wrote. “Ford loves jungle animals…thus the cheetah sleeping bag. We love you, Fordie.”
The producer confirmed in October 2019 that Ford had been declared cancer-free during a speech at Variety’s Power of Women event.
“Ford went through a six hour surgery and years of intense exams which required hours and hours of anesthesia. I cannot express to you in this room how difficult this was on him, how difficult this was for our family,” Murphy revealed to the audience. “I am so proud to proclaim that he is cancer-free.”
Griffin Sullivan Miller Murphy, 5
Griffin Sullivan Miller Murphy rounded out the family when he was born via surrogate on Aug. 18, 2020. Murphy announced his birth on Instagram, sharing a sweet post of the newborn nestled between his brothers. At his birth, Griffin weighed 6 lbs., 13 oz.
The producer first revealed that he and Miller were expecting their third son in a self-written June 2020 profile for Architectural Digest.
“We are expecting another baby, a boy, in August,” he wrote, before describing how he felt an “attack of color and Legos and bright Magna-Tiles” would be coming to his family’s home in the impending future.
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