While this family is not inclined to step into the limelight, they still have moments where they open up. One such example is when Mariska Hargitay spoke about her family in an exclusive interview.
She expressed that she loves being the mother to her three children, August, Andrew, and Amaya, who have taught her many lessons. More than that, she said that her husband, Peter Hermann, is her guiding light.
Peter, Andrew, August, and Amaya Hermann and Mariska Hargitay at the 2023 Stuttering Association For The Young (SAY) Benefit Gala in New York, 2023 | Source: Getty Images
The family made a rare appearance when they attended the 2023 Stuttering Association for the Young Benefit Gala, where Hollywood actress Mariska Hargitay and her dashing husband, Peter Hermann, stepped out to show support.
Though the stars’ appearances were something to marvel at, what was even more pleasantly surprising was the presence of their rarely-seen children. As Hargitay and Hermann took center stage on the carpet, three kids trailed along behind them and joined their parents for the special event
Posing for a family picture, Hargitay looked stunning in a pastel green colored wrap-around dress and wore her luscious brown hair loose as she protectively held onto her daughter, Amaya’s shoulder, who looked gorgeous in an off-the-shoulder floral dress. The little girl stood beside her big brother, Andrew, who adorned a dapper suit that matched his father’s.
Peter Hermann and Mariska Hargitay posing together at the 2023 Stuttering Association For The Young (SAY) Benefit Gala in New York, 2023 | Source: Getty Images
The eldest son, August, was situated in the middle of Mom and Dad in a blue long-sleeved t-shirt with a big smile on his face while his father placed a loving arm around his shoulders. August was born in 2006, and his siblings were adopted five years later, within six months of each other.
The “Welcome to 18” star has been married to her husband, Hermann, for 18 years, and the couple is still going strong. When asked about what the secret to being married for so long is, Hermann indicated that it all comes down to creating moments of joy and laughter:
“I never thought I would have this much laughter in my life. Not just actual laughter but also the way that Mariska is just the embodiment of laughter – of joy.”
Mariska Hargitay Has Three Children with Hubby Peter Hermann, Two of Which Are Adopted
Creating happy moments is imperative for the Hargitay-Hermann clan, and the family makes an avid point to engage in all sorts of fun, family-filled activities together.
However, things were not always so rosy and peachy for the family, as Hargitay revealed that they had actually faced an array of challenges when going through the adoption process for both Amaya and Andrew.
August Hermann and Mariska Hargitay at the US Open Tennis Championships on September 08, 2023 in New York. | Source: Getty Images
Having lost her mom at a very young age, Hargitay was primarily raised by her dad and stepmom. In this transition, she gained a few half-siblings, which prompted her to recognize that a family has the possibility of being formed in more ways than one, as opposed to the general nuclear way.
Hermann got down on bended knee and popped the question with a stunning weathered platinum band set adorned with nine round diamonds, and they wed in 2004.
Mariska Hargitay with two unidentified little boys at the “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” premiere in New York City, 2002 | Source: Getty Images
Opening up about the sometimes “devastating” times she and her husband went through when pursuing adoption, Hargitay warns that adoption is definitely not a process for the faint of heart.
Mariska Hargitay with Peter Hermann and their children at the Opening Night of Big Apple Circus on October 27, 2019 in New York. | Source: Getty Images
Hargitay’s family plan had always accounted for the presence of more than one child, and after she gave birth to her firstborn son at the age of 42, the couple knew they wanted a bigger family.
Mariska Hargitay at The Women’s Media Awards on October 19, 2023, in New York. | Source: Getty Images
As a young girl who grew up with a stepmom and half-siblings, Hargitay always knew she wanted to adopt. A family vacation in Thailand further solidified this sense of early maternal instinct that she had inside of her:
“I remember being in Thailand and India when I was 9 or 10 and seeing kids alone in the street and thinking, ‘Where are their moms?’…And …[and] I remember thinking, ‘I want to take them all home!’”
After meeting Hermann and getting married in 2004, around 2010, the pair decided to start their adoption process. The couple went through trial and error and endured a five-hour-long home visit to no avail:
“There were several cases that didn’t work out…But, while it may be ironic, the hardest disappointment was also the greatest moment in terms of what it means to help build a family.”
Peter Hermann with Mariska Hargitay at “The Music Man” Broadway Opening on February 10, 2022, in New York. | Source: Getty Images
An emotional toll started to affect the couple, constantly having their hopes of a successful adoption thwarted by different reasons, like, the birthmother changing her mind at the last minute in one instance, which Hargitay describes as extremely “painful,” to say the least. However, through perseverance, durability, and leaning on each other, they eventually became successful.
Precious baby Amaya Josephine Hermann was welcomed into the Hargitay-Hermann clan just a few weeks shy of being born in the U.S. Hargitay and her husband were over the moon about her arrival and instantly fell in love with the gorgeous little girl. Four to six months later, her baby brother, Andrew Nicolas, joined the crew, born two months premature.
Mariska Hargitay with Peter Hermann at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards on November 8, 2021, in New York. | Source: Getty Images
Andrew was a bonus baby, as the couple had thought they were done adopting. Still, after receiving another call from their lawyer asking them if they were interested, they found it impossible to say no. As for what protective big brother August had to say about the whole ordeal, his loving mom reported the following:
“August thinks this was all his idea! He said, ‘I want a baby sister,’ and Amaya came. Then he said, ‘I want a baby brother,’ and Andrew came. August is feeling pretty good and pretty powerful!”
Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann’s Golden Love Story
As the heads of their family, it’s clear that Hargitay and Hermann value the importance of building a family based on love, joy, and cultural inclusivity. How they raise their children reveals much about who they are as individuals and as a couple.
Hermann was born in New York but was raised in Germany until 10. After moving back to the States, he studied and mastered the English language at Yale University and became an English teacher for some time before pivoting to acting.
Once he found his passion, Hermann scored a guest appearance on the second season of the critically acclaimed series “Law & Order: SVU,” where he met his future wife and series regular Hargitay.
Before they wed in 2004, the couple went out on a first date after initially meeting on set. Hargitay claimed that she instantly knew that he was the one for her the minute Hermann invited her to church for their first date:
“Peter thought I was crying because I was so moved by the service [but] no, it was because I was just overwhelmed realizing he was the one.”
When it comes to Hermann giving his account of the moment he knew Hargitay was the one for him, the actor positions his feelings in a slightly more philosophical way. According to Hermann:
“I actually saw Mariska with all of the people that she loved around her [and] it was like seeing this person who was now in the soil, that she was just dying to be planted in. Which was this abundance of people and this abundance of love, and I thought, ‘I want to be part of that soil.’”
Hermann got down on bended knee and popped the question with a stunning weathered platinum band set adorned with nine round diamonds, and they wed in 2004. The couple has remained happily married ever since, and Hermann credits the sustenance and strength of their relationship to the way in which they always find their way back to each other, through the good times and the bad:
“It’s this fantastically, wonderfully ridiculous way that we can swing back and forth any number of times [on] any given day, but fundamentally we know we have the same destination.”
Hargitay and Hermann have built their dream family with their adorable three kids. Despite being confronted with hurdles head-on during the time when they were building their desired family, they persevered together and came out thriving on the other side.