Dear Mama: 15 Celebrity Mamas’ Boys

They say you can tell how a man will treat a woman by the way he treats his mom. If that’s the case, these celebrity mamas’ boys are great catches.

Usher

A guy may have to worry about getting along with his girlfriend’s father but it’s the boyfriend’s mom that women have to worry about — especially if he’s close to her. Tameka Foster just couldn’t impress Usher’s mom Jonetta, which put the R&B singer in an awkward position back in the day. Jonetta disapproved of Foster so much, she skipped their wedding. She had been her son’s manager up until that time but when he became a married father, Usher relieved his mother of her duties. Thankfully, when their union ended in divorce a few years later, Jonetta refrained from saying “I told you so.”

Justin Timberlake

Not only are they mother and son but Justin Timberlake calls his mama Lynn Harris his best friend. The former boy band member has admitted to confiding in Lynn like she’s one of the guys. They are so close, he even said he measures every woman against her. Needless to say, it was important that his wife Jessica Biel got along with his mom and thankfully she does. “I love Lynn,” Biel said to “People” magazine. “Lynn is the most wonderful woman. I am so in love with her.”

Sean “Diddy” Combs

Sean “Diddy” Combs has had a lot of women come in and out of his life but there has been one that’s been a constant: his mom Janice Combs. Diddy’s dad was killed when he was very young so it’s just been him and Janice for much of his life. He’s so close to his mom, they have something more than a mother-son relationship. “In fact, it’s not like having a mom,” Diddy explained. “It’s like having a sister. She’s so down-to-earth. She never really treated me like a kid, but when I needed to be babied, she babied me. We both like celebrating life and we like celebrating each other.”

Lil Scrappy

Lil Scrappy had a fan base in his hometown but most of us got to know him on VH1’s “Love & Hip Hop Atlanta.” We also got to know his mama, too. Mama Dee is character in her own right who stole the show, but she was also had a lot of control over her son and inserted herself into his love life a bit too much. The self-proclaimed Prince of the South tried to put his mom in check but she continued to meddle in his life and fix him up with who she thought was best suited for her son.

Bradley Cooper

Bradley Cooper is one of Hollywood’s leading men but he’s also a mama’s boy at heart. The “Silver Linings Playbook” star stepped up big time when his father passed away in 2011. Mama Gloria moved in with her A-lister son and it became a full house when his girlfriend Suki Waterhouse moved in with him. But he never worried about his mother cramping his style because she was a “cool chick,” he said. “We can hang.” Mrs. Cooper also accompanied her son to the 2013 Academy Awards ceremony.

Leonardo DiCaprio

It looks like Leonardo DiCaprio is following in Jack Nicholson’s footsteps and remaining a bachelor for life. But maybe it’s because he’s never found a woman that has all of the qualities that he loves about his mother, Irmelin. “My mom is the center of my life,” the “Great Gatsby” star once admitted. “To have a woman like [my mother] in your life, who is strong, who’ll be honest with you about who you are, that’s something I treasure. And it’s something I look for in a woman.” Not only does Imelin tag along with her son to red carpet events, DiCaprio often brings his mom with him when he goes away on vacation.

Ryan Gosling

Part of Ryan Gosling’s allure is that he comes across as good-looking as he is sensitive. And it looks like the “Notebook” star really is in touch with his feminine side. He’s credited his mother, who raised him and his sister as a single parent, for shaping him into the person he is today. “I think like a girl,” Gosling said. “I was literally raised by my mother and my sister, and I just feel like I wouldn’t know how to think any other way.” Mom Donna Gosling, who has regularly attended movie premieres as her son’s date, has given her stamp of approval to his girlfriend and baby mama Eva Mendes.

Jared Leto

Jared Leto has become a regular on the red carpet and by his side for many of the events has been his mom. “We were born very poor, into pretty humble surroundings,” he said in an interview. “And, my mother always wanted to do something better with her life; she always wanted to do something better for her children.” When he won the Oscar for Best Actor, Leto gave a moving acceptance speech and dedicated his award to his mother, who has always encouraged him to follow his dreams.

Shia Labeouf

Shia Labeouf was once known for starring in blockbuster films like “Transformers” but soon he started making headlines for his odd behavior and head-scratching comments. One of his oddest interviews was in “Playboy” magazine where the former child star admitted to a somewhat unhealthy opinion of his mother, Shayna. “Probably the sexiest woman I know is my mother,” Labeouf said. “If I could meet my mother and marry her, I would. I would be with my mother now, if she weren’t my mother, as sick as that sounds.” After more than a few people raised their eyebrows, Labeouf admitted he said that just to make his mother laugh.

Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise is a lot of things: international movie star, father, scientologist, and proud mama’s boy. The “Jack Reacher” star grew up in a single-parent household and he’s never forgotten the sacrifices his mother has made for him. She was also the one to push him when he was just starting out. “My mom kept saying, ‘you’ve got so much potential. Don’t give up,’” Cruise said. “She worked three jobs and took care of my sisters and me.”

Justin Bieber

Pattie Mallette gave birth to her future superstar son Justin Bieber when she was very young. Mallette had only been 18 years old. She raised Justin as a single mother and the two virtually grew up together. The Biebs even wrote a song for his mother as a Christmas gift. The mother/son team went into the studio together to record it and mama Pattie was the one in front of the microphone for a change. “We had so much fun and he was so great in the entire process,” she said about working with her son. “It was an incredible experience for us both.”

Vinny Guadagnino

It’s not unusual for Italian moms to be very close to their sons. “Jersey Shore’s” Vinny Guadagnino has an extremely close relationship with his mother Paola. During season one, she carted some home cooked Italian food from Staten Island to the shore because her baby boy was homesick. Vinny was proud to live at home with his mom and when the series ended, he landed his own spin-off show. On “The Show with Vinny,” the reality star invited celebrity guests over for a meal cooked by his mom.

Rich Dollaz

Rich Dollaz is known behind the scenes of the music business in New York but his messy ways have been put on display thanks to the original “Love & Hip Hop.” Despite his intentions, Rich Dollaz has a tendency to mix business with pleasure and unfortunately at times, that’s been bad for business. His decisions have affected his mother, who is also his business partner. She’s had to step in several times to clean up her son’s mess and she recently did so on the show when things between Rich Dollaz and fellow castmate Jhonni Blaze went left.

Shaquille O’Neal

Shaquille O’Neal was born to play basketball. He credits his father for encouraging him early on to devote his life to the sport. “My father made me who I am,” the former NBA superstar said. “He gave me a basketball and told me to play with the ball, sleep with the ball, dream with the ball.” His father may have shaped him but there’s nothing that comes between Shaq and his mom. “Above all else, I’m a mama’s boy!”

Allen Iverson

Allen Iverson may have been the smallest person out on the basketball court, but his fierceness and drive made him tough to defend. Off the court, he rocked cornrows, baggy clothes and lots of jewelry but deep down inside he was a mama’s boy at heart. Iverson was raised by his mother Ann, who had him when she was just 15 years old. She always knew he was destined for great things and was a constant fixture courtside throughout her son’s career. When his Philadelphia 76ers jersey was retired, Iverson made sure to thank his mother during his speech.