'Being a parent is the biggest gift': Bridget Mendler says she secretly adopted her first child in 2022

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Bridget Mendler has again made headlines just hours after she made an announcement regarding the launch of her space startup. The former 'Good Luck Charlie' star revealed on X on Monday, February 19, that she secretly adopted her first child in 2022. 

“The other news I wanted to share is I’m a mama to a sweet 4yo boy,” the 31-year-old wrote alongside a photo of the two at the beach, as per People. “Started fostering in 2021 adopted near Christmas of 2022. I’m so lucky — being a parent is the biggest gift and most defining experience there is,” she added.

Bridget Mendler previously shared a photo of her toddler in 2022

Although the Disney alum, who has been married to Griffin Cleverly since 2019, did not divulge into any more details about her little one, she previously shared a photo of the toddler playing in the snow back in January 2022.

Bridget Mendler is now the owner and CEO of Northwood Space

Mendler revealed on X that she’s now the co-founder and CEO of Northwood Space, a startup set “on building a data highway between earth and space.” “We are designing shared ground infrastructure from first principles to expand access to space,” she wrote, noting that the company has already scored $6.3 million in funding from several high-profile investors.

“We have a lot of work ahead of us but that’s the fun part,” she added.

Bridget Mendler says she conceptualized her company during lockdown

The actress and songwriter explained in a subsequent interview with CNBC that she conceptualized the company during the Covid-19 lockdown, which she spent in New Hampshire alongside her family.

“While everybody else was making their sourdough starters, we were building antennas out of random crap we could find at Home Depot … and receiving data from [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] satellites,” Mendler told the outlet, adding “For me, why the ground-side matters is because it actually is about bringing the impacts of space home to people.”

Mendler explained that the “actual exercise of sending data to and from space” is still quite “difficult” despite the recent advancements in the exploration of space, which is where the company becomes relevant. Northwood aims to mass produce satellite ground stations that prioritize “fast production and deployment flexibility.”

Mendler also obtained a Harvard law degree and a PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. While getting her JD at Harvard, Mendler also served as co-president of the Harvard Space Law Society, as per her LinkedIn. She also spent time at the Federal Communications Commission’s new Space Bureau, where she “completely fell in love with space law,” as per CNBC.