Cindy McCain and the late U.S. Senator John McCain have two daughters together, but you only hear about one: The View co-host Meghan McCain. However, as the matriarch of the McCain family promotes her new memoir, Stronger: Courage, Hope, and Humor in My Life with John McCain, which came out this week, she's opening up about her younger daughter, Bridget McCain, who she and her husband adopted in 1991 when she was barely three months old. Now 29, the youngest of the McCain clan—there's also John McCain IV and James McCain—has recently made her voice known. Keep reading to see what Cindy had to say about Bridget, who leads a very private life, and for details on her not-so-private oder sister, check out Meghan McCain Never Wants to Work With This The View Host Again.
Bridget lives near her mom in Arizona, where she's currently in school.
Michael Plotczyk / Alamy Stock PhotoIn a recent interview with People, McCain said her 29-year-old daughter Bridget is doing "great," providing a rare update on her private youngest child. "She's just a lovely human being," Cindy said.
Bridget is currently studying speech and hearing at Arizona State University, according to People, which means she's close to her mom in Phoenix. "I'm just so grateful to have her as a neighbor now," Cindy said. "I get to see her a little more."
And for another close famous mother and daughter, See Vanessa and Natalia Bryant Model in New Mother-Daughter Campaign.
Cindy says Bridget has a "dry sense of humor," like her dad.
Laura Segall/Getty ImagesCindy also said Bridget is "very funny and witty," a quality she shares with her father.
The story of how Bridget came into her dad's life is something the family also laughs about now. In an interview with Harper's Bazaar in 2007, Cindy said, "I brought home a baby without telling him, and he not only took it in stride but loved it, immediately embracing Bridget, who shares John's very dry sense of humor, so she and her dad do pretty well together."
John McCain also told dadmag.com the story in 2000. "[Cindy] was in Bangladesh and she and some of the medical personnel visited Mother Theresa's orphanage to try and help the children there," he recalled. "There were two little baby girls there. One had a heart problem the other a severe cleft palate. Cindy was very concerned about their ability to survive and their need for medical treatment, so she decided to bring them here for medical treatment. She fell in love with both of them. We decided to adopt Bridget. Two close friends of ours, adopted Mickey, the other child."
And for more on the realities of being adopted, check out 10 Things You'll Only Understand if You Were Adopted.
Bridget was the subject of a hateful rumor when she was just 9 years old.
Porter Gifford/Getty ImagesIn 2000, Bridget was the subject of hateful vitriol during her dad's campaign for the Republican Presidential nomination, with rumors allegedly spread by President George W. Bush's camp that McCain had fathered an illegitimate black child. "There were some pretty vile and hurtful things said," McCain told dadmag.com. "A lot of phone calls were made by people who said we should be very ashamed about her, about the color of her skin. Thousands and thousands of calls from people to voters ... I believe that there is a special place in h*** for people like those."
Googling her name, Bridget learned of the rumors when she was a teen. "Over the years, I was always afraid that someone at school would say something, but they didn't," Cindy told Harper's Bazaar. "It just never clicked that she'd look herself up on the Internet. She was so upset, took it so personally. John and I tried to make Bridget understand that people who say things like that are very wrong; it's not what we—nor most people—are about. Fortunately, she's an awfully strong girl."
Her dad said the same. "She's the toughest of the four," he told dadmag.com. "The youngest always has to be the toughest."
And for another celebrity who faced racism when she was younger, Priyanka Chopra Says Racist Bullying Made Her Leave the U.S.
She "stunned" her mom when she defended her dad in a tweet to Donald Trump in 2019.
Justin Sullivan / Getty ImagesDespite living a very private life, back in 2019, Bridget spoke out on Twitter against then-President Donald Trump and in support of her late dad. Trump had said he "never liked [McCain] much" and criticized the late senator's family, saying he had to "approve" McCain's funeral and "didn't get a thank you."
In response, Bridget tweeted: "Everyone doesn’t have to agree with my dad or like him, but I do ask you to be decent and respectful. If you can’t do those two things, be mindful. We only said goodbye to him almost 7 months ago. Even if you were invited to my dad’s funeral, you would have only wanted to be there for the credit and not for any condolences. Unfortunately, you could not be counted on to be courteous, as you are a child in the most important role the world knows"
The statement left Cindy feeling very "stunned" and "proud" of her daughter. "I just thought, 'Whoa, it's in there.' She's so quiet most of the time, and she's so introspective, and then all of a sudden this came out and it was so beautifully written that I was very proud of her," she told People.
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Her sister also commended her at the time.
On The View, Meghan said, “My little sister Bridget, for the first time ever, has decided she wanted to speak out—she’s very, very private." She added that she was surprised and impressed because Bridget is "very young and she does not speak publicly.”
Meghan also posted about her younger sister on Instagram, along with a photo of the two of them and their dad. "Incredibly proud of my brave sister Bridget @bridgyyyyboo for speaking out against President Trump. I love you more than I could ever possibly say," Meghan wrote in the caption. "Your strength and grace continues to help carry us all through our grief.
And for more famous faces we've lost, find out How Old 100 Iconic Stars Would Be If They Were Alive Today.
