Strong. Healthy. Empowered.
For years, Jordana Brewster quietly lived with a life-altering diagnosis that few people knew about. After suffering a seizure at 28, she learned she had a cavernous malformation (CVM), a rare vascular condition in her brain that made carrying a pregnancy dangerously high-risk. While continuing a successful acting career, she privately managed her condition, navigated fertility treatments, and ultimately chose gestational surrogacy to grow her family.
In this candid conversation, Jordana joins Mary Alice Haney to share the emotional realities behind IVF, infertility, surrogacy, and the difficult decisions that come with protecting both your health and your dream of becoming a parent. She also opens up about undergoing awake brain surgery, overcoming the stigma of living with a neurological condition, healing from disordered eating, and how divorce, blended family life, and finding love again gave her the courage to embrace a completely new chapter.
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Jordana Brewster’s beauty and natural screen presence has etched her a permanent place in Hollywood in both film and television.
Jordana can most recently be seen in the independent feature THE PIRATE KING, which premiered at the 2026 SXSW Film Festival. She will next be seen as ‘Kat' in the upcoming Prime Video series BISHOP.
Jordana is best known for her work in the FAST & FURIOUS franchise which stands at over $7 billion worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing film series globally. The franchise is celebrating its 25th Anniversary since this original film this year which recently screened at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival and was named a “Cannes Classic.”
She can also be seen starring in the Sony feature HEART EYES with Devon Sawa and Olivia Holt, which released Feb 7, 2025. Jordana also starred in the thriller CELLAR DOOR with Scott Speedman and Laurence Fishburne, which was released by Lionsgate in November 2024.
On television, Jordan played the role of ‘Denise Brown’ in Ryan Murphy’s Emmy award winning series “American Crime Story”. She also starred on the FOX series “Lethal Weapon,” TNT’s “Dallas,” and ABC’s ”Secrets and Lies” opposite Juliette Lewis and Michael Ealy.
In between shooting the F&F franchise, Jordana attended and graduated from Yale University. She is fluent in Portuguese.
What You’ll Learn
Key Timestamps
00:00 Why Surrogacy Is Only Legal In 3 Countries
01:03 Meet Jordana Brewster, Actress, Mom And Survivor
03:39 When Jordana Decided She Wanted To Be A Mom
04:36 The Brain Diagnosis That Changed Everything
06:30 Living With A Seizure Disorder In Hollywood
09:03 The Breakthrough Seizures That Forced A Decision
10:11 What Awake Brain Surgery Actually Feels Like
12:08 Six Years Seizure Free After The Surgery
12:36 Overhauling Her Entire Life In 2020
15:43 The Stigma Around Surrogacy And What People Get Wrong
17:02 Finding The Right Surrogate And Trusting Your Gut
19:36 The IVF Journey And Why It Is Never A Slam Dunk
22:08 The Hardest Part Of Surrogacy Nobody Talks About
24:44 The Birth Story And Being In The Delivery Room
26:29 Why She Didn't Take Maternity Leave And Regrets It
27:37 Stop Ignoring The Man's Role In Fertility
31:43 Finding Love Again And Blending A Family Of Six
34:34 How To Successfully Navigate A Blended Family
46:37 Losing Paul Walker And How She Honors His Legacy
48:19 What She Would Tell Her Younger Self
Key Takeaways
