Celebrity Celebrity Family Celebrity Babies Anthony Rapp Introduces Son's 'Awe-Inspiring' Surrogate with Sweet Maternity Photos: 'Forever Thankful' "She and her family have profoundly transformed our lives," the actor captioned his Saturday Instagram post By Jen Juneau Jen Juneau Jen Juneau is a News and Movies Staff Writer at PEOPLE. She started at the brand in 2016 and has more than 15 years' professional writing experience. People Editorial Guidelines Published on January 1, 2023 09:26AM EST Photo: Bruce Glikas/Getty Anthony Rapp is showing major gratitude to a very special person who helped make his dream of fatherhood a reality. On Saturday, the Star Trek: Discovery star, 51, shared a stunning set of professional photos featuring himself and fiancé Ken Ithiphol posing with their then-pregnant gestational surrogate, Nikki. (Nikki carried the couple's son Rai Larson, whom they welcomed on Dec. 2.) "Ken and I couldn't close out 2022 without sharing one of the biggest highlights of our year. We had the absolute honor and pleasure of getting to know, and share many meaningful and joyful moments with, our gestational surrogate, Nikki," Rapp began his caption on the post, which featured snapshots of Nikki showing off her bump — including one of the then-dads-to-be with their hands on her belly. The actor went on to call Nikki "truly one of the most incredible and awe-inspiring human beings we have ever met, and she and her family have profoundly transformed our lives." "Ken and I feel so lucky and are forever thankful. 💙," Rapp concluded. RELATED GALLERY: Famous Families Who've Welcomed Children Through Surrogacy Rapp announced baby Rai's arrival three days after his birth, sharing the family of three's first photo together to Instagram. "Ken and I are thrilled to share that our family has grown!" the Rent actor began in his caption. "Our son, Rai Larson Ithiphol, was brought into the world on Friday, Dec. 2, 2022, by an incredibly generous surrogate, to whom we are eternally grateful. (Rai is pronounced like 'rye' or 'chai.')" Rapp wrote. "We love him very much." Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories. The couple was met with an outpouring of love in the comments section from friends and fans. "Congrats!!" wrote Rapp's Star Trek costar Ethan Peck. "HALLELUJAH !! Welcome home, Rai!" his fellow Rent original Broadway cast member Daphne Rubin-Vega commented, while Lauren Lapkus wrote, "Congratulations!!" Anthony Rapp Welcomes Baby Boy Rai Larson with Fiancé Ken Ithiphol: "Our Family Has Grown!" The proud parents announced their engagement in November 2019 after Rapp popped the question to Ithiphol, a leadership coach, social researcher and advocate, following nearly four years together. "So something happened tonight. I asked @teerakeni if he would marry me and he said yes. I am so very happy, and I'm so very thrilled to share this news," he wrote on Instagram at the time. Rapp's exciting family news comes after he announced in November that he had another baby on the way, in the form of his Off-Broadway rock musical adaptation of his 2006 memoir Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical Rent, premiering Jan. 14 at New World Stages. The show recounts his relationship with his mother at around the time he made his Broadway debut in Rent back in 1996, featuring music by Rapp and his late pal and Rent creator Jonathan Larson. Close