The entertainment industry was built on family legacies — from Drew Barrymore and her legendary acting dynasty to Miley Cyrus and her talented musical family.
However, some stars want to avoid their children falling into the pitfalls of fame. After all, ‘nepo babies’ may start their careers with a foot forward based on their last name, but they also face intense scrutiny and endless comparisons to their famous family members.
Backlash and judgment are amplified in this social media age, making it even more difficult for second-generation celebrities to step out of their loved ones’ shadows.
Keep scrolling for a look at why Barrymore and more celebs have discouraged their children from following in their footsteps:
Related: Kevin Costner’s Son Hayes Set to Appear in Actor’s New Film
Several celebrity children have inherited their famous parents’ acting genes. Busy Philipps’ eldest daughter, Birdie, appeared alongside the actress in two episodes of Cougar Town and on the Prime Video series With Love. Philipps shares daughters Birdie and cricket with ex-husband Marc Silverstein. Much like Birdie, Milla Jovovich’s eldest daughter, Ever, began her acting career […]
Drew Barrymore
The Drew Barrymore Show host comes from one of Hollywood’s most storied clans — her grandfather John Barrymore and great-uncle Lionel Barrymore were two of Hollywood’s earliest stars and her great-aunt Ethel Barrymore was hailed as “The First Lady of the American Theater.”
Drew had her first acting job when she was just 11 months old and, after becoming a star in 1982’s E.T., famously struggled with the spotlight as a world-famous young adult.
The Golden Globe Award winner understandably told People in 2018 that she wasn’t willing to let her children face the same hardships she endured as a young actress. (She shares two daughters, 12-year-old Olive and 10-year-old Frankie, with ex-husband Will Kopelman.)
“I’m not going to let them be kid actors,” she insisted. “That’s so not their journey.”
Though acting is off the table for Olive and Frankie for now, Drew promised she would be supportive if her daughters developed an interest in acting later in life.
“If they want to be actors [later] in life, I would be so supportive of it,” she vowed. “Can you imagine me being [a] mom [who is] pushing her kids out there? That’s not going to happen.”
Ashley Tisdale
High School Musical alum Tisdale told Us Weekly exclusively in March 2025 that she “personally wouldn’t have [her kids] go into the business,” if at all possible.
Tisdale started her career at 3 years old and racked up roles in films like Donnie Darko and A Bug’s Life by the time she was a teenager.
Now a parent of two daughters — 4-year-old Jupiter Iris and 6-month-old Emerson Clover— with husband Christopher French, Tisdale says she would “support” her children no matter what career they wished to pursue even though she’d prefer for them to look outside of Hollywood.
Related: Celebrities Explain Why They Don’t Want to Have Children
Miley Cyrus, Ashley Judd and more celebrities are adamant about not wanting to have children. “We’re getting handed a piece-of-s–t planet, and I refuse to hand that down to my child,” Cyrus told Elle in July 2019. “Until I feel like my kid would live on an earth with fish in the water, I’m not […]
“I think I come from a different place where I’ve been in the business since I was 3 and been working since I was 3,” she pointed out. “The most important thing for my kids is for them to have a real childhood. I feel very lucky that I was a child actor, that I was able to go through every stage and still work is such an amazing thing.”
Tisdale justified her reluctance for her children to become actors because of how “rare” it is to actually succeed in the entertainment industry.
“I struggle with mental health. ” she added. “The biggest thing is for them to have a normal life. If they wanna do it when they’re older and can handle that, then I would support them.”
Jason Momoa
Momoa disclosed to Entertainment Tonight in 2021 that one of his and ex-wife Lisa Bonet’s two children — now-17-year-old Lola and 16-year-old Nakoa-Wolf— was interested in acting.
“I’m not a fan. I don’t want them to,” he conceded.
The Aquaman star insisted he would “try [his] damnedest to keep ’em out” of Hollywood because he didn’t want them to face the harsher elements of the business.
“I love storytelling, I love theatrical things, I like directing and filmmaking, but I just want them to, you know, really to go for other things,” Momoa said.
He went on, “If they [really] want to, maybe. But I don’t want them to get into acting. It’s very hard on people and I don’t want them to have that pressure. I’m tough, I can handle it, but I wouldn’t want to put someone I love [through] that.”
Ed Sheeran
Four-time Grammy winner Sheeran pulled no punches on the “Table Manners” podcast discussing the possibility of his and wife Cherry Seaborn’s daughters, 4-year-old Lyra Antarctica and 2-year-old Jupiter, trying their hand at the guitar.
“I think it’s from being in the music industry — I’m like, ‘I would not wish this on my child,’” he said in 2021.
Sheeran admitted that he would “hate” for Lyra and Jupiter to be known simply as his daughters and hoped they would be able to pursue their own dream.
“I think Lyra will be more [interested in] sport,” he added.
If that’s the case, Lyra could be taking after her mom Seaborn, who is a part-time, professional field hockey player.
Daniel Radcliffe
Radcliffe made his screen debut at age 11 in the lead role of 2001’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, after taking part in an international casting call. He would go on to star in eight Harry Potter films in total by the time he was 22.
The Harry Potter actor has since gone on the record against his 1-year-old son, whom he shares with partner Erin Darke, becoming a child actor like him. (Radcliffe and Darke have chosen not to publicly reveal their son’s name.)
“I don’t wanna stop him from doing that, but if you can do something other than acting — if you can do something behind the scenes, it’s a lot healthier life in a lot of ways,” Radcliffe told People in 2024. “I dunno, if he can act and not be famous, then great, I can encourage it.”
Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher
The former That ‘70s Show costars are parents to 10-year-old daughter Wyatt Isabelle and 8-year-old son Dimitri Portwood. Kunis once told Conan O’Brien that the last thing she wanted was to be parenting child stars.
“To say I wouldn’t allow her [to act] would be horrible, but I’d really, really like for [Wyatt] not to be in this industry in any form,” she explained in 2013.
Kunis teased her husband’s sports ambitions for Wyatt, saying, “I think that if it was up to him, she would be the very first female professional NFL coach. Specifically for the Chicago Bears. That is what he is molding her to be.”
Kevin Costner
Costner bragged in a 2024 interview with Australia’s TODAY that he had “not shoved [his] children into the business.” The Yellowstone star shares Annie, 40, Lily, 38, Joe, 37, and Liam, 26 with his first wife Cindy Silva and ex-girlfriend Bridget Rooney, respectively, as well as Cayden, 17, Hayes, 15, and Grace, 14 with second wife Christine Baumgartner. (Kevin and Christine finalized their divorce in 2024.)
Several of Kevin’s children work behind the scenes in entertainment, in addition to Hayes having a supporting role opposite his dad in Horizon: An American Saga.
“In a sense, it was a smaller part,” he explained to TODAY. “I selfishly wanted him with me for the week, two weeks, he was with me. And we would drive to the set every day and he would whisper. He didn’t have a lot of experience, but he’s really beautiful in the movie.”
Matt Damon
In 2012, Damon explained to The Hollywood Reporter that he was opposed to his and wife Luciana Bozán’s four daughters — 25-year-old Alexia, 18-year-old Isabella, 16-year-old Gia and 14-year-old Stella— pursuing acting because of the difficulties women face in Hollywood.
“I would try to steer my daughters away from acting,” Damon said.
The Oscar winner argued that, while it’s unfair for women to face different standards to men in any industry, he felt they are “in a different business” to their male counterparts in Hollywood.
“It is just brutal for women,” he said. “For us, the roles get really good at 40 and beyond. And that’s really when you start doing your best work.”
Nick Cannon
The former America’s Got Talent host is a father of 12, including sharing 13-year-old twins Monroe and Moroccan with ex-wife Mariah Carey. Cannon revealed to E! News in 2017 that all of his children — especially Monroe and Moroccan — are “hams.”
“They love attention. They love performing,” he said. “My son is fascinated with cameras and directing and making little movies. They definitely have the bug.”
Cannon said he wasn’t thrilled with the idea of any of his kids pursuing the spotlight because he’d much rather them grow up to be “nuclear physicists or brain surgeons.”
“I can’t control that. So if they want to be entertainers, I’ll support it,” he conceded.
The twins have gone on to appear in Carey’s music videos and each voiced a character in her 2017 animated movie All I Want for Christmas Is You.
Channing Tatum
In 2021, Tatum broached the subject of his and ex-wife Jenna Dewan’s daughter Everly, now 11, becoming an actress during an appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan.
“I want her to learn how to act if she wants to do that but I don’t know if I will be excited for her to just start acting as a job [when she’s] younger,” he said.
Tatum stressed to hosts Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest how important it was for Everly to have as normal a childhood as possible before deciding on a career.
He told the Live hosts, “I want her to experience life and do things but she’s going to do something. She’s such a little trickster.”
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