As Anna Nicole's daughter, Dannielynn may seem destined for the limelight, but does
she even want it? Like any normal teen, she's in her phone too much, fangirling over Kylie,
and — like, ohmygod stop — getting annoyed with Dad.
"You're always pointin' out my flaws. That's why I love you so."
Dannielynn Birkhead was just
5 months old when her mom, Anna Nicole Smith, died of an accidental overdose. And ever since,
she's been raised by her dad, Larry Birkhead — who strives to keep her mother's memory alive.
"I have a daughter who doesn't have a mom.
And I have to paint a picture for Dannielynn of who her mom was."
When she was six years old, Larry agreed to Dannielynn doing a Guess modeling
campaign — just like her mom did, back in the day. As he shared with the Daily Mail in 2019,
"It was the 25th anniversary of her mom's campaign. […] People always say, 'Is she going
to be an actress? Is she going to be a model?' And I never push her in a certain direction."
While Dannielynn admitted the shoot gave her a glimpse into her mom's former world as a model,
it doesn't sound like she'll be rushing into the industry anytime soon.
She told the Daily Mail that she doesn't like to be stared at.
"It was kind of weird to see me in all of that, like, giant billboard in New York."
They may be living life off the
Tinseltown grid, in Kentucky, but that doesn't mean these two are stuck in the house. In 2016,
they hit Universal Studios in California. And a year later,
they traveled to the Bahamas to commemorate what would have been Anna Nicole's 50th birthday.
"This trip back for Dannielynn is kind of special because she doesn't
really know a whole lot about the place where she was born."
While visiting the islands, the duo even stopped by the courthouse where
Larry fought for custody of Dannielynn — and was ultimately proven to be her biological father.
A pretty sweet memory, and the start of their life-long story together.
From Halloween to the Kentucky Derby, these two are all about the fun family traditions.
When Dannielynn was younger, she once dressed up as Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz," with her dad
as the scarecrow. Another time, Dannielynn was a witch and Larry a vampire. Then, in 2017,
the duo went all out, with Larry as Pennywise and Dannielynn as Georgie. A year later,
they crushed it as "The Exorcist" — with a little split pea soup for effect.
The duo also famously does it up for the Kentucky Derby. And in 2019,
Dannielynn even rocked the same hat her mother once wore to the Derby, in 2004.
For the record, that was the place where Larry and Anna Nicole crossed paths for the very first time.
"I'm Larry Birkhead. I'm a little nervous about doin' this dating thing."
Over the years, it appears Dannielynn has played a sort of matchmaker for her dad.
Noting that his daughter is desperate for him to find a girlfriend, Larry told Us Weekly in 2016,
"She's trying her best. And it's sweet."
But the two may have slightly different
tastes when it comes to the ideal match. According to Entertainment Tonight,
Dannielynn's top choices for Larry were Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian. Larry also says
Dannielynn has attempted to match him with her friends' moms. About that, Larry says,
"It's cute when she tries to push me out of the house and get me to date and do things."
Dannielynn not only
looks like Anna Nicole, she also shares similar personality traits.
As Larry shared with "20/20," Dannielynn is "fearless," adding,
"She'll get on any roller coaster that you put in front of her."
Plus, as he joked with Us Weekly, she can sure spend money like her mom did. That,
and she has the same sense of humor — and likes scary movies. On February 8th,
2022, the 15th anniversary of Anna Nicole's death, Larry posted to Instagram,
"Your love is alive still to this day,
in the form of a truly one of a kind teenager with her Mom's smile, beauty and courage."
If you need more proof that
Dannielynn is just a normal kid, we have it! Larry revealed to "20/20" that some of his
daughter's favorite things included Snapchat, French fries, Girl Scouts, and her pet lizard.
"She's doing really good in all her grades except when she's worried about her phone."
"No. Please."
"Gimme the phone. This is all you think about, is the phone."
But that normalcy is carefully crafted.
Larry also strives to shield Dannielynn from negative press about her mom. It's one of the
reasons the duo moved to Kentucky early on. As Larry told the Daily Mail of Anna Nicole,
"That's the thing, there's so many bad things that people say
and rarely do you hear the good things that she did for charities and different people."
With a mom who was a model,
Playboy playmate, and ultra-famous reality star, fans have always assumed Dannielynn
might one day follow in her footsteps. But as Larry told the Daily Mail,
"She's not interested in doing that kind of stuff. […] Right now she's just being a kid."
But, as she's gotten older, Dannielynn has developed a love for the arts. She's even
taking an acting class — and apparently, she has a knack for it, too. As her dad proudly shared,
"I got an email from a teacher and she said Dannielynn gave one of the
most believable performances of the whole, whole entire school."
"It's really cool to, like, act as a character and not yourself. Portraying a new person is fun."
It looks like Larry is happy to let his talented daughter discover her own interests, as she goes.
"If she wants to do something like that when she's older, we'll see when we get there."
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus,
even more List videos about your favorite celebrities are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don’t miss a single one.