From Kourtney Kardashian to Gwyneth Paltrow, these celebrities were cut off by their famous parents — and ultimately thrived without their parents’ support.
Having famous parents usually comes with its perks — but it’s not always as picture-perfect as it seems. In fact, there are a handful of celebrities who decided to financially cut off their children once they turned 18, forcing them to make it in the world on their own. Whether that meant enrolling in college or getting a job, these nepo babies had to rough it without financial backing. In the end, these familiar faces totally thrived without their parents’ support…and ended up becoming famous themselves!
Find out why these famous faces got cut off…
Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow says that her famous parents, Bruce Paltrow and Blythe Danner, financially cut her off when she was 18. Since then, Gwyneth has never taken a dime from her parents, even if it meant she was totally broke as a young adult.
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“He said, ‘You are completely on your own. So he never gave me anything. I never had any supplementation, he never helped me with my rent, I never had a trust fund. So the idea that I am spoiled or that I didn’t work for what I have, that’s just not accurate. But I can see how somebody might have that perception,” Gwyneth shared on BBC News’ HARDTalk.
Kourtney Kardashian
Kourtney Kardashian’s parents, Robert Kardashian and Kris Jenner, stopped financially supporting her after she graduated from the University of Arizona in 2002. After finishing school, her late father told her that she had a month to find a job — and then he was cutting her off.
“I was cut off when I graduated college,” Kourtney recalled on Inside Edition. “My dad was like, ‘You need to get a job. You have a month, I’ll help you find one. But then you have to make money and support yourself.’”
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Kim Kardashian
Like her older sister Kourtney, Kim Kardashian was also cut off by her parents. In a 2007 interview, Kim reflected being even more driven to work because she had grown up with “this privileged life” and wanted to maintain the lifestyle she was used to having.
“I just think that it’s actually probably harder we did grow up with this privileged life, but knowing that at a certain age we’re gonna be cut off and we can’t ask our parents for anything,” she said on Inside Edition.
She continued, “Already having that lifestyle growing up, we wanna maintain that. So it’s probably even harder for us, because a lot of people are doing nothing. And we were taught at a very young age that we’re gonna have to work, and we’re gonna have to fend for ourselves — and whatever lifestyle we want, we have to make that on our own. We’ve all worked since we were about 16 years old.”
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Kylie Jenner
Kylie Jenner was also cut off by her parents, Kris and Caitlyn Jenner, when she was just a young teenager. While fighting back against claims that she wasn’t actually “self-made,” Kylie shared that since she already had such a massive platform by age 15, her parents decided to stop financially supporting her.
“I had such a huge platform, I had so many followers already and I had so many people watching me,” she told Paper magazine. “My parents told me I needed to make my own money, it’s time to learn how to save and spend your own money, stuff like that. What I’m trying to say is I did have a platform, but none of my money is inherited.”
Dakota Johnson
Dakota Johnson was cut off by her parents, Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, when she decided against going to college in order to pursue her acting career. Looking back, Dakota admits it was tough and there were moments where she couldn’t afford groceries or rent — but if she was ever really in a bind, she could usually convince her mom to help out.
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“It was difficult, but I figured it out. He said to everybody — by ‘everybody,’ I mean all of my siblings…He calls it the ‘payroll.’ It’s an allowance. He said if you go to college, you still get an allowance. And I was like, ‘Well, I’m going to be an actress,’ so he was like, ‘Alright, well, you’re on your own.’ I was cut off,” she told Today.
Prince Harry
Prince Harry says that once he and his wife, Meghan Markle, decided to step down as working royals, his family financially cut them off and got rid of their security team. During a time of uncertainty when the couple was being hounded by the paparazzi, they were forced to pay for full-time security on their own. Harry thankfully had savings from what his mother, Princess Diana, had left him.
“My family literally cut me off financially, and I had to afford security for us. I’ve got what my mum left me, and without that, we would not have been able to do this,” Harry shared in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. “All I wanted was enough money to get security and keep my family safe.”
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A spokesman for King Charles has contested Harry’s claims, alleging that the couple were given “a substantial sum” as they transitioned out of their royal roles.
Sachi Parker
Shirley MacLaine’s daughter Sachi Parker was unexpectedly cut off by her mother right after finishing high school at age 17. Even though she wanted to go to college, Shirley didn’t think it was important and would not pay for Sachi’s education. When Sachi later asked for $500 to buy a used car, Shirley only agreed to give it to her as a loan, with interest charged.
“She doesn’t see the importance of it because she didn’t go [to college]. Neither did my father,” she told the Hartford Courant.
