Kids looking like their parents isn’t a groundbreaking phenomenon, but it’s hard not to gawk at take notice of celebrity children who grew up to look identical to their famous parents. These people essentially hit the genetic jackpot, and I’m totally not jealous at all! The stunning similarity is not lost on these celebrity kids.
Reese Witherspoon’s daughter, Ava Phillippe, said it best: “It’s funny, I’m like, it would be a lot weirder if I didn’t look like my parents.” Ava doesn’t mind looking like one of the most famous and gorgeous actresses of the 2000s. *Pretends to be shocked.*
“My brother and I joke about it a lot because he gets similar comments. But I don’t hate it. It’s a great comparison,” she told Today about her brother, Deacon, who is a perfect blend of Reese and their dad, Ryan Phillippe.
With talent and looks (and our favorite buzzword nepotism), it’s not surprising many famous kids have gone on to find successful careers in show business. Many celebrity daughters have us doing double-takes as they rise through the ranks, but it’s not completely fair to assume it’s simply because of their last names.
Zoë Kravitz, daughter of Lisa Bonet and Lenny Kravitz, admitted it’s “hard” when people only credit her famous parents for her success as an actress, singer, model, and director.
“There was a little bit of embarrassment around what came with my last name. People would always assume that if I got a job, it was because of that. That was hard,” she told Elle UK. “But I was incredibly privileged. I got an agent easily. I’m not going to pretend like it didn’t help me get into the room.”
Many famous children have said they don’t really register their parents’ success until they become adults. Kaia Gerber followed in her mom Cindy Crawford’s footsteps by becoming an extremely sought after model. While it makes sense considering her upbringing (and the fact that she’s 5-foot-10), she said she wasn’t aware of her mom’s impact on the industry growing up.
“I didn’t really grasp the concept of what her work meant until later, when I watched her do it,” Kaia wrote in an essay for Vogue about growing up with her famous mom. “I didn’t know what Naomi Campbell, for example, did, either — I just knew she was my mom’s friend. Models were people long before I understood them as models.”
However, a lot has changed in the industry in the past 30 years, and Kaia is navigating a new kind of modeling career, which includes sharing her own voice on social media. Kaia isn’t just taking notes from Cindy, the education is mutual.
“I’m learning along with her about that stuff,” Crawford said of her daughter to People. “I feel like she seems like she has a very good head on her shoulders and is figuring out how she wants to create that private work-public balance.”
Celebrity Mother-Daughter Lookalike Duos
Reese Witherspoon and Ava Phillippe
Reese found out she was pregnant with Ava while filming Cruel Intentions. Two years after her birth in 1999, Reese’s career reached a whole new level after she starred in Legally Blonde.
Cindy Crawford and Kaia Gerber
This mother-daughter duo is so beautiful, that it’s almost unfair. Cindy was one of the most popular models in the ‘80s and ‘90s, and her daughter, who was born in 2001, is now becoming a household name.
Lisa Bonet and Zoë Kravitz
Glancing at their photo, sometimes it’s hard to tell who is the mother and who is the daughter. Lisa is of course an acting legend, and Zoë has been successful in pretty much every facet of showbusiness.
Robin Wright and Dylan Penn
This is exactly what I would expect the daughter of Robin Wright and Sean Penn to look like. Dylan appeared in Nick Jonas’ “Chains” music video, among other actual acting jobs.
Goldie Hawn and Kate Hudson
Kate has become ultra-famous in her own career, and she never forgets to thank her “inspiring” mom.
Leslie Mann and Maude Apatow
Maude has grown up in the public eye since her birth in 1997, and as she becomes a respected actor in her own right, she is looking more and more like her famous mother.
Diana Ross and Tracee Ellis Ross
Legends birth legends! While Diana is an iconic singer with songs like “Endless Love” and “I’m Coming Out,” her daughter opted to focus on acting, finding major success on Girlfriends, black-ish, and more.
Meryl Streep and Mamie Gummer
They don’t just look alike — they act alike. That was a bad pun, bur Mamie is also an actress like her Oscar-winning mother.
Uma Thurman and Maya Hawke
When your parents are Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, it’s not surprising Maya sings and acts — very well, might I add.
Gwyneth Paltrow and Apple Martin
The Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I’ll see myself out …
Jennifer Garner and Violet Affleck
Since Violet turned 18, she’s been stepping out at events more than ever with her famous mom, like the White House State Dinner, and she is a spitting image of Jennifer.