John Travolta's Youngest Son Ben's Transformation Is Head-Turning

Over the years, John Travolta has shared many glimpses of his and Kelly Preston's youngest child, Ben Travolta, with the world. Even so, for longtime fans of the "Grease" star, it may still come as a shock just how much Ben has transformed. From miracle baby to parkour enthusiast kid and now a skiing teen, Ben is growing up fast.

Of course, Ben has been in the spotlight since before he was born. As those familiar with the Travolta family's heartbreaking past will recall, John and Preston were mourning the tragic death of their firstborn son, Jett Travolta, when they announced they were expecting a baby. The couple shared the news in a statement on their website in spring 2010, writing, "We want to be the first to share this great news with everyone that we are expecting a new addition to our family" (via CNN). That November, they shared another happy update. "We are overjoyed to announce the arrival of our son, Ella's baby brother, Benjamin Travolta. ... Benjamin is healthy and doing beautifully," they wrote on John's website. 

A few months later, the new parents would speak to People, describing their newborn as a "miracle." John also said of baby Ben, "He's given the house a renewed spirit and purpose." That particular line became especially poignant a few years later. In a 2014 interview, John shared that initially, he didn't know if he'd survive the pain of his eldest child's passing. "I didn't know if I was going to make it. ... Life was no longer interesting to me," he admitted (via BBC News). Ben certainly was a miracle in more ways than one, then — and in the years that have followed, his dad has made no secret of how much he adores him. 

At just 1 year old, Ben Travolta made his very first appearance in a music video. That was for John Travolta's 2013 Christmas collaboration with his "Grease" co-star and longtime friend Olivia Newton-John, "I Think You Might Like It." The video, which had a number of references to "Grease" and included footage of John flying, featured Ella Travolta and the late Kelly Preston as well — and speaking to the Ocala StarBanner, John shared that Ben was a major fan of the finished product. In fact, the actor quipped that his son had seen the music video "without exaggeration, 150 times."

Speaking about what Ben loved so much about the "I Think You Might Like It" music video, John shared, "It's not just because he likes himself in it, but he likes the music. He loves to dance, and he loves seeing the plane and the car. And, of course, he gets to see his sister and his dad and his mom. So it feels very comfortable for him. ... He is the cutest thing," the proud dad gushed.

Ben earned rave reviews for his performance from Newton-John, too. In an interview with SiriusXM, John quipped that he'd directed him to do the "happy dance," and Newton-John piped in to joke that she'd seen a similar performance in the past. "He's John all over again, I swear!" she laughed. Given just who John is, we'd reckon that counts as high praise.

Fans of John Travolta may remember that in 2015, a then-4-year-old Ben Travolta made a brief appearance on "The Late Show with David Letterman." Emphasis on brief, however, because while John initially thought Ben wanted to be involved (after all, the youngster had told him he wanted to become an actor not long before the interview happened), when it came time to join in for the interview, he'd evidently had a change of heart. 

After Letterman encouraged Ben to come on stage, Kelly Preston appeared at the wings — only for Ben to cling to her. The mom laughed and immediately walked back off set with him, though Letterman did his best to cajole him. John did, too, with the cameras showing the two of them in the wings with Ben and Preston. Ben began walking to his dad, prompting John to ask, "You wanna come now?" (via Houston Chronicle). However, the toddler made it clear he didn't, and John immediately halted his attempts. "Okay, alright," he quipped, running back on to the stage as the crowd laughed. 

Young Ben's face may never have been seen by the audience, but he certainly had a moment all the same! In fact, we may even go as far as saying John fell into the category of celebrities upstaged by their kids on live TV. 

Perhaps because of how he responded to being called on stage on "The Late Show with David Letterman," John Travolta and Kelly Preston kept Ben Travolta out of the spotlight for the next few years. However, once he was a little older (and once his parents had social media), Ben began making public appearances again. 

Notably, when the Preston-Travolta family went to the Cannes Film Festival in 2018, Ben joined his parents and sister on the red carpet to celebrate John being honored with the Inaugural Variety Cinema Icon Award. His parents also shared behind-the-scenes footage of what it was like having a 7-year-old at the festival. In one video Preston shared to Instagram, Ben did backflips on a hotel bed while she waited to do an interview about the film she and John were promoting at the time, "Gotti." In another snap, Kelly sipped a warm drink during glam while Ben snuck snacks off the table behind her. "Cutest little bacon thief in the background," the mom quipped in the caption. 

Ben also made several behind-the-scenes appearances on his dad's Instagram in 2018 — and in 2019, he even had a do-over interview, this time with Extra. John had taken him to watch Super Bowl LIII, and mid-interview with the outlet, he called Ben over. The youngster was still a little shy, keeping his answers short and sweet (and revealing that he was backing the Patriots), but it was a marked difference from the time he'd run off David Letterman's set. Baby steps, as they say. 

John Travolta may have gushed to the Ocala StarBanner about Ben Travolta's love of dance when he was a baby, but it turns out his real love is something even more strenuous. As should have already been clear from his backflips in Cannes, the youngster is an avid acrobat, and a talented one at that. John regularly shares videos of his son's unexpected talent on social media, showing off his parkour abilities in 2022 and proudly bragging that he'd reached Level 3 Ninja status in a 2022 Instagram post. John has also shared videos of Ben using the gymnastics equipment in their garage, and it's safe to say he's very good at what he does. 

Ben certainly hasn't limited himself to just one sport, though. On the contrary, John has also shared videos of his impressive skiing skills on Instagram — and even that has shown major improvement over time. As if the video the Oscar nominee shared of Ben in February 2024 wasn't already impressive enough, just a month later, he was on even steeper slopes. 

As a teen, Ben's skills on the slopes have only gone from strength to strength, and in 2025, John once again showed off his progress. That wasn't all, though. Late 2025 footage of Ben only proved how much of an adrenaline junkie the teen was, with one video showing him on a snowy hike on a mountain in Norway. "Ain't no mountain high enough for my son Ben," John wrote in the Instagram caption, and he certainly wasn't exaggerating, there! 

Even though John Travolta and Kelly Preston never really hid any of their kids from the spotlight, many were still shocked by just how grown up Ben Travolta looked during his trip to Norway. "Wow! Ben's all grown up," wrote one fan on Instagram. "Ben is grown up and he became soo handsome!" penned another. For what it's worth, it certainly seems as though his dad feels the same way. In another Instagram post in honor of Ben's 15th birthday, John gushed, "I can't believe how quickly you've grown up!" Once again, John's followers were in agreement. "They don't stay little long do they?" one fan asked. "Why do our children have to grow up so fast ... It's a blessing and a heartbreak rolled into one. Happy birthday to your baby," shared another. 

Others simply sent their well-wishes for the teen, including those who knew the family personally. Such was the case with John's "Mob Land" co-star, Tim Murphy. "You can see the love in the smile," Murphy wrote. Still more congratulated John for being such a present father with his kids. 

Ben has endured a ton of tragedy in his life, being born into a family still grieving the brother he never met, as well as losing his mother before he'd even reached his 10th birthday. He's also faced the loss of family friends, including Olivia Newton-John, Kirstie Alley (who had actually played matchmaker for his parents), and Lisa-Marie Presley. Through it all, though, he's had his dad and sister by his side, and there's no question that the trio is incredibly close. Between sweet Easter videos, Christmas traditions, and countless family trips, Ben has a whole lot of love around him, and we're wishing him nothing but the best.