What You Didn't Know About John Travolta's Only Daughter Ella

Ella Bleu Travolta was born on April 3, 2000, and is the only daughter of actor John Travolta and his late wife, actress Kelly Preston. Growing up surrounded by the entertainment industry, Ella developed an interest in performing at an early age and eventually created a name for herself as an actress, singer, and model. 

She made her acting debut as a child, appearing alongside her father in the 2009 comedy "Old Dogs." As she got older, Ella continued acting, taking on roles in projects like "The Poison Rose" and the short film "That's Life." 

Although Ella may be the very definition of a Nepo baby, she has worked to establish her own identity in the entertainment world. She has talked about the support and guidance that she has received from her parents, especially her dad, crediting them with inspiring her creativity and passion for performing. While many know her as John Travolta's daughter, there are plenty of details about Ella's life that fans may not know. From her early days in Hollywood to the personal moments that shaped her, Ella's story goes beyond her famous last name.

Ella Travolta's mother, Kelly Preston, died in July 2020, two years after being diagnosed with breast cancer. At the time, Ella was 20 years old, while her younger brother Benjamin was just 9. The loss came more than a decade after the family had already endured Ella's brother Jett's sudden death in 2009, making Preston's passing especially devastating for the Travolta family as a whole. One day after Preston's tragic death, Ella posted her very first photo on Instagram — a tribute to her beloved mom.

"I have never met anyone as courageous, strong, beautiful and loving as you," Ella wrote in the caption of the post. "Anyone who is lucky enough to have known you or to have ever been in your presence will agree that you have a glow and a light that never ceases to shine and that makes anyone around you feel instantly happy," she added. 

Ella went on to thank her mom for her love and support and for "making this world a better place." The comments section was filled with condolences from fans around the globe.

Ella Travolta is no stranger to tragedy. In 2009, her older brother, Jett Travolta, died in a tragic accident while the family was on vacation in the Bahamas. According to authorities, Jett was found unconscious by a caretaker and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where it was determined that the 16-year-old had struck his head in a bathtub. 

Jett had been diagnosed with Kawasaki disease at age 2, a condition that can cause inflammation of the arteries. If left untreated, it can lead to serious heart complications such as aneurysms, according to the Mayo Clinic. Jett was also known to suffer from seizures. The family's lawyer, Michael Ossi, said seizures were believed to have played a role in the incident in the Bahamas.

At the time of Jett's death, Ella was just 9 years old. She has largely kept her memories of her brother private over the years, rarely speaking publicly about the loss. In 2024, she briefly paid tribute to him on Instagram, sharing a birthday message that read, "Happy Birthday, Jetty. I love you always," according to People magazine. That post has since been deleted from Ella's feed — and she hasn't posted about him since.

Ella Travolta made her big-screen debut in "Old Dogs," a 2009 comedy film starring Robin Williams and her father, John Travolta. "When she was seven, she said, 'Daddy, I want to do a movie,'" Travolta said on a 2019 episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!", according to People. "One week later, the opportunity to work on "Old Dogs" presented itself." In the film, Ella plays Williams' daughter, while her real-life father portrays Williams' business partner. Ella's mother, Kelly Preston, also appears in the movie as her on-screen mom, which likely made "acting" a bit easier for Ella. 

In the years since, Ella has acted alongside her dad. She's gone on to appear in a handful of other films, including "The Poison Rose" and "Propeller: One-Way Night Coach," which also stars her famous dad. She also has two upcoming projects in the works: "Nice People," alongside Sosie Bacon, Chloe Bennet, and Skylar Astin, and "Black Tides," which also stars John Travolta. 

"Since I was very little, I've loved performing, singing, dancing, and putting on shows at home for my family and friends," Ella told People magazine in 2019. She went on to say that having her parents as mentors has been "amazing."

In addition to acting, Ella Travolta also sings. "At the beginning of the pandemic, I had a bunch of little voice notes on my phone of snippets of songs that I came up with or melodies. I play ukulele, and I write a lot on ukulele, so little ukulele songs [too]," she told People in 2024. "[My dad] was like, 'Oh, wow, you should really finish these. You should finish these songs, and then, you could record demos of them or something,'" she recalled. Ella released the songs "Dizzy" and "No Thank You" before recording and releasing her very first EP, "Colors of Love," in 2024.

One of her songs, "Little Bird," was written about her late mother. "'Little bird' is a song about a beautiful time in my life," she wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post, according to ABC News. "I spent the last two years thinking about what I wanted this song to be, only for it to be written overnight. 

This song is about the celebration of life," she added. Music is very important to Ella, though she had admitted that she wasn't very confident in her songwriting skills. Like other musicians, however, Ella has drawn inspiration from her own life.

Way back in 2004, Kelly Preston appeared in an iconic "Got Milk" ad. "Lighten up," the caption of the ad, which featured Preston with a milk mustache, read. In 2023, Ella Travolta was one of a handful of celebrity kids who recreated their parents' "Got Milk" ads, introducing the world to the next generation of milk drinkers. 

Ella, along with Brooklyn Beckham (mom is Victoria Beckham), Myles O'Neal (dad is Shaquille O'Neal), and Sailor Brinkley-Cook (mom is Christie Brinkley), posed for photos as part of Silk's Nextmilk campaign, which promoted plant-based milk options. 

The campaign was a full-circle moment for Ella, who posed in a pink fitted T-shirt while holding a half-full glass of milk. In an interview about the ad, Ella said she'd been strictly plant-based for about a year. "That's sort of my specialty. I always liked [baking] more than cooking," Ella told People magazine at the time. "Then once I went plant-based I was like, okay, there's so many cool recipes that you can make that are delicious. I keep finding new recipes and trying them out — I enjoy it a lot," she added.

Back in 2024, Ella Travolta did a photoshoot for Hunger magazine wearing the same Chanel outfit Taylor Swift wore to a Kansas City Chiefs game a month before. According to Page Six, Ella posed in the black-and-white tweed jacket from the designer's cruise 2024/2025 collection. Just like Swift, Ella also wore Chanel's black zip-up romper and pearl belt to complete the look, which is worth more than $22,000. 

"We shot in Chelsea and it was just so pretty with all the Halloween decorations on people's doorsteps," she said in the accompanying interview. "We also shot on the rooftop of an apartment building and the view was just incredible. It was such a fun time," she added.

As it turns out, Ella is quite the Swiftie — and she's even been to a concert or two. "I've been friends with Taylor Swift, she's been so good to my daughter and my wife during concerts, I've written her notes and she's written me back," John Travolta said during a 2019 appearance on Dallas-Fort Worth's Hot 93.3 radio station (via People). And while Ella hasn't spoken out about being a fan of Swift, she does follow the "I Knew It, I Knew You" singer on Instagram.

Another thing that fans may not know about Ella Travolta is that she is extremely close to her dad. In fact, if you take a look at her Instagram feed, you'll see quite a few posts about John Travolta. "Happy birthday to the kindest, most loving, special person I know. I love you so much," Ella captioned an Instagram post in February 2025. 

After father and daughter walked the red carpet for the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, Ella shared some pictures of herself and her dad. "So honored and so incredibly proud," she captioned an Instagram post on May 17.

Ella has also said that her dad has been a great mentor for her as she navigates the entertainment industry. During a 2019 appearance on "The Talk," Ella discussed her dad becoming a "stage dad," according to Entertainment Tonight. To some kids, that might be embarrassing — but not to Ella. "It actually helped so much knowing that he was there," she said. "He would come up in between scenes and then I would know that I had him behind the monitor, just watching, making sure it was good," she added.

Ella Travolta is an actress, singer, and model — and she's really good at baking, too. She's been known to whip up a homemade vegan banana bread, but she's also recreated some celebrity recipes, like Tom Cruise's coconut bundt cake. In June 2023, Ella's dad, John Travolta, shared a video of her making the Cruise specialty on his Instagram feed. He filmed as Ella frosted the cake and added some coconut flakes. 

And then came the best part, the taste test. "Oh my God. Ella. This is delicious. Oh my goodness," John said as he made his way through a slice. Ella's younger brother, Benjamin, gave the recipe a glowing review as well. "It's really good," he said. The sweet moment gave fans another glimpse into the close bond between the father and daughter.

In April 2024, John uploaded another video of his daughter's impressive baking skills. This time, Ella was decorating a chocolate-frosted cake for her birthday. "Happy birthday Ella. I love you. Your dad!" John captioned that Instagram post. Ella smiled and waved to the camera as she put the finishing touches on the cake.

Although Ella Travolta isn't super active on Instagram, she has posted a bit about her mom, Kelly Preston. "We love you," Ella captioned an Instagram tribute to her mom on what would have been her birthday in October 2022. In October 2024, Ella took to Instagram again to celebrate what would have been her mom's 62nd birthday. "Happy Birthday, mama. I love you," she wrote, sharing a throwback picture of her beloved mother. 

It appears that is the last post about Preston on Ella's feed. She has, however, posted sweet tributes to her mom on her Instagram Stories, including one on Mother's Day 2026. "Happy Mother's Day Mama, I love you," Ella wrote, adding three red heart emojis, according to People. 

In 2026, the actress accompanied her father to Cannes, and fans couldn't believe how much Ella resembled both her mom and her dad. Entertainment Tonight caught up with the star and asked her how she felt hearing those things. "It's so nice to hear that from people," she replied. "It really does mean a lot to me."

One of Ella Travolta's 2026 projects is "Propeller: One-Way Night Coach," co-starring her father, who is also the film's director. The story follows a young boy and his single mom as they travel across the country in 1962, hoping to chase her dreams of becoming a Hollywood star. During their journey, they meet several memorable characters, including Ella's friendly young flight attendant. 

John Travolta called working on the film "the biggest joy of my life" and went on to praise his daughter in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. "Ella is such a terrific actress, and I've watched her audition and be in other projects, and she has got such depth and such rarefied beauty that I could not wait to display her in this movie....," he told the outlet, adding, "I mean, it's my daughter, so I'm being a little biased, but I don't know, I don't think so. When Ella is on screen in this movie, it's a superstar born."

Ella had nothing but wonderful things to say about her dad. "He's such an incredible director, and I'm just so proud of him," she told Entertainment Tonight.

We've discussed Ella Travolta as an actress and a singer, and now we'll take a closer look at her life as a model. "So proud of Ella's debut at fashion week in New York City," John Travolta captioned an Instagram post in September 2022. Indeed, this very event seems to have opened many doors for Ella, who has modeled in a few campaigns from Karl Lagerfeld to Tod's. 

That appearance marked her first major step into the fashion world, and she soon began building momentum as a model, attending more fashion events and collaborating with well-known luxury brands. "I do love fashion. I'm definitely finding myself more and more in the fashion world," Ella said during a 2025 appearance on the Tea Time podcast. "And I do love all the different styles and seeing people's different styles. So, it's really nice to sort of be getting to be a part of that a little bit," she continued, later adding, "I'd love to design some stuff someday, like have some collaboration.'

Ella's Instagram feed is filled with photos and videos from her modeling experiences, including her cover shoots for magazines like Hunger and Mujerhoy.