Why We're Worried About These Celeb Kids
Life under the spotlight is tough at any age. With tabloids exhaustively reporting every possible detail of stars' lives, no mistake goes unnoticed. For the children of celebrities, that kind of attention is especially rough, because they didn't have a choice in the matter. After all, it's one thing to accept the trade-off of a considerable loss of privacy in exchange for fame and fortune, but when you're born into the limelight, it can feel like even more of a burden.
For this group of famous offspring, that burden has unfortunately manifested itself in everything from questionable relationships, to substance abuse issues, to mental illness struggles — and all offered up to a tabloid audience ravenous for schadenfreude since (in some cases) even before they were born. Remember when there were actual rumors that Suri Cruise was L. Ron Hubbard's biological daughter?
Thankfully, most stars' sons and daughters turn out just fine, but there are a few that still seem to be struggling with the fame they never asked for. Here's why we're worried about these celeb kids.
Jaden and Willow Smith
Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith's biological kids, Jaden Smith and Willow Smith, are wise beyond their years, or at least that's what they think. "Everything for us is a scientific test upon humanity," Jaden told GQ in 2015. "And luckily we're put in a position where we can affect large groups of human beings at one time." We admire their self-confidence and admit that their social media followings are proof of their influence, but a pinch of humility could serve them well, too.
After all, Willow stirred the pot at just 13-years-old when she posed for a risque photo of herself in bed with a 20-year-old, which she followed up by posing in a t-shirt featuring a topless woman's torso less than a year later. While her mom defended both so-called scandals, and Willow seems to have remained controversy-free ever since, there's reason to wonder how deep that wild child streak runs.
As for Jaden, he's perhaps most known for his alarmingly bizarre Twitter, which famously features his strangely-capitalized musings on life, like "The Biggest Flex Anyone Will Ever Have Is Dying." That one, he explained to HuffPost in 2018, "was a sad one. ... Because when someone leaves, that's when everybody starts to care about them." Geez, way to bring the room down, Jaden. Hopefully, he wasn't still reeling from Pitchfork's scathing 2017 review of his album SYRE, with it called "upsetting," "scatterbrained," and "constantly in pursuit of a voice it never finds." Maybe he should have just tweeted his lyrics?
Gigi and Bella Hadid
Models Gigi and Bella Hadid are the daughters of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Yolanda Foster and real estate mogul Mohamed Hadid. While they've crafted their own Hollywood pedigrees — both have become prolific runway masters — they haven't escaped the pitfalls of fame.
In 2017, Bella was caught smoking in the bathroom at the MET Gala — naughty! But seriously, she did have a worrisome run-in with the law in 2014, when she allegedly ran a stop sign and nearly crashed into a Los Angeles County Sheriff's patrol car, according to TMZ. She failed a breathalyzer test and was reportedly "driving on a suspended license." She was 17-years-old at the time.
Older sis Gigi hasn't exactly kept her nose clean either, allegedly. According to Entertainment Tonight, she was accused of "snorting cocaine at a Victoria's Secret event" in 2015, which she denied. Gigi also found herself embroiled in scandal over a controversial look she sported for a 2018 Vogue Italia cover. Critics characterized it as "blackface." Gigi apologized on Instagram (via the Independent), explaining the whole thing away as a "bronzing and photoshop" mishap and not an instance where she appropriated culture or stole an opportunity from a person of color.
Fortunately for janitors, fellow drivers, Victoria's secret PR reps, and bronzer fanatics worldwide, Bella and Gigi seem to have avoided becoming repeat offenders. Here's hoping they can keep on the straight and narrow from here on out.
Paris Jackson
As the late Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris Jackson has plenty of pressure on her shoulders, and, unfortunately, it shows. She has reportedly spent time in treatment facilities for substance abuse and multiple suicide attempts, which she revealed in a shocking 2017 Rolling Stone interview. She also raised eyebrows in that same chat when she said she believes her dad was "murdered." (Though Michael Jackson's death from an overdose of multiple drugs was ruled a homicide, the doctor who administered the drugs was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter.)
In 2018, Paris' family expressed concern for her safety after she posted "a series of disturbing videos" to social media which showed her "failing to complete sentences and staggering about" and "walking along the edge of a skyscraper," according to Page Six. Paris responded to her family's alleged worries by wondering why they spoke to the media instead of just calling her. Touché.
Though Paris has been open about all of the above, she's not exactly thrilled with the media's obsession with her and her family. In February 2016, she let 'em know on Instagram (via the Daily Mail), writing, "The expectations for my DAD were f***ing ridiculous. He didn't owe you anything, yet he was ripped to shreds DAILY. I will not let that happen to me." While it's clear the the King of Pop's daughter knows how to counterpunch, we worry that that with her background of mental health struggles, even a feisty fighter like herself could get overwhelmed.
North, Saint, and Chicago West
Through no fault of theirs, North, Saint, and Chicago West have had us worrying about them since before they were born into reality TV stardom — starting with the time their mom, Kim Kardashian, revealed her parenting priorities to the world by obsessing over finding a stroller that would "match her baby's skin tone." That was pre-North, Kardashian's first child with husband Kanye West, and the perplexing child-rearing decisions haven't really stopped since.
The obvious worry here is over the kids being raised in front of cameras or getting spoiled thanks to Kardashian's well-known love of that glam life. But there are more concrete concerns for these kiddos, like when Kardashian thought it was NBD to post a topless photo of herself to Instagram that North took. Setting aside the debate over what age it becomes inappropriate for a child to see their mother posing nude for the internet, the fact that Kardashian also felt the need to broadcast an intimate moment with her child to the world was unsettling to many.
Then there's their dad, who not only got reportedly wrapped up in a gang beef that resulted in death threats against him, but his divisive political rhetoric may also put his family at risk. "Kim is worried some sick weirdo could seek revenge on Kanye and try to punish him by attacking his family," insiders told Heat magazine (via Life & Style) in October 2018. "She's blasted him for putting their children in danger."
Noah Cyrus
Miley Cyrus' little sister, Noah Cyrus, started her teen years off with a bang — literally. In 2015, she allegedly rear-ended another vehicle while texting and driving in Los Angeles, reported TMZ. To make matters worse, mom Tish Cyrus was apparently in the car with her distracted daughter. Two years before that, Noah was spotted driving her father's car at the unlicensed age of 13. (Dad Billy Ray Cyrus was in the vehicle that time.)
When it was time for Noah to follow her older sister's pop star path, the move came predictably paired with controversy — such as her collaboration with the late XXXTentacion, who was accused of domestic violence. But it was Noah's relationship with rapper Lil Xan — the tumultuous end of which played out on Instagram — that really gives cause for concern. According to The Cut, it was messier than Billy Ray's mullet from the '90s and contained lowlights such as cheating accusations, a wild conspiracy theory that Noah's record label cooked up the whole thing for PR, and an unsavory Photoshop of Charlie Puth, an adult-performer, and a well-placed eggplant emoji.
When the social media smoke cleared, and Lil Xan was done urinating "on the platinum plaque of his song 'Betrayed'" — Yep, really. — Noah told Entertainment Tonight (via The Cut) that she was glad it all happened, because it was emotional fuel for her album. "I had nothing to talk about until I, like, lived," she said. Oh girl, did you just use your achy breaky heart to sell records?
Ireland Baldwin
After being lambasted by her own father in 2007, Ireland Baldwin had a rough go of things. The incident, where Alec Baldwin called his then 11-year-old daughter a "rude little pig" in a voicemail heard 'round the world, was the little one's first foray into the public spotlight, and what a way to enter. Though Alec publicly backtracked his comments, and the two even joke about it now, the ugly and embarrassing moment still gets brought up today, like by us, who just referenced it.
In 2015, Ireland checked into rehab for "emotional trauma," which was immediately blown up into rumors about substance abuse, according to People. In 2018, Ireland got even more candid about her struggles with mental illness when she revealed that she's dealt with anorexia and suicidal thoughts. In the wake of Anthony Bourdain's suicide, she penned a lengthy Instagram post about her own battle with depression, in which she wrote, in part, "I have been at the lowest low in my life and I have thought about what it would be like to end it all."
Thankfully, Ireland found help with her struggles and now encourages others to do the same. "I just want to speak directly to anyone out there who is hurting," she wrote. "If you don't feel loved, I love you and I need you here. I may not know you, but reach out to me. Reach out to anyone." Here's hoping she keeps following her own advice.
Lourdes Leon
It's not a stretch to surmise that one of Madonna's children could become a material girl. After all, the "Vogue" singer wasn't exactly a strict disciplinarian towards her oldest daughter, who she told at 18-years-old "to make wise decisions and to do things in moderation and to try not to mix her alcohol." So, we weren't surprised to learn that Lourdes Leon felt she was above the typical teenage fray. In 2011, high school classmates allegedly told In Touch Weekly that Madge's daughter demanded everyone call her "Lola, not Lourdes" and "makes no secret that she gets and deserves special treatment."
And it's not just normies that Lola may look down upon. In 2015, Radar Online said she snubbed friendly advances from a fellow celeb teen. "She thinks Kylie [Jenner] and her sisters are vile and has made a big effort to avoid being in the same room as any of them," a source claimed, adding that when the reality TV starlet invited Lourdes to a party, Lourdes was "not going to lower herself to even responding." Snap.
At age 19, Radar Online claimed Leon was struggling again. A day after she was reportedly photographed crying hysterically on the streets of New York City, the little lady allegedly flipped out on a gaggle of bystanders, which, of course, was also photographed for the world to witness. Public meltdowns, high-profile snubs, and diva demands: If any of that is true, it doesn't bode well.
Tallulah Willis
At just 20-years-old, Tallulah Willis, daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, checked herself into rehab for an eating disorder and substance abuse issues in July 2014. Demi reportedly endured her own rehab stint in 2012, according to People, which was reportedly difficult for Tallulah, even causing her to miss school "for days," according to a source speaking with the magazine.
After completing treatment, Tallulah got candid with Teen Vogue in January 2015, describing that period of time as "a big tornado of doubt and self-hate," explaining that she internalized negativity online and became "[her] own worst critic." She recounted being 13-years old and breaking down over mean comments posted on one of her photos. "I thought, 'I am a hideous, disgusting-looking person. ... In that moment, a switch flipped," she said. In college, things got worse. Tallulah endured sleep deprivation and depression, describing it as "living in a cardboard replica of what life should be."
Thankfully, by the time of that 2015 interview, Tallulah was "starting to feel OK with [herself], bit by bit." In 2017, she celebrated three years of recovery with an Instagram post featuring a shocking throwback photo of herself, which she described as "a malnourished string bean with aches that echoed throughout my soul." While she's come far from that low point, Tallulah also added this worrisome warning: "The girl in this picture ... is inside of me always and I must never let her slip too far." Stay strong, girl.
Suri Cruise
Suri Cruise was thrust into the spotlight when her parents, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, announced she was in the womb. The tabloid frenzy surrounding Suri reached a lunatic apex when unauthorized Tom Cruise biographer Andrew Morton claimed "Katie Holmes [was] impregnated with the sperm of dead Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard," according to News.com.au. But the wild Suri stories didn't stop there. The press breathlessly reported everything from Tom and Katie's alleged lax parenting, to the claim that Suri was still drinking from a bottle at "nearly" four-years-old — the horror! — to the allegation that after Tom and Katie's split, Tom "abandoned" Suri, which he so vehemently disputed that he filed a lawsuit over it.
Perhaps the saddest encounter Suri has had with the paparazzi came in 2013, when she was 7 years old and reportedly used her outdoor voice to tell the press to "get out of the way" as she tried to get into a vehicle. According to video posted on Fishwrapper (via the New York Daily News), a disgruntled pap responded, "Bye, Suri, you little brat" and called her a "b***h." Clearly, that is inappropriate by any objective measure, and it also gives us a reason to worry about the kind of treatment Suri will receive from the tabloid press for the rest of her life. Thankfully, as of this writing, she seems to be doing just fine, and we sincerely hope it stays that way.
Weston Cage
Though he's a grown man, Nicolas Cage's son, Weston Cage, seems to still be struggling with life in his father's significant shadow. Weston became a tabloid fixture in 2011, when he was allegedly hospitalized for a psychiatric evaluation following a bizarre fight he had with his trainer at a restaurant. Weston's troubles intensified from there when multiple instances of alleged domestic violence later that year led to the break-up of his first marriage, which only lasted seven months.
In 2014, Weston offered insight into his hang-ups during an interview with Noisey about his "black metal" music. "People have this preconceived notion that I grew up with a life of many privileges, but they don't know how dark it can be in a house like that," he said.
By 2017, Weston had churned out more negative headlines with a scary report of a drunken car chase that concluded with him crashing into a tree. That same year, his second marriage ended, which allegedly also resulted in him getting hit with a restraining order by his estranged wife. Weston walked down the aisle a third time in May 2018, after apparently converting to Judaism to marry his third wife, Hila Aronian, which he told Us Weekly was "the greatest honor of my life." In the spirit of remaining cautiously optimistic here, we'll just say "L'Chaim, you too," and leave it at that.