When a nepo baby is financially cut off, they're put to the true test. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most notable celebrity kids who, against the usual trend, have been or will be cut off by their rich parents, gaining little from their wealth and industry connections.
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00:00I mean, he cut me off, so it was difficult."
00:05Welcome to Miss Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most notable celebrity
00:09kids who, against the usual trend, have been or will be cut off by their rich parents,
00:15gaining little from their wealth and industry connections.
00:19Prince Harry explained that he was cut off financially by his father after stepping down.
00:2410.
00:26JC Chan Born to the legendary Jackie Chan, JC Chan
00:30followed in his footsteps, forging a career in the Hong Kong film industry.
00:43However, he's still overshadowed by his famous dad, as his films haven't quite hit the mark.
00:49But if JC thinks he can fall back on Jackie's estimated $400 million net worth,
00:54he's in for a surprise.
00:56"'After film, uh, six months, nine months,
00:59I filming. After filming, I go home, I open the door. Hi, there, hell yeah."
01:04The martial artist star has made it abundantly clear his kids need to find their own way,
01:09without his money or connections. He drove this point home in 2014,
01:14when he refused to use his influence to help JC out of a drug possession case in China.
01:20China's state broadcaster released this video showing police
01:24inside the home of 31-year-old actor JC Chan.
01:28In 2021, the younger Chan launched his own tequila brand,
01:31so it appears he's finding his own way after all.
01:349. Tilly and Holly Ramsay
01:37On his cooking shows, Gordon Ramsay is famous for his no-nonsense attitude and blunt honesty,
01:42and he's just as straightforward with his family.
01:45"'Listen, I know you may be slightly stupid. First nominee and why?"
01:53The celebrity chef has raised his kids not to expect a penny of his fortune. He gives
01:58them a modest allowance and makes sure they do not fly first class. His daughters Tilly,
02:03a chef, and TV personality herself, and Holly, a fashion designer and blogger,
02:08know they'll have to earn their own money because Daddy has no plans to hand over his.
02:13The famed chef has no intention of leaving behind his reported $175 million fortune to his kids.
02:20"'It's definitely not going to them, and that's not in a mean way. It's to not spoil them.'"
02:24However, while he may be cutting them off financially, Ramsay is quick to defend his kids.
02:29In 2021, he swiftly clapped back at a radio DJ
02:33who body-shamed Tilly after her appearance on Strictly Come Dancing.
02:37"'Pretty silly, gorgeous. You good?'
02:40"'Good, thank you.'"
02:41"'How was the flight?'
02:42"'It was long.'"
02:43"'How was the boyfriend?'
02:44"'I don't have one.'"
02:45"'Good, good, good. Keep it like that.'"
02:478. Kelly, Travis, and Wesley Campbell
02:50Country singer Glen Campbell led a life as colorful as his music,
02:53with four marriages and eight children.
02:55"'I owe him everything I am and everything I ever will be.
03:00He will be remembered so well and with so much love.'"
03:04He passed away in 2017, six years after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
03:09Shortly after his death, it was revealed that three of his children had been,
03:12surprisingly, omitted from his will.
03:14Kelly, Travis, and Wesley Campbell, who were products of the singer's second marriage,
03:18were specifically cut off from benefiting from Campbell's estate,
03:22which was initially pegged at $50 million.
03:24However, this fortune was later revalued to just over $400,000.
03:29"'He only saw his father once.
03:31Travis insists he wanted to spend even more time with the singing legend,
03:36but Kim wouldn't allow it.'"
03:37The three children contested the will anyway,
03:39arguing that their dad had been unduly influenced to cut them off.
03:43They later dropped their case, ultimately leaving empty-handed.
03:47"'That was all done in 2002, and that was a choice that was made by Glen, not me.
03:52And there were reasons for it, because Travis
03:58hadn't visited his dad in 20 years.'"
04:017. Katie Cassidy
04:03Arrowverse actress Katie Cassidy was born to 70s teen heartthrob David Cassidy
04:07and fashion model Sheri Williams.
04:10After the relationship between her parents ended, Cassidy was raised by her mother and stepfather,
04:15and remained largely estranged from her famous father for years.
04:19"'This will be a daily reminder for me to share my gratitude with those I love,
04:23as to never waste another minute,' before ending her tweet with,
04:26"'Thank you.'"
04:27Although the two seemed to patch up their relationship later in life,
04:30David specifically excluded Cassidy and any of her descendants from his will,
04:34leaving his $150,000 estate all to his son, Beau.
04:38"'Former teen idol had just $150,000 in assets when he died last month at 67.
04:45The entire amount is going to his 26-year-old actor son,
04:49Beau.'"
04:49This emerged after the actor and musician died in November 2017 of organ failure.
04:54But it doesn't seem like the actress was after father's fortune anyway.
04:57She still took to social media to pay tribute to him after his passing.
05:01"'I think it was just this moment of,
05:05I don't know, like, yeah, I guess like a relief, like he could be in peace.'"
05:106. Christina and Christopher Crawford
05:13Oscar-winning actress Joan Crawford adopted five children throughout her lifetime.
05:17Following her death in 1977, her eldest daughter Christina
05:21stirred up controversy with the release of her memoir,
05:23Mommy Dearest, alleging mistreatment by her famous mother.
05:27"'We've had a philosophy, I think, for many years that children belong to their parents,
05:31that they are extensions of their parents,
05:33and that the parents have the right to do anything they please.
05:36And I think we have to rethink that.'"
05:38Although this book was published after Crawford's death,
05:40she was reportedly aware that Christina was writing it before she passed away.
05:44Hence, many believe this was the reason she decided to make a last-minute amendment to her will,
05:49excluding Christina and her brother Christopher from inheriting a share of her $2 million estate.
05:56"'And a lot of people have asked me why I didn't do that. That was simply my choice.
05:59My brother had some different choices. He tried to leave.
06:02But those were my choices, and that's the way I dealt with it.'"
06:06However, Christina and Christopher disagreed with this omission.
06:09They contested Crawford's will in court,
06:11and were eventually awarded a combined $55,000 settlement.
06:15"'Family violence is still a tough subject because it involves parents, it involves community,
06:21and until we solve that, we're not going to solve the other.'"
06:245. Tori Spelling
06:26"'It ended up being a very, very, very small amount based on what he was worth.
06:31It's public what you inherited, right? So if her father was worth hundreds of millions of dollars,
06:35she inherited $800,000.'"
06:36Tori Spelling grew up in the lap of luxury as the daughter of prolific film and TV producer
06:41Aaron Spelling. She later gained popularity for her role on the TV show Beverly Hills 90210,
06:47which was produced by her father's company. However, when he passed away in 2006,
06:52Spelling received an inheritance that surprised many.
06:54"'Fortune of $500 million, and you were left with $800,000 in his will.'"
07:05Of his staggering $500 million fortune, her father left her only $800,000. While that is
07:12still a considerable sum, it amounted to a mere 0.16 percent of his total wealth.
07:18The reasons behind the surprising decision aren't quite clear, but it might be linked to Spelling's
07:22lavish spending habits, which might have given her father pause about trusting her with more cash.
07:28"'The TV reality star talks about her new book, Spelling It Like It Is,
07:32and says that after several financial setbacks, she's had to rethink her lifestyle and spending
07:38choices.'"
07:384. Jamie Lee Curtis
07:41When he passed away in 2010, veteran Hollywood actor Tony Curtis was buried with some of his
07:46favorite possessions, including his iPhone, an Armani scarf, and a Stetson hat.
07:51"'Curtis married and divorced several times, most famously to actress Janet Leigh. Their child,
07:58actress Jamie Lee Curtis, is one of six he had with five wives.'"
08:02He may have stopped short of taking his entire fortune to the grave,
08:05but he clearly had no intention of leaving it to his kids either.
08:08Mere months before his death, Curtis rewrote his will,
08:12explicitly naming and cutting off all of his children. One of those children was Jamie Lee
08:17Curtis.
08:17"'I understand the industry, but I have the same gratitude for it. Are you in any way like your
08:24dad? Oh, sure.'"
08:27Although the Oscar-winning actress gave the eulogy at her father's funeral,
08:30she and her siblings were totally blindsided by the decision. Instead of his kids,
08:34Curtis chose to leave his $60 million estate to his sixth wife.
08:39"'You know, he loved it. He loved the performance of Tony Curtis. And I'm caught in the middle.'"
08:433. Gwyneth Paltrow
08:45Gwyneth Paltrow was born to two pretty influential individuals in the film industry.
08:50"'My father's daughter, Gwyneth, joins us right now to do a little cooking here this morning.
08:54Good to see you. How are you? This is a wonderful tribute to your dad.'"
08:59Her father, Bruce Paltrow, directed and produced shows like The White Shadow and Saint Elsewhere,
09:05while her mother, Blythe Danner, is a Tony and Emmy-winning actress.
09:09"'My father was so important to me because he showed me the importance of family and those
09:14values and that, you know, if you invest in those relationships, you have a good life.'"
09:18Sure, Paltrow got a leg up thanks to her parents' influence, but once she turned 18,
09:23they cut her off completely. No more money, no more help. According to the actress,
09:27she had to fend for herself, taking a job as a restaurant hostess while chasing her acting
09:33dreams. While he may not have provided financial help, Paltrow still remembers her dad fondly
09:38as someone who always helped her stay grounded.
09:40"'Our relationship was, like, one of the fun aspects of it was around food and eating out
09:46and cooking together.'"
09:482. Dakota Johnson
09:50"'Melanie Griffith is your mom, Don Johnson is your dad, and I was reading how Don Johnson was
09:54like, look, you're going to college.'"
09:55Today, Dakota Johnson is a well-known actress, following the famous footsteps of her parents,
10:00actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith. After graduating high school, Johnson chose to pursue
10:06acting instead of going to college, a decision that came at a cost.
10:10"'You know what that means. I mean, you won't be on the payroll anymore and
10:15how are you going to manage this? Just don't you worry about it.'"
10:18In her family, skipping college meant losing any financial support from her parents. Despite this,
10:23Johnson was willing to take the risk. She was left to find her own way,
10:27but her gamble ultimately paid off. Not long after she ditched the college route,
10:32Johnson landed a role in the 2010 film The Social Network,
10:36which marked the start of her professional career in the industry.
10:39"'This is blowing my mind.'"
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10:561. Prince Harry
10:58"'I had three conversations with my grandmother and two conversations with my father
11:04before he stopped taking my calls.'"
11:05In January 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stunned the public when they announced that they
11:10would be stepping down from their roles as members of the British royal family. As part of their exit
11:15deal, Harry agreed to become financially independent of the royal family, though his
11:19father, King Charles, pledged to support him privately for a year while he found his feet.
11:23"'But the fact of the matter is, Harry feels he was cut off financially,
11:28and clearly Clarence House are saying a substantial sum was given.'"
11:34However, during the now-famous interview with Oprah Winfrey, Harry revealed he was
11:39completely cut off financially in early 2020, and had to rely on funds left by his late mother Diana.
11:45A spokesperson for the king refuted this claim, stating that Harry was given a
11:49"'substantial sum' to ease the transition."
11:52"'According to the report, Prince Charles paid a total of $6.3 million,
11:55two sons, Prince William and Harry, for their official expenditure.'"
11:59What do you make of these cases? Do you think some of these Nepo-babies still had a leg up
12:03regardless? Let us know in the comments below.
12:06"'I kinda like how you also poke fun of this whole Nepo-baby thing.
12:10Nepo, however you say it. Nepo-baby.'"
12:13Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from MsMojo.
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