Highlights

• Many celebrity children struggle to overcome the shadow of their famous parents, often leading to mental health issues and substance abuse.
• Despite their efforts, most celebrity children do not achieve the same level of fame and success as their parents.
• Some celebrity children, like Ava Sambora and Sophie Simmons, continue to pursue their dreams in acting and music, but have yet to reach their parents' level of fame and recognition.

Getting a big break in Hollywood is about as hard a challenge as there is. Well, that struggle is a whole lot easier when you have famous parents or siblings to help give you a jumpstart, making it so unfair when celebrity children or relatives become catapulted into fame and stardom, for essentially being related to someone famous. But let's not be so quick to turn into the green-eyed monster.

Though this is at times the case, there are many times when a celebrity parent’s or family member’s success is too powerful or intense to overcome, so much so those celebrity children are left aimlessly chasing a dream that will pale in comparison or simply fall, defeated by the expectations and scrutiny of society as their life completely derails.

To find out 22 Hollywood kids who were crushed by their family’s fame, keep on reading.

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Update October 2023: It can be difficult to come out from behind the shadows of a famous parent or parents to start a career. While some rely on nepotism to open doors, others choose to forge a path of their own. Regardless of which direction is taken, there is no guarantee to have the same level of success as Mom and/or Dad.

Those who struggle to gain notoriety like their parents did, can go on to suffer from mental health issues. Or perhaps mental health issues pre-existed and the rejection or just moments in the spotlight cause them to grow out of control. When this happens, things like substance abuse can run rampant, putting an end to the career that some children of celebrity parents so desperately want to have.

While some do go on to have amazing careers that eventually outshine their parents, this is the exception, not the rule. But hopefully, even if the same level of success is not realized, dreams continue to be chased by those who want to entertain for a living.

22 Ava Sambora

Daughter of Richie Sambora of the band Bon Jovi, and actress Heather Locklear, Ava Sambora has not quite been able to reach the level of fame that her parents have in the world of entertainment.

Sambora is still an aspiring actress though, with just five projects to her credit.

21 Justin Combs

Justin Combs, son of rapper Sean Combs better known as Diddy, bypassed a career in entertainment, instead of attending the University of California, Los Angeles on a football scholarship.

In 2015, the team’s former coach Rick Neuheisel admitted that Combs had likely received the scholarship because of his father’s fame.

To make matters worse, the most recent thing that has happened to Justin is that he was arrested for suspicion of DUI in June 2023. As such, Justin may be becoming more infamous rather than famous.

20 Sophie Simmons

Daughter of music star Gene Simmons and actress and model Shannon Tweed, Sophie Simmons has struggled to find her own fame.

Though Sophie has wanted to pursue music since a young age, she has yet to find success comparable to her father. Sophie has released music that she has written, with the most recent songs being Lovesick, Catch Me If You Can, and Shut Up.

19 Ireland Baldwin

Ireland Baldwin is not only the daughter of actors Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger but is part of the infamous Baldwin family.

Unlike her mega-famous model cousin Hailey Baldwin, Ireland Baldwin has failed to make a name for herself in the way that the rest of her family has.

18 Rumer Willis

Rumer Willis is definitely somewhat known in Hollywood, but nowhere near as well as her parents, actors Demi Moore and Bruce Willis.

Rumer has racked up a decent list of acting credentials over time, but somewhat still lives in the shadows of her parents when it comes to star power.

17 Scout Willis

Demi Moore and Bruce Willis had another daughter after Rumer, and that was Scout Willis. While she went into the entertainment industry, she chose the path of music. But despite trying to distance herself from her parent's fame and carve her own path, she is still best known as Demi and Bruce's daughter.

Over the years, Scout has suffered from mental health issues. She dealt with them via substance abuse, of which she has now been sober for years.

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16 Isabella Giannulli

Isabella Giannulli is the daughter of designer Mossimo Giannulli and actress Lori Loughlin. Despite her sister finding success on YouTube with her channel titled Olivia Jade, Giannulli had dreams of following in her mother’s footsteps and pursuing acting.

She has taken part in three projects, two of which featured Loughlin.

15 Amelia Hamlin

Amelia Hamlin is the daughter of actor Harry Hamlin and reality superstar Lisa Rina. In 2018, Hamlin revealed that she had been battling an eating disorder and had been struggling with her mental health.

In 2019, she admitted to Glamour that the constant commentary about her weight only made her situation worse.

Despite this, Amelia has gone on to have a modeling career, walking in fashion weeks both in the US and abroad.

14 Delilah Hamlin

Delilah Hamlin is also the daughter of Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rina, and much like her sister Amelia, she has also struggled with mental health issues.

In 2019, she revealed that she had visited a rehabilitation facility twice to address mental health issues, which stemmed for a number of reasons.

To date, the struggling actress has one credit to her name.

13 Bindi Irwin

Daughter to, arguably, the most famous naturalists Steve and Terri Irwin, Bindi Irwin she became the face of the Irwin family after her father died.

Though she rose to prominence after winning Dancing With The Stars in 2015, she has quietly continued her father’s legacy. Bindi has also gotten married and the two welcomed a daughter two years ago.

12 Brooklyn Beckham

Eldest son of British soccer star David Beckham and designer and former pop star Victoria Beckham, Brooklyn Beckham tried to make a go at being a professional photographer, even publishing a photography book entitled What I See which underperformed in sales and received negative reviews.

Today, Brooklyn is working on becoming a master chef. However, he has yet to reach that status yet.

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11 Robert Kardashian Jr.

Son of the deceased famed attorney of the same name, and reality television queen Kris Jenner, Rob Kardashian is not on the same page when it comes to his family’s obsession with excessive, staying trim, and unfortunately, his career has suffered because of it.

That does not mean that Rob does not bring in any money though. He does own multiple companies, including Arthur George, his sock company, Grandez, a hot sauce brand, and Halfway Dead, a clothing line.

10 Lourdes Leon

One would expect Lourdes Leon, daughter of Madonna, to be living a more public life than she currently leads.

For a long time, Leon remained in the background of her mother’s fame, never really embarking on her own projects until very recently, when she modeled for fashion brand Miu Miu.

9 Kelly Osbourne

Kelly Osbourne is the daughter of Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne and has not had an easy life, contrary to what it may seem.

Kelly experienced severe bullying her whole life as well as battled with addiction and substance abuse, seeking treatment at rehabilitation centers multiple times.

Despite these adversities, Kelly has been a part of several reality shows, including Project Catwalk, Fashion Police, Project Runway Jr., and Australia's Got Talent.

8 Blanket Jackson

It’s no secret that all of Michael Jackson’s children have felt the pressure of the public eye, ever since he passed away in 2009.

Blanket Jackson has not lived an easier life since, facing harsh bullying forcing him to legally change his name. Additionally, he is seldom seen in public.

Blanket is working towards being an environmentalist, a job that is as far out of the spotlight as someone can get.

7 Charlie Sheen

Mainly known for his role on Two and a Half Men, Charlie Sheen, son of actor Martin Sheen has faced issues with substance abuse, which caused him to act in an unprofessional manner while on set for his show.

In 2018, he decided to sober up for the sake of his children and himself and has remained sober since. However, his behavior when under the influence cost Charlie jobs. And because of this he never reached the level of fame his father did.

6 Frances Bean Cobain

Daughter of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, Frances Bean Cobain has already experienced the pressure of living in her deceased father’s shadows since inheriting her father’s fortune, admitting this is something she feels she is undeserving of.

She has also been sober since 2016, after years of behaving self-destructively.

These days, Frances works as a visual artist and occasionally sings. But she has no desire to live life in the limelight.

5 Cameron Douglas

Cameron Douglas, son of actor Michael Douglas and producer Diandra Luker, has lived a life quite opposite to his famous parents.

He served a seven-year prison sentence after being brought in on narcotic-related charges, in addition to recovering from addiction. Douglas is now married and sober.

Despite the roles that Cameron has landed, his fame does not rival that of his father and mother. As such, it appears that the Douglas name has done nothing to advance Cameron's career.

4 Paris Jackson

Paris Jackson, the only daughter of Michael Jackson, is among the small pool of Hollywood children who struggled to cope in light of losing a parent.

She has battled with anxiety, depression, and addiction, even attempting to take her own life at 15 years old, undergoing therapy.

Paris has had some success in the entertainment industry in the acting and music fields. She has also modeled. However, with a shadow as big as Jackson's to get out from under, Paris may never be as famous as him.

3 Chaz Bono

The only child of the late Sonny Bono and Cher, Chaz Bono did not follow in the footsteps of his music-icon parents but preferred to make his own way, venturing into the world of acting.

Though he has not managed to outweigh his parent’s stardom, he is slowly making his way.

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