Dakota Johnson disapproves of the “nepo baby” discussion. The 34-year-old actress expressed her frustration with conversations revolving around celebrities born to famous or influential parents in the entertainment industry, labeling them as “incredibly annoying and boring” during an interview on the Today show Wednesday.
“Like, if you’re a journalist, write about something else,” she told host Hoda Kotb, who asked Johnson — whose parents are actors Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson — about poking fun at her celebrity status.
“That’s just like, lame. So the opportunity to make fun of it, I jumped at,” she added.
Dakota Johnson, currently engaged in promoting her new film Madame Web, recently engaged in playful banter about her celebrity parents during her hosting role on Saturday Night Live. In a skit alongside comedians John Higgins and Martin Herlihy, who are themselves offspring of SNL figures Steve Higgins and Tim Herlihy, respectively, they humorously declared a “nepo truce,” donning matching rings while engaging in friendly roasting.
Johnson and her father, Don, 74, have been candid about his choice to cease financial support when she opted to pursue acting instead of attending college after completing high school.
“He said, ‘If you go to college, you’ll still get an allowance,’ ” she recalled on the Today show Wednesday. “And I was like, ‘Well, I’m going to be an actress.’ So he was like, ‘Alright, well you’re on your own.'”
Johnson landed her inaugural adult acting role in 2010’s The Social Network, marking the onset of significant success, particularly highlighted by her lead portrayal in 2015’s Fifty Shades of Grey and its subsequent sequels.
“I did some little modeling jobs that helped me pay my rent. And then I started auditioning and got some jobs,” she told Kotb of how she survived after her father took her off “the payroll,” as she says he refers to the family’s finances. “I definitely had moments where I couldn’t afford groceries and had to ask my mom to help me. She was the nice one.”
Dakota has previously expressed her understanding of her parents’ reluctance to see her forgo higher education for an acting career. “I couldn’t wait because I grew up on set. My parents were always working with amazing artists, and I just loved it,” she shared with W Magazine in 2022, reflecting on her lifelong passion for acting. “I wanted to be a part of it so badly.”