Anna Nicole Smith's Daughter Dannielynn Birkhead's Stunning Transformation

Anna Nicole Smith was a bona fide pop culture sensation throughout the '90s and '00s. After launching her modeling career as a Playboy centerfold, she branched out into the worlds of film and reality television. She modeled for major brands like Guess, H&M, and Lane Bryant, and she became a spokesperson for PETA. But it wasn't all glitz and glam: Smith grappled with public lawsuits, tumultuous relationships, and an underlying drug addiction that ultimately led to her death in 2007. Five months before her passing, Smith welcomed a daughter named Dannielynn Birkhead.

"Anna always wanted a little girl, that was her dream," Dannielynn's father, Larry Birkhead, said in a 2017 "20/20" special. "She went from city to city, as far back [as] the '90s, and she would collect outfits from all these road trips ... and hope that one day that she could dress her in all these frilly outfits."

Dannielynn is all grown up, and she's basically Anna Nicole Smith's twin. Larry recognizes that his daughter will never not remind people of the late model, both in appearance and character. "She is fearless like her mom," he said. "I could stand right next to my daughter and we could look like twins, and the first thing they'll say is ... 'spitting image of the mother.'" While it may be impossible not to think of Smith whenever a video or photo of her kid makes the internet rounds, Dannielynn is also very much her own person who seems keen to pave her own way. This is the stunning transformation of Anna Nicole Smith's daughter, Dannielynn Birkhead.

Dannielynn Birkhead's name is a tribute to Anna Nicole Smith's late son, Daniel Smith. Originally named Hannah Rose, Dannielynn was born on September 6, 2006. Her brother, Daniel, died just four days later from an accidental overdose at age 20; Anna changed her daughter's name shortly after Daniel's passing.

On February 8, 2007, Anna died from an accidental overdose. She was 39. What followed was a paternity battle that saw Larry Birkhead not only fight for custody of Dannielynn but also prove that he was the baby's biological father. Anna's relationship with Larry was complicated, as she was also in a relationship with lawyer Howard K. Stern ahead of her death. At the time of Dannielynn's birth, Anna claimed Stern was the father and even had his name on Dannielynn's birth certificate. Larry maintained this was not the case, and he took steps to prove that he was the baby's biological parent.

In April of 2007, Larry was awarded custody after a DNA test confirmed that he was Dannielynn's father. Stern was compliant throughout the paternity suit, prioritizing Dannielynn's safety over everything else. Despite Stern's feelings toward Dannielynn, Larry told Today in 2007 that he had no intentions of sharing custody of Dannielynn following the court's decision. "It would imply that I'm unfit as a parent, which I'm not," he stated. "I'm looking forward to giving Dannielynn everything she needs and all the love and support."

After Anna Nicole Smith's tragic passing, a series of unfortunate loose ends needed to be tied up. Anna's net worth was approximately $1 million at the time of her death, and presumably more was to be added, considering her legal dispute over her late husband, J. Howard Marshall II, and the hundreds of millions that she claimed he left to her in his will. With Anna's estate hanging in the balance following her death, Howard K. Stern — who was the executor of Anna's estate — filed a request to ensure that it went to the then-18-month-old Dannielynn Birkhead in 2008.

The details of Anna's will made this a little more challenging, as her wording seemed to indicate that her late son, Daniel Smith, was the sole heir. This was true up until his death, but in the wake of his passing, Dannielynn seemed to be the new sole heir. This was later approved by Judge Michell L. Beckloff, and Dannielynn was officially set to inherit what her mother left behind. According to People, Beckloff also ensured that a trust was set for Dannielynn, with both Stern and Larry Birkhead as the co-trustees. "We and Mr. Stern always believed that Anna Nicole never intended to disinherit her daughter," Beckloff said. "I'm pleased to say this chapter in the saga is closed." 

Anna's estate ultimately did not obtain any money from Marshall's fortune. The aforementioned legal dispute continued after death, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Anna's estate in 2014. This meant Dannielynn did not inherit the hefty amount of money Anna claimed she was promised after all.

Dannielynn Birkhead was diagnosed with an ocular disorder when she was still a baby. In a January 2008 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Larry Birkhead shared that he noticed his daughter had an eye issue when she was only a few months old. "She has strabismus, which is a turning in of one of her eyes, and it's something that we've been looking out for for a while," he said (via People).

Strabismus, a condition where one eye becomes misaligned, is a relatively common eye issue for children. It can be resolved, but it may require surgery if other methods are ineffective. Initially, Larry was not on board with the idea of his daughter, who was just 1 year old at the time of the aforementioned ET interview, undergoing surgery; as far as he was concerned, it was a last resort. "I'm going to do everything to make sure that it's corrected, but having lost Anna and Daniel, and my dad — my dad just came out of a simple surgery, and he died — it's just tough for me to think about surgeries with [Dannielynn]," he stated. 

Evidently, Larry determined that the procedure was the right call after all: Dannielynn underwent surgery in February 2008. Luckily, it proved to be successful as they corrected the condition without complications.

As the daughter of Anna Nicole Smith and the center of a highly publicized custody battle, Dannielynn Birkhead has never not been a household name. However, Larry Birkhead has gone to great lengths to keep her out of the public's prying eye as much as possible. As he said in a 2007 interview with People, Larry prioritized his desire for normalcy while they were still living in Smith's home in Los Angeles. Living there, however, was seemingly less than ideal for Larry, as the onslaught of unwanted public attention presented challenges for Larry to provide a quiet and safe life for Dannielynn. "If all you guys are nice to me, I might stay," he quipped. "My daughter's security comes first. Right now, we're trying to manage and adjust."

This was until the prospect of living in Kentucky came to mind. In 2007, Larry brought Dannielynn to Kentucky for the first time to visit his hometown in Louisville. The following year, Larry purchased a six-bedroom house there and left Los Angeles for good. This was a bittersweet decision for Larry, who, in 2008, suggested to People that Kentucky was better for Dannielynn. "I have always thought that it would be great for Dannielynn to grow up in her mother's home; however, there is no yard as it is over a canyon," he explained. "There also isn't any little friends for her to run around with — which makes the idea of Kentucky even more inviting."

Throughout Dannielynn Birkhead's childhood, Larry Birkhead was careful about who he let get close to their family. However, this became much trickier as his daughter grew up and her social life began to expand. "I've always tried to protect her," he told E! News in 2025. "Not just from media and paparazzi, but even people we let into our circle."

Evidently, Larry was right to be concerned to some degree. While this wasn't the case for everyone they got to know, he did say that they have encountered some individuals whose intentions were questionable at best.  "Some would say, 'I want to hang out with you because I think I can get on Entertainment Tonight,' or 'Can you help my kid model?' or 'We need a vacation but can't afford it,'" Larry recalled. Luckily, though, Dannielynn was still able to cultivate a thriving social life, which, according to her father, has only continued to flourish. "She has great friends — but I've learned to keep one eye open," Larry explained. "It feels like I'm always on security duty, always scanning the room. We've had to make life adjustments. But at the same time, we've had so much support."

For all intents and purposes, Dannielynn Birkhead had a relatively regular childhood. Though her day-to-day life was far away from the entertainment industry, that wouldn't stop her from following in her mom's footsteps entirely. When she was 6 years old, Dannielyn modeled for Guess Kids' 2013 spring campaign, over two decades after Anna Nicole Smith's iconic photoshoot for the brand came out. 

Posing in pieces from their spring line at a beach, this was certainly a major milestone for Dannielynn. Creative director Paul Marciano told People that she was a natural. "Dannielynn has the same playful spirit that her mother had on set," he said.

In a 2013 interview with ABC News, Larry Birkhead shared a similar sentiment. "It was literally a day at the beach for her," Larry said. "I mean, she's rolling in the sand and smiling, and giggling." He encouraged Dannielynn to do this not because he hoped she would try to launch a modeling career, but to use it as a way to honor her late mother. "If she doesn't get any other way to connect with her mom in life — and she has that picture of her mom as a Guess model, and she has hers as a Guess model beside it — she might look back and say we did something together, in a way, you know," he said.

In 2003, Larry Birkhead met Anna Nicole Smith while she was filming for her reality show, "The Anna Nicole Show," at the Barnstable Brown Gala ahead of the annual Kentucky Derby. Given that this is how his relationship with Smith began, it checks out that the event means a lot to the Louisville native. So much so, that after he and Dannielynn Birkhead relocated to Kentucky, he began taking her to the Kentucky Derby. Dannielynn attended her first Derby in 2010 when she was 3 years old.

Clearly, they enjoy the outing, as they go to the Kentucky Derby together every year. In addition to being an incredibly sentimental occasion for the two, it also happens to be one of the only high-profile events the otherwise pretty private father-daughter duo attends. Every year, Larry and Dannielynn dress up and pose together in front of the step-and-repeat — and yes, they are always perfectly coordinated. 

In a 2022 interview with Fox News, Larry explained why it's been so important to him to share this tradition with Dannielynn. "Since I did meet her mom there, it started off just kind of me taking her back and showing her around, and kind of letting her know the stories that, you know, this is kind of where I met your mom and things," he said. "And then it came to kind of people look for my daughter there because I really don't let her do any public events. And so, in all honesty, the Kentucky Derby is kind of the growth chart for Dannielynn."

Before finding fame, Anna Nicole Smith navigated a tragic life in Mexia, Texas. When she was 14 years old, Dannielynn Birkhead went to her mother's hometown for the first time. She was joined by her father, Larry Birkhead.

Dannielynn and Larry's trip to Mexia was documented in a 2021 episode of "20/20" titled "Tragic Beauty: Anna Nicole Smith." This special not only offered viewers a glimpse into Smith's backstory, but gave Dannielynn a chance to connect with her mother who died when she was just a few months old. "Dannielynn's a teenager now and, you know, she doesn't really know a ton of things about her mom," Larry stated. "I thought, why not go back to Anna's beginnings and kind of see where Anna got her start. It's keeping her memory alive for my daughter." 

The two also met up with Jo McLemore, one of Smith's close childhood friends. McLemore was immediately struck by how much Dannielynn resembles Smith. "You are your mommy. You look just like her when I first met her," McLemore said. A visibly moved Dannielynn nodded and smiled, and the trio began their tour, which included stopping by Smith's go-to hangout spots, the high school she attended, the restaurant she worked at, and more. 

In 2024, Dannielynn Birkhead, who was 17 at the time, told E! News that she had some big post-high school plans. "I'm going to double major in forensic science and Japanese studies," she stated. "I really have loved forensics ever since I was a kid. I would watch 'Dateline' all the time. ... I also love Japan, and the culture, and the language." And while her college plans seemed to suggest that she wasn't thinking about showbiz whatsoever, that wasn't exactly the case.

In May 2025, Larry Birkhead told People that Dannielynn was toying with the idea of getting into modeling and acting while taking a gap year before starting college. Unsurprisingly, her father, who moved her away from Tinseltown when she was a baby because he wanted her to have a quieter life, wasn't totally on board. "I have mixed feelings about it, but I want to be supportive," he said. The following month, Larry told E! News that he would support her modeling and acting ambitions, but only if her education was prioritized. "I always tell her: have an academic foundation as your main focus," he explained. "Do modeling or acting on the side, and if it takes off, then reassess."

At the 2025 Barnstable Brown Gala, Dannielynn Birkhead paid a special tribute to Anna Nicole Smith by wearing one of her gowns. She not only rocked the same dress Smith wore to the Barnstable Brown Gala in 2004, but she also wore her hair in an updo like the one her mom wore.

In an interview with Access Hollywood, Dannielynn noted how special it was to rock this dress to this particular event. "I'm going to once again try not to cry when I say this, but I can't know my mom sadly, and this is one of the only reasons and ways I can," she said. "This is the closest I'll ever get to a hug from her. So, I've been like, on and off tears the whole day." 

Larry Birkhead was also moved by his daughter's decision to wear the dress, joking that he was happy Smith never threw anything away. "This was so rewarding just to see her enjoy just this one special dress, even," he said. In a separate interview with People, Larry noted that this dress was outside of Dannielynn's usual style, but he was happy to see her stepping outside of her sartorial comfort zone. "I'm just glad she's going through and starting to wear some of [Smith's clothes] because she could literally pick out an outfit a day for the rest of her life and never wear the same thing twice with everything," he said.

In 2025, Dannielynn Birkhead celebrated her 19th birthday. While some teenagers her age may dream of going viral on TikTok, Dannielynn seems happy to keep a low profile online. According to Larry Birkhead, Dannielynn does have her own social media, but she prefers to stay under the radar.

Dannielynn's dad, on the other hand, does have a very public Instagram account. Contrary to what the username might lead one to believe, however, Larry has insisted that he and his daughter do not share the account. As he said on a March 2026 episode of Bunnie Xo's "Dumb Blonde" podcast, "So, my Instagram is @larryanddannielynn, and there's a caveat there that people [are] like, 'Why doesn't she have her own social media?' So, she has her own social media. I don't know if I even know it or follow her."

While he's long made an effort to protect her however he can, Larry doesn't seem too worried about keeping tabs on his daughter's social media presence. "I let her have that to herself," he said. "She didn't want people to judge what she put down and all that stuff." He also dished that Dannielynn loves to tease him about his posts whenever she gets the chance. "She's like, 'Dad, you're hashtagging too much, you're doing this, nobody does that,'" Larry shared. "So, I try to stay off of it because I don't want to embarrass her."

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