11 Celebs With Wealthy Parents Who Have Technically Left Them 'Nothing'

Celebrities Whose Wealthy Parents Cut Them off Financially

One may easily believe that celebrities' offspring and immediate family members have it easier regarding their financial prospects. But like any family, there are instances when obstacles arise when opinions about inheritances and will diverge. Several families have opted not to share their hard-earned wealth with their kids and sometimes less fortunate relatives, instead donating their money to charitable causes. On the other hand, there can be underlying problems, in which leaving their kids with a large sum of money would not be an option. Naturally, there are also situations where children are left out of the will because the whole estate is going to a fifth or second wife. For whatever reason, here is a list of celebrities who were cut out from their family's will.

1. Prince Harry

Prince Harry said that his family "cut him off" financially after he resigned from his senior royal position in January 2020. After resigning as senior royals the Duke of Sussex claimed that he, Meghan Markle, and Archie's security had been compromised. He stated this was the reason for their choice to relocate to California from Canada. As reported by People, in a heated interview with Oprah Winfrey, Harry said, "My family literally cut me off financially and I had to afford security for us… in the first quarter of 2020. Their justification was a change in status. I pushed back and said is there a change of threat or risk? Eventually, I got the confirmation that no, the risk hasn’t changed but due to our change of status – we would no longer be ‘official’ members of the royal family."

2. Kim Kardashian

Before the premiere of their E! reality series, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, and Khloé Kardashian had an interview with Inside Edition back in 2007. The three discussed how, despite their parents' money and luxury, they were forced to work hard from an early age in the interview. Kim said at the time, "I just think that it’s actually probably harder we did grow up with this privileged life, but knowing that at a certain age, we’re gonna be cut off and we can’t ask our parents for anything." She continued, "And we were taught at a very young age that we’re gonna have to work, and we’re gonna have to fend for ourselves — and whatever lifestyle we want, we have to make that on our own. We’ve all worked since we were about 16 years old."

3. Kourtney Kardashian

During the same Inside Edition interview, Kourtney also opened up about how she was supposed to get independent after graduating college. She said, "I was cut off when I graduated college. My dad was like, 'You need to get a job. You have a month, I’ll help you find one. But then you have to make money and support yourself.'" However, when these clips resurfaced after years fans expressed their frustration considering that their mother Kris Jenner's extensive network of Hollywood contacts greatly, if not fully, aided her and her siblings' ascent to stardom.

4. Dakota Johnson

During the virtual visit on Late Night With Seth Meyers, Dakota Johnson's father, Don Johnson, the star of Miami Vice, said that he severed his financial ties with his daughter after high school when she elected not to attend college. As reported by ET, he said, "We have a rule in the family that, you know, if you stay in school, you get to stay on the payroll. So, you go to college, you get to stay on the payroll. Toward the end of high school, I went to her and I said, 'So, do you want to go visit some colleges?' ... And she was like, 'Oh, no. I'm not going to college, no way.' I went, 'OK, you know what that means? You won't be on the payroll anymore.'"

5. Michael Douglas

Following his death, Kirk Douglas left behind a $61 million (P3.1 billion) wealth, most of which he allegedly donated to charities. The Douglas Foundation received a $50 million donation from the Hollywood icon, according to The Mirror. Along with his wife of more than 60 years, Anne Buydens, he started the charity. The 75-year-old actor Michael Douglas, his oldest son, received no inheritance. The Children's Hospital Los Angeles, the Anne Douglas Center for Rehabilitating Women in Los Angeles, and academics at St. Lawrence University in New York are just a few of the organizations that benefit from the Douglas Foundation.

6. Tori Spelling

Tori Spelling inherited a substantial amount of money, but just 0.16% of her father Aaron Spelling's wealth, which was estimated to be $500 million at the time of his death in 2006. In 2021 Tori revealed, "It could be worse... [But] what if he'd given me $50 million, and what if, with that $50 million, I had changed the world? Like, what if I am the fierce hustler and businesswoman I am today, but with that?" Regarding the reason Aaron left Candy Spelling all the money, it seems that Aaron was worried Tori would mismanage his hard-earned money. Candy once told the New York Times, "[Tori] would close a store and drop $50,000 to $60,000. I never did anything like that. She just went crazy."

7. Jamie Lee Curtis

Jamie Lee, her sister Kelly, and their three half-siblings were all disinherited since their father had bequeathed all of his belongings to his sixth wife, Jill Vandenberg, along with an approximate $60 million inheritance. Just five months before he passed away, Tony Curtis' will was altered. This led the Curtis children to file a lawsuit, claiming their father had been duped into leaving everything to his widow. Jamie Lee never required her parents' financial assistance since she became a movie star in her own right owing to the Halloween trilogy and other movies like Trading Places and True Lies. She also became a baroness via her marriage to actor Christopher Guest. 

8. Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth expressed her mild confusion at being chosen as the 2013 'Most Hated Celebrity' to Stephen Sackur, presenter of BBC News' Hard Talk. As reported by People, she said at the time, "But I think there are things about me that make people draw conclusions. For example, there is the perception that I grew up very wealthy and that I was given, you know … That I was sort of raised with a silver spoon in my mouth, which inspires a lot of resentment." Then referring to her lat father Bruce Paltrow she added, "He said, ‘You are completely on your own’. So he never gave me anything: I never had any supplementation, he never helped me with my rent, I never had a trust fund. So the idea that I am spoiled or that I didn’t work for what I have, that’s just not accurate. But I can see how somebody might have that perception."

9. Gordon Ramsay

Even though Gordon's kids are doing well in their careers, he still wants to make sure they put in the effort to earn their keep. He said in an interview that he does not want to leave his $220 million inheritance to his children. Rather, he aspires for his children to become self-sufficient and establish their own identities. He said to the Telegraph in 2017 that, "It’s definitely not going to them, and that’s not in a mean way; it’s to not spoil them. The only thing I’ve agreed with [my wife] Tana is they get a 25% deposit on a flat, but not the whole flat."

10. Sachi Parker

Sachi Parker intended to attend college, but Shirley MacLaine withdrew financial support from her only daughter when she was seventeen. Parker wasn't prepared for it and was unable to pursue her dream of attending college. MacLaine only consented to an interest-bearing loan, even when she requested her mother to assist her in purchasing a vehicle. Parker believes her mother pulled some ropes to have her kicked off of the set during what was meant to be her big acting debut. Parker told Hartford Courant, "She doesn't see the importance of it because she didn't go [to college]. Neither did my father."

11. Christina Crawford

One of the most well-known American movie actresses of all time, Joan Crawford's daughter Christina Crawford said that underneath the glitzy exterior was a nasty and violent nature. Christina and her brother Christopher were left out of their mother Joan's will when she passed away in 1977. Christina refuted claims in 2008 that her mother took the action as payback for Christina penning her candid biography, Mommie Dearest. As she said to the Guardian, "The attorney told me that the language in that will went way back to the '60s, and every time the will was rewritten that language was carried forward absolutely intact. So none of the later years had had any impact on her emotionally whatsoever. All the efforts I’d made had been for nothing, and I decided that was enough, and I was going to tell the truth as I knew it."