Dakota Johnson Thinks Nepo Baby Discourse Is Not Only “Boring,” But “Lame”

Dakota Johnson has no qualms about her very famous lineage. In fact, she has some rather strong feelings about those who do. During a recent interview on the Today Show, Johnson (whose parents are actors Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson) laid bare her true thoughts about the obsession surrounding her nepo baby status.

“Like, if you’re a journalist, write about something else,” she told Today’s Hoda Kotb. “That’s just like, lame. So the opportunity to make fun of it, I jumped at,” Johnson added, referencing her recent Saturday Night Live appearance where she poked fun at the discussion surrounding nepotism.

In the skit, Johnson formed a “nepo truce” with John Higgins and Martin Herlihy who are the sons of SNL producer Steve Higgins and former head writer Tim Herlihy, respectively.

Johnson also opened up to Kotb about her father’s decision to cut her off financially as she pursued an acting career. “He said, ‘If you go to college, you’ll still get an allowance,’” she explained. “And I was like, ‘Well, I’m going to be an actress.’ So he was like, ‘Alright, well you’re on your own.’”

“I did some little modeling jobs that helped me pay my rent. And then I started auditioning and got some jobs,” Johnson continued, explaining that, “I definitely had moments where I couldn’t afford groceries and had to ask my mom to help me. She was the nice one.”

Both of Johnson’s parents are Golden Globe winners—Griffith in 1989 for her role in Working Girl and Johnson two years later for Miami Vice. Johnson’s maternal grandmother, Tippi Hedren, also has a Golden Globe in her trophy case winning in 1964 for “New Star of the Year.” Another Globe winner and fellow “nepo baby” Gwyneth Paltrow (Johnson is dating Gwyn’s ex, Chris Martin, coincidentally) told the The Guardian in October “there’s nothing wrong with doing or wanting to do what your parents do.”

During a 2022 interview with W Magazine, the Madame Web actress explained that acting was the only career path that she could see herself pursuing. “My parents were always working with amazing artists, and I just loved it. I wanted to be a part of it so badly,” she said, adding “They discouraged. See how well that turned out? But I understood. They wanted me to have as much of a childhood as I could.”