Anna Nicole Smith's Daughter Dannielynn Stuns with Surprising Career Aspirations — Photos

The former Playboy icon's daughter spent a weekend in Louisville, saying things people did not expect to hear and looking nothing like her mother.

Dannielynn Birkhead, 19, the daughter of the late Anna Nicole Smith and Larry Birkhead, gave interviews at the Barnstable Brown Gala on May 1, 2026, and attended the Kentucky Derby on May 2, both in Louisville, Kentucky, with her father by her side.

She spoke about her bold new look, a career path that surprised a lot of people, and what it feels like to finally be seen as her own person. Fans reacted to everything she said and to the clips from both days, but their opinions ranged from glowing to judgmental.

A Life That Started in a Confusing Way

To understand Dannielynn, it helps to know that the first year of her life was more than complicated. She was born on September 7, 2006, in the Bahamas, to Anna Nicole, a former Playboy Playmate of the Year and Guess jeans model whose life was never far from public scrutiny.

Three days after the birth, Anna Nicole's 20-year-old son, Daniel, died in his mother's Nassau hospital room. A Bahamian autopsy later concluded that a toxic combination of methadone, Lexapro, and Zoloft was responsible.

Before the family had any time to grieve, a very public paternity dispute took over. The model's companion, Howard K. Stern, was listed as Dannielynn's father on her birth certificate, but freelance photographer Larry filed a suit claiming otherwise.

A Los Angeles judge ordered a paternity test in late 2006, with Larry telling People, "I'm one step closer to beginning a relationship with my daughter."

And tragedy soon followed. On February 8, 2007, Anna Nicole died in Hollywood, Florida, of an accidental drug overdose at 39. Her lawyer, Ron Rale, said at the time, "She was a loving mother. I hope Anna is reunited with Daniel." Dannielynn was just five months old.

The Moment Her Father Brought Her Home

Just months after Anna Nicole's death, in April 2007, DNA results confirmed what Larry had been fighting to prove. At a press conference outside a Bahamas courthouse, he told reporters, "I hate to be the one who told you this, but: I told you so. I'm the father."

He added, choking up, "My baby's gonna be coming home pretty soon." Fortunately, Howard handled the news with unexpected grace. He hugged Larry outside the courthouse and pledged to support sole custody going to him. So, Dannielynn did, in fact, go live with her father, and a quieter chapter began.

The Father Who Saved Everything

Larry raised Dannielynn largely away from cameras, though the Kentucky Derby became one of their most visible annual traditions. And once his daughter got older, she was exposed to the public more, but never as a full-blown celebrity.

Larry also made sure that her mother was remembered. In a 2021 "20/20" segment, he showed Dannielynn personal belongings from Anna Nicole's career that he had kept in storage, items she was seeing for the first time.

He told the program that his daughter has a big heart, just like her mother, and that he wants people to remember Anna Nicole for the happy moments, the warmth, and the love she had for her fans and family.

The following year, on Dannielynn's 16th birthday, Larry shared a heartfelt post with a collage of photos, looking back on everything they had been through together as father and daughter.

"Through tragedy, turmoil, and a couple of baby tantrums, today you shine bright and are so accomplished," he wrote. In the post, he also recalled telling her what a great baby she was, only for her to fire back: "How do you know? You weren't even there."

Larry joked, "Ouch," but then added that he might not have been there for everything, but he had remained with her every day since the afternoon he brought her home.

The Look That Started a Conversation

As an adult, Dannielynn is attracting a lot of attention, just like her mother once did. On May 1, 2026, she and Larry arrived at the Barnstable Brown Gala in Louisville in coordinated all-black, goth-inspired outfits. She wore a floor-length black dress and debuted a platinum wolf cut with black tips.

Speaking exclusively to Access Hollywood at the gala, she was clear about where the look came from and what it means. "I feel like a vampire, which is the goal every day," she told the outlet. "That's like my life's goal, is to look like a vampire every day."

Now in college and figuring out who she is, she described this as her most grounded moment yet. "I probably feel the most confident and happy and like myself I've ever felt right now," she said.

She also addressed anyone who has questioned her style choices directly. "Someone's like, 'Hey, you actually can't do your hair like that.' Who cares! I'm doing it. I'm not gonna let someone dictate what I wanna do or who I wanna be, because life is short, and I think you should be who you wanna be, no matter what."

Her Own Person and a Surprising Career Choice

Speaking to People at the same gala, Dannielynn was also candid about what it has been like to grow up constantly measured against her mother. "It's always like, 'Anna Nicole Smith's daughter,' and never just Dannielynn," she said. "So I'm hoping my look right now will kind of help with that in a way."

Furthermore, she was careful to separate her individuality from any dismissal of her mother. "I just want people to know that I love my mom, and she's so beautiful, but I'm also my own person, obviously. And I hope that's a bit more clear now," she said.

To this, Larry added, "I'm excited that she's just being her own individual self."

During this interview, Dannielynn even revealed she is majoring in forensic science, with a possible double major in something culinary because she loves baking. Modeling or fame, the paths so many assumed she would take, are not where her focus is right now.

Larry told the outlet that plenty of people have pushed for her to follow in Anna Nicole's footsteps, and that Dannielynn had thought about it. But he is not pushing anything.

“A lot of people want her to follow in her mom's footsteps — and she's thought about that, and maybe she might switch back to that one day — but right now, she's kind of wanting to do her own thing with the forensics and the criminal studies."

After her first college semester, she earned good grades, which her father described warmly. "It was a little bit of a struggle to get across the finish line, like these horse races, but she got the steam at the end, and she pushed it across. She did a great job. So I'm proud of her in every way," he said.

Derby Day, Refined but Still a Vampire

The following day, May 2, the two headed to the Kentucky Derby itself, keeping a tradition they have held for years. In another Access Hollywood interview, trackside, Dannielynn was asked whether Anna Nicole would have approved of her new look.

"I don't know. I think she might like it, maybe. I can't really say for sure, but she was cool. She would love it. And I'm cool, so," she said.

The vampire energy carried over from the night before, just dialed back. "I'm still a vampire, but don't look like it too much right now," she added. But Larry put it best:

"I think she's more refined than vampire, but it's the best of the dark side."

The two also revealed this will likely be one of their last Kentucky Derby appearances together for a while, which gave the whole weekend a meaningful tone.

What Fans Had to Say

The photos and videos from both days spread quickly, and the reactions were all over the place. On Instagram, the warmth came through clearly. "

She's a beautiful young lady! You have done a fantastic job raising her!" wrote one person. Another added, "She's more beautiful than ever and has grown up so fast. It's Derby time! I always look forward to seeing you two."

Over on Facebook, some commenters shifted focus to Larry himself and how he appeared in the interviews. "Larry looks quite upset at being asked to step aside," one person wrote.

Another said, "Daddy looked a little jealous that they wanted a picture of her [sic]," while a third chimed in with, "Oh and there is her obsessed dad 🙄 [sic]." Someone else kept it brief with "Strange relationship...." and one commenter focused entirely on Dannielynn Birkhead, remarking, "She has her mother's face."

Whether those readings of Larry are fair is debatable. What is harder to argue with is the picture the whole weekend painted: a young woman who knows exactly who she is, and a father who has been in her corner since DNA testing confirmed what he always knew.