Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter Dannielynn Birkhead is all grown up and living her best life. She recently met the legendary Janet Jackson at a gala for the 148th annual Kentucky Derby. Dannielynn wore the same outfit Jackson once wore to the same event nearly 20 years ago! The dream meetup happened during the 33rd annual Barnstable Brown Kentucky Derby Eve Gala. Alongside Dannielynn was her father, Larry Birkhead, who was also dressed to impress. The two snapped a photo with the “Miss You Much” singer.
Larry revealed in an Instagram post that Dannielynn’s outfit was purchased as part of Jackson’s charity auction. Jackson wore the same black suit to the 2003 gala. Sources told the Daily Mail that when Jackson spotted Danielynn, she yelled at the growing teen, “That’s my outfit!” One of the event’s organizers told People that Dannielynn “looked gorgeous,” adding that “she is getting so tall, she’s almost as tall as her dad now.” Birkhead shared another Instagram post to commemorate the occasion, captioning the photo: “Betting on a great time with Dannielynn today at this year’s [Kentucky Derby], then off to the [Janet Jackson] concert!”
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The 15-year-old is always a hot commodity, just like her late mother. Smith died just five months after Dannielynn’s birth in 2007 from an accidental overdose. A custody war over Dannielynn immediately began as Larry fought to prove his paternity over Smith’s live-in boyfriend, Howard Stern. But once paternity was proven, the two men joined forces to be present in Dannielynn’s life.
Larry told Deborah Roberts in a 2017 interview: “The minute after the paternity test was over … he’s helping me change Dannielynn’s diaper, [showing me], ‘This is how you feed her’… it’s been nonstop since then,” he said, per Daily Mail.
Like her famous mother, talent scouts are always vying for Dannielynn. But Larry refuses the offers, preferring that she live a normal life where he’s raising her in Kentucky. Instead, he teaches her the things that matter. “[I tell her] Excess is not always the best. Be careful who’s around you,” he said. Be good, be caring. Give back. You don’t have to be a star to shoot for the stars.”
