Celebrity Kids Who Are Now Towering Over Their Parents
For many parents, there's nothing quite like the bittersweet experience of watching their kids grow up. And certainly few things are as surreal as that first time a parent has to look up at their kid to meet their gaze. The child who was once a toddler bracing themselves on the coffee table in order to stand is now a statuesque, grown-up human.
We've watched countless famous figures become parents for the first time, speak publicly about their parenting styles, get followed by the paparazzi at every turn, and eventually see their kids off to live their own lives. And yes, we've also seen some kids of stars become taller than their parents.
Girls tend to stop growing at around 14 to 15 years old, and on average, women reach a height of about 5 feet, 3 inches. Boys, on the other hand, often keep growing until they're about 18, reaching an average of 5 feet, 9 inches. That means that many kids surpass their parents in height before they even reach adulthood — and yes, this happens to superstars, too. Here are some of the many celebrity kids who now tower over their famous parents.
Shiloh Jolie-Pitt caught up to Angelina Jolie fast
When Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie got together in 2004, they wasted no time in becoming Hollywood's "it" couple. The "Girl, Interrupted" star already had one adopted child by the time they got together, but they went on to adopt two more children and have three biologically. In 2016, however, Brad and Angelina officially separated. Shiloh Jolie-Pitt — who filed to drop "Pitt" from her surname the day she turned 18 — was born on May 27, 2006, in Swakopmund, Namibia. She is the eldest of Brad and Angelina's biological children.
In October 2021, Angelina spoke with People about her experiences as a parent in a large family. "I have six very individual human beings in my home. I am so excited about all the different stages and feelings and curiosities that they go through. Why wouldn't you be? We're supposed to help them figure out who they are. And you can't figure out who they are if you don't enthusiastically develop with them," she said.
As Angelina continues to help her kids figure out who they are, they sure seem to keep reaching new heights. In recent years, Shiloh's had a head-turning height transformation. In January 2021, the then-14-year-old was photographed out shopping with her mother — and she appeared to be as tall, if not taller than the "Maleficent" star. A few years later, Angelina was spotted out in NYC with some of her kids, including Shiloh. As Hollywood Life noted, Shiloh looked to be the tallest of the bunch.
Violet Affleck takes after her dad's height
In June 2005, Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck got married. They welcomed their first child, Violet Affleck, in December of the same year. Garner and Affleck had two more kids together before divorcing in 2015. Some things aren't meant to be, but the former couple continues to co-parent their kids.
The resemblance between the "13 Going on 30" actor and her eldest is uncanny. Violet and Garner are basically twins ... well, aside from their height measurements, that is. While the actor stands at 5 feet, 8 inches, her daughter looks to be several inches taller than her. However, she still hasn't quite reached Ben's height of about 6 feet, four inches.
As Violet continues to grow up, Garner continues to cherish the bittersweet milestones. As the actor told People in 2024, she's admired Violet's tenacity throughout the college application process. "It is exciting I can see the stress — even though the excitement and stress go hand in hand. But she's handling it like a champ and she's totally in charge," she said. "I'm not having to say, 'Are you doing this, are you doing this?' She's a self-starter. And I'm just proud of her no matter what." A couple months later, Garner shared a touching Instagram post celebrating her daughter's high school graduation. Alongside snaps of herself crying, she wrote, "Tell me you have a graduate without telling me you have a graduate."
Barron Trump can look over his parents' heads
Donald Trump has a large family that includes five children with three women. His eldest, Donald Trump Jr., was born in December 1977 and his youngest, Barron Trump, was born in March 2006. By the time he was 12 years old, Barron towered over both his dad and mom Melania Trump. Now that he's all grown up, he's gotten even taller, and not by just a little bit either. Donald Trump's youngest has reportedly reached an estimated 6 feet, 8 inches, according to his dad.
According to The Cut, during an October 2020 campaign rally in North Carolina, the former reality TV show host expressed how impressed he is with his youngest son's height, as well as his ability to recover from COVID-19. He said, "My Barron. My tall Barron. He's very tall. My beautiful Barron. And handsome. He is handsome. But my beautiful Barron had it, and he recovered, like, so fast. I said, 'Wait a minute, how long did that take?' They have the strongest immune systems. They're better than all of us, that's what they are ... They're kids."
Dylan Brosnan has several inches on his dad
When Pierce Brosnan married his first wife, Cassandra Harris, in 1980, he adopted her two children from a previous marriage. Pierce and Harris had one kid together before she died in 1991. The "Goldeneye" star went on to have two more children with his second wife, Keely Shaye Smith, including son Dylan Brosnan, who was born in January 1997. Evidently, Dylan shares his father's interest in show biz: He as an actor, modeled for Saint Laurent, and sings in the band Raspberry Blonde.
During June 2021 Instagram Live conversation streamed by People, Pierce shared that a very young Dylan spent some time on the "Die Another Day" set. However, Dylan apparently was not interested in watching his father work. "I always remember standing there thinking, 'There's my boy. There's Dylan.' ... I said, 'How was it?' And you said, 'Are the cars okay, Daddy? Were the cars all right? Can we go see the cars?' And it was my best performance, one of my greatest James Bond heroic moments. I said, 'Yes, son, let's go see the cars,'" Pierce said.
In January 2020, Pierce and his sons appeared side by side at the Golden Globes, giving the public a chance to see how tall Dylan has grown. It was reported that at 23 years old, he stood about four inches taller than his famous father, measuring to about 6 feet, 5 inches.
Suri Cruise took after Katie Holmes' height
Who could forget the cringeworthy moment Tom Cruise professed his love for Katie Holmes while appearing on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in May 2005? They'd been dating only about a month at that point, and got engaged soon after. The two welcomed their only daughter together, Suri Cruise, in April 2006 and married in November of the same year. However, the "Mission: Impossible" actor's devotion to the Church of Scientology and Holmes' wish to protect Suri from the organization proved to be incompatible. In 2012, Holmes and Tom divorced.
Over the years, Suri's height has changed a great deal. The kid who made her public debut when she was just 5 months old is now about as tall as her mother; it seems safe to assume she didn't get her height from her 5-foot-7-inch father. What's more likely is that she takes after Holmes, who is 5 feet, 9 inches.
Tom and Suri remain estranged to this day. However, she thankfully has a strong relationship with her mom, who has long been a support system for the celebrity kid. As Holmes told Glamour in April 2023, "What has been really important for me with my daughter, because she was so visible at a young age, is I really like to protect her. I'm very grateful to be a parent, to be her parent. She's an incredible person."
Honor Warren is taller than Jessica Alba
After meeting on the set of "Fantastic Four" in 2004, Jessica Alba and film producer Cash Warren hit it off. They got engaged and married while the actor was pregnant with their first child, Honor Warren, and they welcomed their daughter to the world in June 2008. The Hollywood couple went on to have two more children. Honor was the first sibling to absolutely tower over their famous mom.
In September 2020, when Honor was 12 years old, Alba shared a pic on Instagram that they snapped while standing back to back. "The moment you realize your number 1 baby is taller than you," she captioned the post. And it was clear that Honor really did have at least a few inches on her. Alba later sat down with SiriusXM's "The Highway" to talk about how quickly her eldest has grown, saying, "And then we're back to back. Just, I fell apart. I just started crying. ... She's taller than me. I mean, literally over COVID she went from like a size 7 to like a 9 shoe." According to the "Sin City" star, her daughter grew almost three inches over that period. At the time, Honor measured at 5 feet, 7 inches.
Ava Philippe has some inches on Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon met Ryan Philippe at her 21st birthday party, and the two got married in June 1999 after co-starring in "Cruel Intentions." Just three months later, in September of the same year, they welcomed their daughter, Ava Philippe. Their firstborn didn't stay a tiny baby forever: It wasn't long before Ava caught up to Reese, who stands at just 5 feet, 1 inch.
In June 2014, when Ava was just 14, Witherspoon and her daughter looked to be just about the same height while they were out hiking in the Pacific Palisades. Evidently, the celeb kid wasn't done growing: Ava and Witherspoon's height difference was more than apparent when they were spotted out shopping in Los Angeles a few years later.
As the daughter of two famous parents, Ava has learned a lot about living in the public eye and the pressure that comes with it. Fortunately, her mom's been a strong role model. In an April 2024 chat with People, Ava shared an important lesson she learned from her Oscar-winning parent. "My mom is Southern. A big saying in the South, especially amongst women is, 'Pretty is as pretty does.' Every time that comes up in my brain or I see people being critical of others online for their appearance, I just always think, 'You're only as beautiful as you treat other people.' ... I think that you glow from within when you're a good person," she said.
Romeo Beckham and Cruz Beckham have surpassed their dad's height
When superstar soccer player David Beckham and Spice Girls member Victoria Beckham (née Adams) met in 1997, it was a celebrity power couple dream come true. David and Victoria Beckham now have four kids: Brooklyn Beckham, who was born in 1999; Romeo Beckham, who arrived in 2002; Cruz Beckham, who was born in 2005; and Harper Beckham, who was born in 2011. In a blink of an eye, the middle two kids, Cruz and Romeo, showed up their dad in the height department.
In August 2022, the soccer legend shared a photo he took with the two boys on Instagram Stories that showed just how tall they had gotten. "So close to being as tall as dad. Yep boys will be boys," David quipped (via Metro). Of course, his caption was a joke; Romeo and Cruz are clearly taller than their father.
Raising a family in the limelight can be complicated, but as David told GQ in 2016, he and Victoria have always put their kids first. "We've always protected our children, but we've always been honest with them, as well: There're going to be things said about you, about us, that aren't true." he said. "I've got four amazing kids, and an amazing wife, amazing parents, amazing in-laws, amazing friends who I trust: It doesn't matter what people say."
Dylan Douglas stands tall next to Michael Douglas
Michael Douglas' acting career kicked off in the late '60s and it wasn't long before he was a bona fide Hollywood star. A few years after he had his breakthrough, he became a father for the first time. In 1978, he and his first wife, Diandra Luker, welcomed son Cameron Douglas. 22 years later, Michael became a father again at 56 years old when he and his second wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, welcomed Dylan Douglas into the world. In 2003, their daughter, Carys Zeta Douglas, was born.
In April 2023, Dylan and Michael were photographed together at the Broadway debut of "Good Night, Oscar." Dylan, who was 22 at the time, looked to be a good few inches taller than his Oscar-winning father.
While Michael has always been present in Dylan and Carys' lives, he's admitted that he missed out on a lot of Cameron's childhood. "I was just overwhelmed and overloaded by my work. And family was really taking third place after work, our country and then the family, as opposed to when Catherine and I got together," he told The Telegraph in April 2024. He also said that being an older dad can be awkward at times, noting that when he visited Dylan's college for parents' day, there were some incorrect assumptions. "This is not grandfather's day, this is parents' day. I say, 'I am a parent!' That was a rough one," he said.
Liv Freundlich towers over Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore and Bart Freundlich hit it off while working together on the movie "The Myth of Fingerprints" in 1996. The couple then went on to have two kids: Caleb Freundlich, who was born in December 1997, and Liv Freundlich, who arrived April 2002. The couple decided to tie the knot in 2003. As Moore explained to The Guardian in 2011, "I had a therapist who said marriage is really a container for a family."
Both of the "May December" star's children tower over her. In August 2016, when Liv was just 14, the celebrity kid was already taller than her Oscar winning-mom. Though they aren't close in height, Moore and Liv are close in relationship. In 2022, the pair opened up about their bond in a joint interview with Harper's Bazaar.
"She's spectacularly poised. I've been bragging about Liv since the day she was born, and I'm so impressed by how well she navigates the world and how mature she is," Moore gushed to the outlet about her daughter. Liv went on to add, "What I admire most about my mom is how driven she is. She always has a clear idea of what she wants to accomplish — choosing [roles] she is passionate about — and she never lets go of that. My mom does what she wants to do and doesn't really care what other people think."
Mason Disick is already taller than Kourtney Kardashian
The eldest Kardashian sister was in an on-again, off-again relationship with Scott Disick for years before she linked up with Travis Barker. The exes share three children, including their eldest, Mason Disick, who was born in December 2009. Over the years, despite his mom's constant filming schedule, the eldest Disick child seemed to disappear from the public eye. He's rarely popped up on "The Kardashians" and didn't appear in Barker's and Kourtney's wedding special for Hulu.
In June 2022, Kourtney was spotted out and about with Mason Disick, who is growing up fast. It was evident that he'd officially grown taller than his mom (who is only 5 feet, 1 inch tall"), despite being only 12 years old at the time.
On an October 2022 episode of the "Not Skinny But Not Fat" podcast, Kourtney opened up about why Mason keeps such a low profile. "I see comments all the time that I'm never with my kids and I just don't love to post my kids on social media. They don't love it. Sometimes they do. ... [Mason] does not like it, he doesn't want any part of it. He is not on social media. He doesn't love it, and I want my kids to be kids and to — I crave normalcy as much as we can have it," she shared. That said, less than one year later, Mason created an Instagram account and has already amassed about 750,000 followers.