Dakota Johnson Finds The Nepo Baby Discourse “Incredibly Annoying”

Dakota Johnson isn’t here for any nepo baby discourse. Appearing on the Today show on Feb. 7, Johnson, the daughter of actors Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson, said she finds these conversations “incredibly annoying and boring.”

“If you’re a journalist, write about something else,” she told host Hoda Kotb. “That’s just like, lame. So the opportunity to make fun of it, I jumped at.”

She was referring to a 2022 New York magazine cover story, titled “How A Nepo Baby Is Born,” which explored the famous and well-connected parents of celebrities in forensic detail, sparking a slew of conversation online.

This isn’t the first time Johnson has joined the conversation. She recently joked about her nepo baby status while hosting Saturday Night Live, making a “nepo truce” with comedians John Higgins and Martin Herlihy, the sons of SNL producer Steve Higgins and the show’s former writer Tim Herlihy.

Dakota Pursued Acting On Her Own

While on the Today show, Johnson also discussed her father’s decision to withdraw any financial support when she went into acting after high school instead of pursuing a college education.

“He said, ‘If you go to college, you’ll still get an allowance,’” she said. “And I was like, ‘Well, I’m going to be an actress.’ So he was like, ‘Alright, well you’re on your own.’” Recalling how she supported herself after being taken off her father’s “payroll,” Johnson admitted there were “moments where I couldn’t afford groceries and had to ask my mom to help me.”

“I did some little modeling jobs that helped me pay my rent,” she continued. “And then I started auditioning and got some jobs.”

Johnson’s first major role came in 2010’s The Social Network. In 2015, she secured the lead role in the big-screen adaptation of E. L. James’ Fifty Shades of Grey opposite Jamie Dornan.