Larry Birkhead celebrated his daughter Dannielynn Birkhead turning 20 years old by sharing a video collage on Instagram featuring rare childhood photos and contemporary snapshots of her, marking a major milestone nearly two decades after the 2007 death of her mother, Anna Nicole Smith.
The milestone arrived with a quiet nod to the passage of time. On September 7, Larry Birkhead posted a video tribute set to Lenny Kravitz’s Happy Birthday
on Instagram, captioned simply, Happy 20th Birthday Dannielynn! ❤️ Love, Dad ❤️
The digital reel brought together contrasting eras of the young woman’s life, pairing vintage childhood memories with current images.
A New Look and a Milestone Birthday
The birthday post captured Dannielynn stepping firmly into her twenties. The first image in the reel showed her posing on a city stoop wearing an all-black outfit featuring a black velvet dress, fishnet tights, lacy socks, black sunglasses, and matching necklaces. A subsequent photo showed her seated at a restaurant with short red hair and a Ghost T-shirt.
Social media followers rushed to the comments section to express astonishment at how quickly the years have passed. How in the world is she 20 already we cant be getting old we are still young,
one Instagram user wrote. Another added, Happy 20th Birthday! I feel so old. lol.
Behind the scenes, Larry provided specific details about his daughter’s wardrobe choices, noting in his post’s caption that both outfits were purchased at Hot Topic.
Stepping Away From the Spotlight
While Dannielynn has occasionally stepped into the public eye—most notably during her annual appearances at the Kentucky Derby—she has spent the majority of her life shielded from the spotlight. Following the 2007 death of her mother, Anna Nicole Smith, who passed away just five months after Dannielynn’s birth, Larry assumed primary caregiving responsibilities.
That deliberate distance from celebrity culture shaped Dannielynn’s upbringing.
Now a sophomore in college studying forensics, Dannielynn has signaled an interest in stepping away from public-facing events entirely. Earlier in the year, as the father-daughter duo marked their long-standing tradition of attending the Barnstable Brown Gala and the Kentucky Derby—the horse race where Larry first met Anna Nicole Smith in 2004—they hinted that their red carpet chapter may be drawing to a close.
She’s almost 20 years old, and there’s cooler people to hang out with [than] me,
Larry admitted. Dannielynn echoed that sentiment, explaining her preference for a quieter lifestyle. I kind of want to step away,
she shared. I’m grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had and being able to talk with you and share stories, but I’m more of like a stay at home and hide under my blanket type of person.
Preserving Memories of Anna Nicole Smith
Throughout Dannielynn’s childhood, the Kentucky Derby served as an annual touchstone where Larry introduced his daughter to the legacy of her late mother.
As the pair contemplate ending their annual public Derby tradition, Larry reflected on the extensive scrapbook of memories they have built together. We’ve really done this, and it’s been a tradition, and I think it’s something that we don’t know if we’re going to do it again, ever,
he noted. So this could be, like, the end of our photo book. We don’t know. But we had one h— of a scrapbook if we [don’t come back].
