Celebrity Parents Share What Their Kids Thought of Their Projects: From Kristin Cavallari to Cole Hauser

Credit: Shutterstock (2)

Celebrity Parents Share What Their Kids Thought of Their Projects: From Kristin Cavallari to Cole Hauser

Biggest critics. Celebrity parents such as Kristin Cavallari and Sarah Michelle Gellar rose to stardom on television — and have since shared what their kids thought about the projects. Cavallari, who made a name for herself after appearing in MTV's Laguna Beach and The Hills, opened up about how her three children discovered the shows. “Jay [Cutler] put it on thinking it was really funny … when they re-ran it a few summers ago,” the Uncommon James creator, who shares kids Camden, Jaxon and Saylor with her now-ex-husband, exclusively told Us Weekly in November 2020. “Just a couple of minutes. I, of course, was cringing the whole time. When they’re older, I’m sure at some point they’ll stumble upon it, but I won’t be sitting them down saying, ‘Hey, guys. Wanna watch Mommy in high school?’ ‘No.’” The Colorado native later noted that her career has not “really registered” to her family, telling Us in December 2021, “They [don’t get] that they can sit down and watch a TV show with me on it. They used to watch when I would do all the hosting for awards shows. That was fun for them. I gave them a little shout-out one time. They loved that, but I think they don’t care.” Gellar, for her part, collaborated with husband Freddie Prinze Jr. on movies including I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scooby-Doo. The couple, who tied the knot in 2002, later welcomed kids Charlotte and Rocky. The Wolf Pack star broke down why she chose to slow down her household's viewing of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the show that shot her to stardom. “I have to sort of cherry-pick which ones [we watch] because they’re still so young," Gellar shared with Us in July 2021 about the supernatural series, before confirming that they made it to season 5. "We’re working our way slowly through it. And then they’ve gotten distracted by other shows.” The New York native, however, has continued to praise the message that Buffy left behind after it wrapped up in 2003. "I realized the other day that one of the things that I love so much about Buffy was how it was utilizing the idea of the horrors of high school and the vampires were the metaphorical version of those horrors," the Golden Globe nominee shared in September 2022. "And you could only take it so far in those days because it was network television." Scroll down for other stars who shared their projects with their kids:

Credit: Shutterstock (2)

Celebrity Parents Share What Their Kids Thought of Their Projects: From Kristin Cavallari to Cole Hauser

Biggest critics. Celebrity parents such as Kristin Cavallari and Sarah Michelle Gellar rose to stardom on television — and have since shared what their kids thought about the projects. Cavallari, who made a name for herself after appearing in MTV's Laguna Beach and The Hills, opened up about how her three children discovered the shows. “Jay [Cutler] put it on thinking it was really funny … when they re-ran it a few summers ago,” the Uncommon James creator, who shares kids Camden, Jaxon and Saylor with her now-ex-husband, exclusively told Us Weekly in November 2020. “Just a couple of minutes. I, of course, was cringing the whole time. When they’re older, I’m sure at some point they’ll stumble upon it, but I won’t be sitting them down saying, ‘Hey, guys. Wanna watch Mommy in high school?’ ‘No.’” The Colorado native later noted that her career has not “really registered” to her family, telling Us in December 2021, “They [don’t get] that they can sit down and watch a TV show with me on it. They used to watch when I would do all the hosting for awards shows. That was fun for them. I gave them a little shout-out one time. They loved that, but I think they don’t care.” Gellar, for her part, collaborated with husband Freddie Prinze Jr. on movies including I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scooby-Doo. The couple, who tied the knot in 2002, later welcomed kids Charlotte and Rocky. The Wolf Pack star broke down why she chose to slow down her household's viewing of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the show that shot her to stardom. “I have to sort of cherry-pick which ones [we watch] because they’re still so young," Gellar shared with Us in July 2021 about the supernatural series, before confirming that they made it to season 5. "We’re working our way slowly through it. And then they’ve gotten distracted by other shows.” The New York native, however, has continued to praise the message that Buffy left behind after it wrapped up in 2003. "I realized the other day that one of the things that I love so much about Buffy was how it was utilizing the idea of the horrors of high school and the vampires were the metaphorical version of those horrors," the Golden Globe nominee shared in September 2022. "And you could only take it so far in those days because it was network television." Scroll down for other stars who shared their projects with their kids:

Credit: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

Jason Sudeikis

The Saturday Night Live alum revealed in March 2023 that his son, Otis, is a fan of seeing his dad as Ted Lasso in the FIFA video game. "Whenever Otis sees that he goes, 'It looks like you, but you're so mad,'" Sudeikis explained during an interview on Late Night With Seth Meyers. "And as a dad, I was like, 'He doesn't view me that way,' which I thought was so nice." 

Credit: Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock

Keira Knightley

The Pride & Prejudice actress revealed in March 2023 that her daughters aren't fans of her work. Her younger daughter, Delilah, didn't like The Nutcracker and the Four Realms "at all," Knightley revealed during a March 2023 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. "She was like, 'You should be dressed in rainbows, and why are you so angry?'" the U.K. native quipped. Meanwhile, her eldest daughter, Edie, "wasn't impressed" by Pirates of the Caribbean. "She watched 10 minutes. She was far too terrified. She said, 'I don't want to see you doing that,'" Knightley recalled. "She said, 'I don't like you in that, you're too pretty. But don't worry, you're not anymore.'" 

Credit: Ray Tamarra/Soul B Photos/Shutterstock

Keri Russell

In February 2023, the Felicity star recalled showing her daughter the iconic series. "I put it on, and I downloaded an episode from Amazon or wherever you get it these days," she continued. "After about 15 minutes, she turned it off and she went, 'Ugh, mom, it's so cringy,'" Russell, who played the titular character from 1998 to 2002, shared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at the time.

She added: "She was actually grossed out by me," the mother of three said with a laugh. "I was like, 'Oh, I thought you might like it.' And she was like, 'Ugh, so cringy.' Like, why would you think I'd want to watch your college experience making out with weird boys and stuff?"

The actress shares son Sam with boyfriend Matthew Rhys and daughter Willa and son River with ex Shane Deary.

Credit: Gregory Pace/Shutterstock

Cole Hauser

“I can say our daughter does not like seeing Cole kiss Beth [Kelly Reilly] on this show,” Cynthia Daniel, who shares kids Steely, Ryland and Colt with the actor, exclusively revealed to Us in January 2023.​ “It makes her really uncomfortable.”

Hauser, who plays Rip in Paramount's Yellowstone, added that their daughter was confused "at first" about what was happening on screen.

Credit: Courtesy of Jinger Vuolo/Instagram

Jinger Duggar

The former TLC personality said she has let her daughters watch her reality show 19 Kids and Counting.

"I think because it was such a huge part of my life. I spent most of my life on TV. So even in this [promotion] process, I've had a couple crews come in the house and my two-year-old will be playing in her playroom and she'll see cameras and be scared," the Arkansas native, who shares daughters Felicity and Evangeline with husband Jeremy Vuolo, explained to Us in January 2023. "I thought how interesting. That was my childhood. Like, that was all I knew I play with the boom mics and all of that, but she's just so not used to it. So it's kind of interesting to see."

Credit: Scott Kirkland/Shutterstock

Sarah Michelle Gellar

In July 2021, Gellar recalled her kids' reaction to her appearance in Masters of the Universe: Revelation.

“They never want to watch anything that I do,” she told Us. “They’re never interested. I got the first five episodes and I had to watch it because we were doing a panel the next day. I hadn’t seen it, so we all sat down to watch the first episode. And then I said, ‘OK guys, time to shower,’ and they all came back down [to watch the rest]. They were, like, adamant that they wanted to see the rest. That never happens.”

The Cruel Intentions star also revealed that her children loved Prinze Jr.'s 1999 hit film She’s All That.

Credit: John Salangsang/Shutterstock

Tori Spelling

“I put scenes on for my kids when they were a little bit younger. And the crazy thing is they looked at it and they were like, ‘Oh, there's Jennie [Garth]!’ And I was like, ‘OK, do you see ‘Mom?’ And they're like, ‘There's Ian [Ziering]!’ and they couldn't find me,” the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum exclusively told Us in November 2020. “I was showing them a scene when I did not have red hair. I had blonde hair; I didn't look that different. I suddenly was like, ‘Shoot!’ They did not recognize me.”

Spelling, who welcomed five kids with Dean McDermott, added that they were more receptive to the one-season revival, BH90210.

“They started watching more of it when we did BH90210 because they were so excited,” she continued. “And all of our kids came to Vancouver at some point and got to hang together, which was so cool. Because for us that is like the next generation. We started as kids, we were all together. And then our kids all became friends. And we're together. I mean, [Jennie and my] kids are friends in real life, but the whole cast.”

Credit: Photo Image Press/Shutterstock

Kristin Cavallari

“I think MTV played Laguna Beach and The Hills, maybe, two summers ago,” the Very Cavallari alum recalled to Us in November 2020. “I can’t remember exactly. They have seen, like, a couple of minutes, but they’re not like, ‘Hey, when do we get to watch your shows?’”

Credit: Gregory Pace/Shutterstock

Christine Taylor

The Hey Dude alum, who shares Ella and Quinlin with husband Ben Stiller, admitted her kids didn't enjoy the beloved Nickelodeon series.

"I was so excited to pop in an episode and show my kids. Ten minutes in, they were literally, like, looking around like, 'How much longer are you gonna make us watch this?' Because it's quiet and slow. It's not great editing or music every second," she recalled to Us in January 2023. "It was not something they decided to go in to see all 65 episodes. I think they got their 10 minutes of episode one!"

Credit: AFF-USA/Shutterstock

Tiffani Thiessen

According to the Saved by the Bell alum, her daughter, Harper, had a positive reaction to her past project. “Harper was into it,” Thiessen, who is also mom to son Holt with husband Brady Smith, shared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2018. “She wanted to keep going. She was so into you and Mark-Paul [Gosselaar] … She’s so boy crazy already.”

Credit: George Pimentel/Shutterstock

Mario Lopez

Thiessen's former costar Lopez also revealed his children's surprising response to Saved by the Bell. “They don’t like it. I tried to show them, but they weren’t trippin’ on it,” the TV host, who shares three kids with Courtney Mazza, told Us in 2018. “I don’t think they’re into it.”

Credit: Michele Eve Sandberg/Shutterstock

Soleil Moon Frye

After rising to stardom in '80s sitcom Punky Brewster, Frye couldn't wait to show certain episodes to her family.

“They had seen bits and pieces on YouTube, but it was the first time they had watched a whole episode,” the California native, who shares four kids with ex-husband Jason Goldberg, detailed to Us in 2016. “We were on a road trip so they were watching it, and I could hear it in the background. It was fun to walk through all these different amazing times, and it was really cute because the Andy Gibb episode was on, and I was like, ‘Do you see how flustered mom is?’ I was so in love with him! I had such a big crush on him, like you could watch the crush happening on screen."