For most parents, embarrassing their kids is just a way of life: It's going to happen, no matter how hard they try to avoid it, especially once they become teenagers and they're too cool to hang out. And even though celebrity parents are way cooler than most, even they embarrass their kids from time to time with the way they behave in public … and usually, that means their social media activity. They may have thousands — sometimes millions — of followers, but that doesn't stop them from making their celebrity kids wish they got locked out of their accounts.
Some of these parents have posted thirst traps for their kids to come across as they're scrolling through their Instagram feeds, whereas others have decided to hop on the TikTok trend — even if they don't quite have their dance moves down. Best of all, some of these kids aren't even kids or teens anymore — they're adults. That just goes to show that children will never grow out of being embarrassed by their parents, which is a beautiful fact. (Maybe not to them, but to their parents, it is!)
Read on for celebrity moms and dads who have totally embarrassed their kids by sharing content online (or in public) that they really, really wish they hadn't. They might be a bit upset by what they've had to see on the 'Gram, but they'll be OK. After all, just about every kid in the history of kids has been humiliated by something their parents did at some point, and there's no doubt in our minds that all of these kids are so loved.
Lola Consuelos
On an episode of Live With Kelly and Ryan, Kelly was chatting with her 19-year-old daughter, Lola, when she brought up the "thirst trap" photos of husband Mark Consuelos that she's posted on Instagram from time to time.
… and Lola made sure her mom knew she wasn't a fan.
"That's disgusting. I blocked that out of my mind. I forgot that you even did that," Lola said.
Plenty of people want to see Mark shirtless, but it's totally understandable if his daughter isn't one of them!
John Lowe
When Rob Lowe shared a photo of himself shirtless in the gym and lifting weights, his 25-year-old son, John, definitely wasn't impressed. He commented on his dad's photo, writing, "This is the worst thing that has happened to Instagram."
LOL. We're sure that Rob has plenty of followers who would disagree with John on that one!
Iris Apatow
After Judd Apatow shared a photo of himself wearing a half unbuttoned shirt during an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, his 17-year-old daughter, Iris, had a little something to say to him about it in the comments.
"Judd. Please keep it elegant," she wrote. "This is very suggestive, there are creeps on the internet. I'm just trying to protect you."
Kaia Gerber
It has to be a little weird for Cindy Crawford's kids to see their mom modeling with a man who definitely isn't their father, Rande Gerber, in positions like this. And her daughter, Kaia, 18, didn't hold back in expressing it, commenting on this photo, "MOM! Where's dad."
Hey, that's a fair question, but since Kaia's also a model, we're sure she gets it.
Katie Kimmel
Back in 2018, Jimmy Kimmel's daughter, Katie, 29, shared this piece of art that her younger sister, Jane — who was 4 at the time — made for her. Of course, as we all can see in the screenshot above, Jimmy had to make a very awkward comment about the situation. Just from Katie's comment alone, we can tell she's so over it.
Deacon Phillippe
When Reese Witherspoon wanted to learn the latest social media trend, she turned to her 16-year-old son, Deacon, for help. Although he was totally embarrassed by it, Deacon tried to be a good sport and teach his mom how to use TikTok.
We have to give him props for this one, because it's clear he loves his mom, even if he rolls his eyes at her a little.
Deacon Annoyed Again
After Reese knew how to use TikTok, she wanted to make one to the new single Deacon released called "Long Run." In a video of the mother and son listening to the song on Instagram, she suggested her idea, to which Deacon responded by saying, "Mom, no."
To be fair, though, her heart was in the right place. She's just proud of her kid!
Ava Phillippe
Ryan Phillippe's daughter with ex Reese Witherspoon, Ava — who is now 20 — gets embarrassed by the fact that her dad is so young. As he revealed during a 2016 appearance on The Late Late Show With James Corden, she hates when people think he's her brother instead of her dad.
"[Ava] gets embarrassed by the fact that I do look so young and I get mistaken for her brother at times, which repulses her," Ryan said.
Zoe Kravitz & Chelsea Tyler
During a performance in Stockholm in 2015, Lenny Kravitz's pants unzipped, showing off his goods, and his pal, Steven Tyler, texted him about how he was impressed by it — which the guys talked about on Twitter, too.
Of course, this led to their daughters, Zoe and Chelsea, commiserating about it on Instagram. At least they had someone to complain to!
Zoe Kravitz's Perfect Meme
Lenny Kravitz has actually made this list twice. (Does that mean he's doing his job as a dad?)
Zoe was embarrassed again when she saw Katy Perry grinding on her dad during their Super Bowl performance in 2015, and Zoe shared this meme — featuring her character from Divergent — to show exactly how she felt watching that moment.
Nicole Richie
In 2012, Nicole Richie played piano during a special featuring dad Lionel on CBS, but in an interview with Entertainment Tonight after the performance, she admitted there was one part that was a bit embarrassing for her.
"I can't really watch my dad dance. It's just very uncomfortable for me," she said. "I'm just not really feeling it. So, I was more into the ballads 'cause watching my dad dance — I just get so embarrassed."
Lourdes Leon
In a 2015 interview with Today, Madonna admitted that her teenage daughter, Lourdes, isn't always the biggest fan of her sexier songs, because she finds them a bit embarrassing. After all, Madonna is her mom, which might be a lot to handle.
"Lola's horrified by all of it. She just wants me to be her mom," the singer said.
Coco Arquette
Courteney Cox's daughter, Coco Arquette, interviewed her mom on the former Friends star's Facebook Watch series, 9 Months With Courteney Cox. She asked her to describe the 16-year-old as a child, to which Courteney replied, "Absolutely adorable, curious, incredible sense of humor and quirky."
The compliments seemed to embarrass Coco, so she told her mom, "you're annoying." Yep, we've all heard that before!
Apple Martin
During an appearance on The Ellen Show earlier this year, Gwyneth admitted that going out in public with her daughter, Apple, can be a challenge … because Apple is usually embarrassed by just about everything she does.
"My daughter finds me mortifying," Gwyneth said. "If I do anything in public past not talking and standing still, she's like [mouthing 'Stop!'] If I dance she turns red."
Honor Warren
Jessica appeared in a YouTube video with her daughter, Honor, 12, and served up several embarrassing moments in the process. Not only did she remind her daughter that she was the one who "wiped [her expletive]" when she was little, but she also called her embarrassing nicknames, too.
"This is going to be the cringiest video in the whole world," Honor announced.
