The late Anna Nicole Smith‘s daughter, Dannielynn Birkhead, debuted a bold hair transformation at a gala with her dad, Larry Birkhead, ahead of the Kentucky Derby. And in doing so, she declared that she is her “own person.”
On Friday, May 1, Dannielynn, 19, and Larry, 53, stepped out for their annual appearance at the Barnstable Brown Gala in Louisville, Ky.
Dannielynn donned a black, strapless dress while sporting a drastically shorter hairstyle than in 2025. This year, she traded her long, blond hair for a short, blond pixie with black tips.
During an interview with Access Hollywood at the red carpet event—a fundraiser for the Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center at the University of Kentucky—Dannielynn offered rare comments about her mom. (Smith died at 39 in 2007, from an accidental overdose when Dannielynn was 5 months old. )
“I just want people to know that I love my mom, and she’s so beautiful. But I’m also my own person, obviously,” the 19-year-old shared. “And I hope that’s a bit more clear now.”
When asked about the “one big thing” that she learned about herself over the past year, Dannielynn replied, “I learned to just be myself, like, and not let anything stop… If someone’s like, ‘Hey, you actually can’t do your hair like that.’ Who cares? I’m doing it.”
She added, “I’m not going to let someone dictate what I want to do or who I want to be. Because life is short, and I think you should be who you want, no matter what.”
In a different clip from Dannielynn and Larry’s sit-down with Access Hollywood, the college student shared more about the inspiration for her hair transformation.
“I feel like a vampire, which is the goal every day,” she said with a playful smile. “That’s like my life’s goal is to look like a vampire every day.”
After the interviewer asked what kind of vampire, whether it was Twilight, or something else, Dannielynn shared, “Like Interview With the Vampire, modern-ish,” with a laugh.
As for Larry’s reaction to Dannielynn’s new hair, he admitted that he thinks it’s “cool,” but wasn’t so sure about the concept before seeing the end result.
“To be honest, when she was getting the haircut and the black dye was going on, I was, like, kind of pacing around. And she’s telling me, ‘Oh, this is cool. This is cool, you don’t know what’s cool.'”
Larry also noted that when they left the salon, she received many compliments on her hair.
“That’s something she’s been wanting to do, kind of have her own style,” he explained. “And I think that so many people are quick to compare her mom. And obviously, last year at the derby, she kind of paid tribute by wearing a dress. But that’s not like every day for her. So this is more her style.”
Of Dannielynn’s vampire-like style, Larry conceded, “She sleeps like one, and I have to remind her that she’s in college now. She’s a vampire in college. So she has to get up at the right time.”
Next: Dannielynn Birkhead Is a Spitting Image of Mom Anna Nicole Smith at Annual Red Carpet Event
This story was originally published by Parade on May 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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