Actor Jeff Goldblum has joined the growing list of celebrities who have announced that they won’t just throw money at their kids — and they expect them to learn to support and fend for themselves.
Goldblum, 71, made the comments during a recent appearance on iHeartPodcast “Table for Two With Bruce Bozzi,” where he explained that his two children with wife Emilie Livingston, 41 — Charlie (8) and River (6) — should not grow up expecting a windfall.
The “Independence Day” star said he’s already told them as much, recalling a conversation in which he told them, “Hey, you know, you’ve got to row your own boat.”
Goldblum went on to say that there was real value in teaching kids to be self-sufficient, and argued that the kids would also value the knowledge that they had made it on their own.
“It’s an important thing to teach kids. I’m not going to do it for you. And you’re not going to want me to do it for you,” he added. “You’ve got to figure out how to find out what’s wanted and needed and where that intersects with your love and passion and what you can do. And even it if doesn’t, you might have to do that anyway.”
Goldblum is far from the only celebrity to say that he plans to push his kid to fly on their own. Basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal said in a 2021 interview that he has made it clear to his kids that he’s the one with the $400 million fortune, not them.
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“My kids are older now. They kinda upset with me. Not really upset, but they don’t understand. I tell them all the time. We ain’t rich. I’m rich,” he said. “You gotta have bachelor’s or master’s [degrees] and then if you want me to invest in one of your companies, you’re going to have to present it, boom boom boom, bring it to me,” he said. “I’ll let you know, I’m not giving you nothing.”
Other celebrities with similar views include performer Marie Osmond, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, and “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” host Guy Fieri.