He acknowledged that plenty of people would like to see his daughter follow Anna Nicole into entertainment and modeling, and while Dannielynn has considered it, he said, her current focus is on forensics and criminal studies.
« I’m excited for her to just follow any path that she wants, » Larry said, adding, « So I’m all about whatever she wants. »
Larry has said he is proud to see Dannielynn becoming more confident in her own identity as she gets older. Their close bond has remained central as she navigates college, public attention, and decisions about her future. | Source: Getty Images
He also shared that his daughter had earned good grades during her first semester of college, although getting through it had required a final push.
« You know, it was a little bit of a struggle to get across the finish line, like these horse races, but she got the steam at the end, and she pushed it across. She did a great job, » he said. « So I’m proud of her in every way. »
The father and daughter are familiar faces at the annual Barnstable Brown Gala, which benefits the Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center at the University of Kentucky.
The event has raised and donated more than $22 million since it was founded by twins Patricia and Priscilla Barnstable, their mother Wilma Barnstable, and Patricia’s late husband, Dr. David E. Brown.
Larry has said the annual Derby weekend tradition feels like a « growth chart » for Dannielynn. The event also carries family significance because it was where he first met Anna Nicole Smith in 2003. | Source: Getty Images
Yet the 2026 event also became an especially visible moment in Dannielynn’s efforts to define herself on her own terms.
She explained that comparisons to Anna Nicole still make her feel good because she loves her mother. « She’s super pretty, and I like being compared to her in the sense of like, ‘Oh, I’m pretty too.’ But I also like being known as my own person, » Dannielynn said.
