Dakota Johnson Reflects on Don Johnson Cutting Her Off for Skipping College

Dakota Johnson recalled money struggles after Don Johnson ended financial support when she skipped college and began her acting career

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After Dakota Johnson decided college wasn’t for her, she was financially cut off by her father, fellow actor Don Johnson.

“I didn’t get in [to The Juilliard School] and my dad cut me off because I didn’t go to college,” Dakota, 35, told Elle UK in a profile published on Wednesday, May 14. “So, I started auditioning. I think I was 19 when I did The Social Network, and then little jobs and stuff after that.”

Dakota is the daughter of Doctor Odyssey star Don, 75, and ex Melanie Griffith, who also each have multiple children from other relationships. As for Dakota, she was so set on following in her parents’ acting footsteps that she didn’t feel the need to apply to other schools besides Juilliard in New York City.

Instead, Dakota stayed in Los Angeles and started hustling for roles and auditions.

Related: Dakota Johnson Says Nepo Baby Debate Is ‘Incredibly Annoying and Boring’

As the daughter of actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, Dakota Johnson certainly had some advantages growing up, but she doesn’t want to be called a nepo baby. In a Wednesday, February 7, interview with Hoda Kotb on Today, Kotb asked Dakota about the term, and the 34-year-old actress made her opinion clear. “When that […]

“For a couple of years, it was hard to make money,” she admitted to Elle. “There were a few times when I’d go to the market and not have money in my bank account or not be able to pay rent, and I’d have to ask my parents for help.”

Dakota added, “I’m very grateful that I had parents [who] could help me and did help me, but it certainly was not fun. The auditioning process, as you know, is the f***ing worst.”

Dakota Johnson poses with her parents, Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, and her brother Jesse at the Feburary 2016 premiere of ‘How to Be Single.’ Laura Cavanaugh/FilmMagic

Don previously shared that he maintains a family rule that his children can only stay “on the payroll” if they are enrolled in school.

“We have a rule in the family that, you know, if you stay in school, you get to stay on the payroll,” he said on a 2021 episode of Late Night With Seth Meyers. “So, you go to college, you get to stay on the payroll. Toward the end of high school, I went to [Dakota] and I said, ‘So, do you want to go visit some colleges?’ Or something like that. And she was like, ‘Oh, no. I’m not going to college.’”

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He continued, “I went, ‘OK, you know what that means? You won’t be on the payroll anymore.’”

Related: Celeb Kids Who've Roughed It Despite Rich Parents

While Hollywood is full of “nepo babies,” some celebrity kids paved their own path without the financial help of their wealthy parents. Madonna’s son David Banda raised eyebrows when he joked in July 2024 that he couldn’t afford food. “It’s lovely to experience it being nine o’clock at night, me being hungry and realizing that […]

When Don initially asked Dakota how she would manage her finances on her own, she replied, “Don’t worry about it.” Dakota booked her debut role in 2010’s The Social Network three weeks later.

“And the rest is, shall we say, cinema history,” Don recalled at the time of his daughter, who went on to star in projects such as 50 Shades of Grey, Madame Web and the upcoming The Materialists. “She doesn’t really call me for advice. She calls me to say, ‘Gosh, I would see you, but I’ve got three pictures that I’m shooting at the same time.’”

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