Is Lauren Hutton Related To Barbara Hutton
So, you’re sitting there, minding your own business, when a thought pops into your head: wait—are the two famous Huttons related? One is a supermodel who famously demanded to keep her gap-toothed smile, and the other was an heiress who burned through more cash than a rocket launch. Let’s settle this once and for all, with a side of gossip and historical chaos.
The Short Answer: No, But The Confusion Is Real
Despite the shared surname and both being famous Huttons, Lauren and Barbara are not related. They’re as genetically linked as a cat and a toaster. Barbara Hutton was born into Woolworth fortune (think: five-and-dime stores, not dime-a-dozen), while Lauren Hutton was born in South Carolina to a working-class family. The only thing they have in common is a last name that sounds fancy.
But oh, the mix-ups! People have spent decades assuming Lauren inherited Barbara’s trust fund, when in reality, Lauren’s “inheritance” was her own face and a killer work ethic. Barbara’s inheritance was literally a pile of cash so tall you could ski off it. Different planets, same surname.
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Meet Barbara: The Heiress Who Made Scrooge McDuck Look Frugal
Barbara Hutton was the original “poor little rich girl,” inheriting around $50 million in the 1930s (that’s like a billion bucks today, adjusted for inflation and sheer spectacle). She married seven times—count ’em, seven—including a prince, a count, and a guy who was basically a professional tennis player. Each marriage was a car crash of glamour and disaster.
She once said, “Money is the root of all evil, and yet it is a wonderful root,” which is the kind of quote you can only say when you’ve never had to clip a coupon. By the time she died in 1979, she’d spent most of her fortune on jewelry, husbands, and a legendary yacht named “The Flying Fox.” Spoiler: the yacht didn’t fly, but it did drain her bank account faster than a vampire at a blood bank.
Meet Lauren: The Model Who Rewrote The Rules
Lauren Hutton, on the other hand, grew up in a rented house and started her career as a cover girl in the 1960s. She didn’t have a dime of inherited cash, but she had a smile with a gap that Madison Avenue initially hated. “Fix the gap,” they said. She said, “Fix your own face.” And she kept the gap, becoming the first model to sign a multi-million-dollar cosmetics contract with Revlon.
Lauren also famously refused to retire, appearing on magazine covers well into her 70s. She once said, “I never wanted to be a model forever, but I’m still here, so I guess I’m stuck.” That’s the opposite of Barbara’s life: Barbara was stuck in a gilded cage; Lauren built her own house key.
The Great Hutton Mix-Up: Why We Keep Asking
The confusion likely started because both women were American icons in the same century, both blond, and both dripping with a kind of effortless cool. Barbara was cool because she owned a castle in Scotland; Lauren was cool because she rode a motorcycle to photoshoots. Very different flavors of cool.
Also, the name “Hutton” sounds like it belongs to a secret society of fabulously wealthy people. (It doesn’t. There are Huttons who fix your plumbing.) Barbara was a trust-fund baby; Lauren was a self-made mogul. If they met at a party, Barbara would probably ask Lauren for money advice, and Lauren would ask Barbara for a boat loan.
A Surprising Twist: They Almost Met
In the 1970s, a biographer tried to get Lauren to comment on Barbara, and Lauren reportedly said, “I think we’re both just Huttons with good hairdressers.” That’s the closest they ever got to a connection—a shared appreciation for a blowout. No blood, no DNA, just excellent bangs.
Fun fact: Barbara once owned a diamond necklace that weighed more than a newborn baby. Lauren once owned a vintage leather jacket that weighed more than her ambition. One of those things is now in a museum; the other is in Lauren’s closet, probably still being worn for red carpets.
So, Are They Related? Final Verdict
No. Not a single branch on the family tree connects them. But here’s the beautiful irony: Both Huttons reinvented what it means to be a famous woman in America. Barbara did it with a checkbook, and Lauren did it with a smirk. They’re spiritual cousins in the hall of fame for women who just wouldn’t behave.
Next time someone at a party asks you this question, you can confidently say, “Nope, but they both knew how to empty a room of men and fill it with money.” Then take a sip of your coffee and look mysterious. You’re welcome.