I feel like there are few choices for “Hollywood legends” who end up having disappointing kids. Those legends can go the Tom Hanks route, and barely make any public statements one way or the other about their disappointing child (in this case, Chet Haze, the terrible rapper). They can go the Michael Douglas route, which is full-throated support – in this case, Michael stood by his son Cameron through prison and addiction. Martin Sheen did the same for Charlie Sheen too, even publicly applying some tough-love. So how will Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw react, long-term, to their daughter Mikaela’s choice to pursue a career in the adult-entertainment business? Mikaela claimed they were supportive, but Page Six says something else: Spielberg and Capshaw are quite concerned and “embarrassed.”
This week brought a Steven Spielberg blockbuster no one saw coming. On Wednesday, the director’s daughter Mikaela announced to the world that she is embarking on a film career of her own — as a porn star. The 23-year-old told The Sun about making solo sex videos that she posted on PornHub.com and how she is working to get licensed to become an exotic dancer in Nashville.
She’s now launched an account on the OnlyFans app, on which viewers can pay a $15 monthly subscription fee to watch her. Despite this, Mikaela said that her parents, Steven and his actress wife of 29 years, Kate Capshaw are “not upset” and even “intrigued” by her life choices.
A Spielberg source told The Post that, “As Mikaela said, Steven and Kate are nothing but supportive of her, as they are with all their children.”
But, according to a friend of the family, there’s more to it.
“Outwardly, Steven and Kate — who are the most evolved parents in the world and love their kids beyond all measure — have always been supportive of Mikaela and try to understand her,” said the family friend. “Obviously, though, they’re embarrassed by her sudden public admission of entry into the sex worker world… Nothing can hurt Steven Spielberg’s immaculate reputation, nor Kate’s, but they’re worried about how [Mikaela’s revelation] looks for their other kids, who are trying to be supportive but who are also embarrassed,” said the family friend. “This certainly isn’t how they were raised.”
“They’re worried about how [Mikaela’s revelation] looks for their other kids..” All of the Spielberg-Capshaw kids are actually legal adults at this point, for what it’s worth. Those “kids” aren’t minors who will be negatively influenced by Mikaela’s career choice. But the point of that is “how will Mikaela’s siblings find the right society with such a wayward black-sheep in the family?” Which is a gross question, in general. And we don’t even really know if Steven and Kate are truly embarrassed or if someone is just talking sh-t to Page Six, to be fair. Don’t get me wrong, I feel like Mikaela has other options too (better options) and I doubt her parents are pleased. But lord, this story is a mess and I guess I just wish that Steven and Kate could have found a way to help Mikaela before it came to this?
Photos courtesy of Getty.
What if they offered Mikaela choices and she just wanted to express herself and go through this channel to do so. I think Mikaela is dealing with issues and she may not have anyone to relate to or even turn to, or it could be the older boyfriend that in having a poor influence on her. Either way it is Mikaelas choice and she is of legal age and sound mind to do so. It will be hard for her to leave this industry, what happens when this material is still available 5 years from now?
It’s not the first time an adopted child went off track.
While hard to understand how nature can overpower nurture this much, it does, despite all the privileged upbringing.
a child had been off track, adopting has nothing to do with it
For all we know they did try to help/influence her for the positive before it came to this. Sometimes there is nothing to be done in terms of steering a child in a better, more wholesome direction. I really find it difficult to imagine that they didn’t try.
I agree – I think they tried but Mikeala seems quite determined to do this. Sometimes you have to let people make their own mistakes, esp if she is being influenced/supported by the fiance. I know this is judgemental but he has pimp written all over him.
She is not in a healthy place, nor do I think she is surrounded by healthy people who have her safety and interests at heart. Someone is telling her that this is empowering, it’s not. Someone who has a lot of influence of her is filling her head with all this crap about pron.
For her to even come to this place, it means no choices were present from the very beginning.
Spielberg’s response and all this talk about HIS reputation (and not her well being) raises my heckles.
@Solace yes agreed. What’s this about his immaculate reputation? Goes to show that this is really what it’s all about for him, isn’t it?
I read somewhere yesterday about this. Didn’t she suffer some childhood trauma before the Spielbergs adopted her? The older boyfriend is certainly questionable. Shades of Dorothy Stratton anyone?
I wonder why they didn’t go the nepotism model route. They have connections galore and she is just as pretty as the others.
It’s a difficult situation. There were a lot of redflags in her interview from last week(?) that make me worry about her safety. But if she’s hellbent on doing it, all they can do is be supportive and available if she needs them, I guess. It’s hard.
I can also imagine some of the siblings will be hearing from shitty coworkers about how they saw their sibling streaming. Which sucks. It’s pretty much inevitable because people are trashy. But at the same time, unless she’s attaching THEIR name to this somehow, it’s really just her business. She’s not responsible for how OTHER people are acting. I’m sure it’s awkward to think of the person you grew up with going into this kind of field… but, she’s her own person, so she should be free to do what she wants as long as she’s not hurting anyone.
It is comforting to know that this girl is probably never going to be in a dire situation money wise. She’ll have her family as support, and they’re wildly wealthy. I’m less worried about her because of her family financials, and the fame level – and if she’s only doing solo videos, at least you don’t have to worry about what a film partner could be spreading in terms of STIs, I guess.
THIS! Borderline Personality Disorder is a bitch. It affects your whole family and one person can make a family of 10 or 20 feel completely helpless. When you have no idea your child was sexually abused, then you have no idea why the child may be acting up. Boarding school is often a good place for a confused child , I attended boarding school and even though it was famous for its academic faculty, it was also a safe place and a haven for a lot of girls who weren’t happy or safe in their old environment. I am suspecting the Spielbergs went through a tough time dealing with this. I will give them the benefit of the doubt, especially as she claims they have always been supportive.
Steven and Kate may have tried to find a way to help her before it came to this and it didn’t work. I think the notion her parents didn’t try has no basis in the facts we know so far. I suspect the 47 year old boyfriend has a lot more to do with this than her parents do. And kinda like the Crawford/Gerbers, they might know that pushing back on it will only make it worse.
Totally agree with ema and Mia4s down thread. Parents are probably scared (who has time to feel embarrassed about how this looks?) out of their minds and worried about her physical safety and mental well-being. So they’re being supportive so she stays in contact with them. That is the right choice.
Just goes to show no amount of money can completely insulate you. Hoping for a good outcome for Mikaela.
If my daughter decided to go into sex work, I’d be horrified and deeply concerned about her safety. It doesn’t exactly seem to be the first career choice for most women. Mikaela is an adult and if this is how she wants to spend her life, it’s up to her. But I’m not surprised at all that her family is upset and probably concerned for her welfare.
I’ve thought from the beginning that their “support” was likely them trying to keep the lines of communication open with a clearly troubled child (an adult yes, but still their child). That’s very understandable. Not sure who is talking here to Page Six but…they should probably stop.
I am all for women being empowered and making the life choices they feel is right for them, but what I see here is an abused child, now woman making a choice to gravitate to something that feels familiar to her.
I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and I did not and could not recognize all the ways it affected me in childhood, as a teen and beyond. At 40 years old I am still finding the language to explain to myself and outside help the impact it had on me, I needed time and physical distance from the events and the people (and bystanders) involved to understand what had happened was so awful, to try to stop minimizing it and to stop offering excuses to those I loved who sat by and did nothing (family members knew the man who abused me had a history of sexual abuse, they knew I was being left alone with him and they did and said nothing, it takes time to process all that and what it says about your value to others).
I hope Mikaela finds the love and support she needs to live a happy, healthy and successful life. It will never be too late for her to grow into the person she is supposed to become, we can only have faith in humanity, kindness and good in the world and I hope that she comes out of this healthy and with happiness and peace in her life.
@zapp, thank you for sharing your story. Despite the horrific abuse you suffered, It sounds like you have a healthy perspective and have dealt with the shame and betrayal that so often plagues survivors. I know it’s not the sort of thing one “gets over”, but you are an example of someone sharing their story to help others. I hope Mikaela has someone like you in her life.
@Noodle thank you so much for your kind comment.
Zapp, your strength is inspirational. We never ‘get over’ things that cripple us. I could never speak so calmly and gracefully about what you’ve had to endure every second of every day since. You’re an oak tree, and your branches provide protection, comfort, understanding and wisdom. Thank you.
Much love to you, I’m a survivor myself. For me it was my dad and my mom knew and did nothing until I was 18…. he was a violent addict and alcoholic…leaving for college is what saved me. I’m 36 and I don’t think the pain will ever leave me. I reached out to her on her Instagram after seeing this story break and it makes me so sad. I told her not to let the world take her light. I was a dancer and model, I’m in books and I regret it. I felt so much at the time I didn’t have another way.. I just want to wrap her in so much love. She’s adopted and who knows what her real story is.
I think that, as parents, they can be supportive and concerned at the same time.
But I don’t believe they are pearl-clutching over their other children, aside from maybe worrying about their privacy during this media storm. No doubt, they are being hounded for sound bites about Mikaela.
Well, in the other story I read about this, she alleges she was groomed and sexually abused at age 11. But she doesn’t explain how this happened to her when she was adopted as an infant and presumably under the care and responsibility of her parents, yet she insists they aren’t responsible for what happened to her and could not have known. I’m sorry but legally they are responsible for what happens to their minor child. You can’t control or protect your child from every circumstance but still, legally and morally you’re responsible for their care and that requires fostering open communication and vigilance over the people who enter their lives.
I don’t think shame or embarrassment about her choice of career is what I would have as my primary emotion over this as a parent. I’d be more worried sick that something horrific happened to my child under my watch and I did not know and I did not get her the tools to make a much better recovery than the end result we see now. She has said she undertook sex work as an empowering move. I think she should have been encouraged to explore other avenues of healing first.
It’s also disturbing that the photos that accompany her story show her looking very much underage. She isn’t, but she looks it. I’d sit down with her and explain to her about how looking like a child herself while in this line of work may contribute to perpetuating the kind of abuse she’s trying so hard to recover from.
But no, I would never be embarrassed about my child struggling to cope with mental health issues in ineffective or potentially harmful ways. I would not put my feelings on her struggle like that. We need to remove shame and stigma from this equation and focus on treatment and wellness. You can’t shame her into recovery given where her head is at now.
It is also very concerning that she looks underage but it with a man near to my age.
@guestwithacat
Your comment is on point. I agree wholeheartedly. This case shows gross negligence on part of Spielberg.
@Solace and Guestwithcat
I was sexually abused as a child by my teacher in school and my parents were not to blame for it in anyway. I think it’s unfair to blame the Spielberg’s and accuse them of negligence without knowing the whole facts.
I agree Linda. We don’t know what happened, nor are we entitled to know.
Blaming the parents without more knowledge isn’t fair, or helpful to anyone.
My husband was sexually assaulted as a child and to this day he’s never told his parents, nor does he blame them. Unless we hear they were neglectful in some way, I agree it’s unfair to blame the parents.
Completely agree
I’m not exactly sure why a child of Steven Spielberg’s, with all the $ and access in the world, is in TN with a sketchy, bowling-alley-cover-band looking 50 year old dart player, doing sex work… But then again, that’s probably the point.
Nashville has a large entertainment industry aside from country music.
I would hope her parents were supportive and tried everything to help. But sometimes that’s not enough. She’s been through trauma, and now possibly has a bad influence in her life with this much older guy, and I think in the previous article she said therapy wasn’t helpful to her.
She’s an adult, all they can do is be there for her. I wish her the best.
I don’t like framing this as a failure.
Their daughter has chosen a safe, legal, fairly protected form of sex work. It’s not what I would choose. It’s not what I would want my children to choose. But it’s viable, legal work.
No one should be ashamed or feel as if they didn’t do enough or whatever.
I could name off plenty of legal yet predatory work that would leave me more disappointed than this and none of it involves letting women control and profit from their own sexuality.
I doubt any parent wants sexually explicit videos of their child on the internet for the world to see until the end of time. 10 years from now she might regret this, but the internet forgets nothing. This is kind of like a less obvious face tattoo.
Ummm…of course it’s embarrassing for the family and she chose to make her choice public. I would imagine my parents would be embarrassed, concerned, worried, angry, etc. And that’s without the whole world knowing. No one truly knows what her parents have done or are trying to do to support and help their daughter. You can’t force your adult children to make safe, healthy choices.
I’d like to know why this woman was sent off to boarding school where she says she was bullied. How involved were these parents in her life? They didn’t know she was abused as a child and bullied as a teen? No wonder the poor woman is crying out for help.
read the article without knowing anything about the person and thought, “sex abuse survivor”. low self esteem and parental neglect are also propelling factors for this to happen to people as they become adults.It’s pretty common for survivors to get into the sex trade thinking it makes them “in control” of their decisions….it’s “their choice” I feel sorry for them, and hope they can listen, and take in the wisdom of people who care about them.
I’d be modified if my daughter made this choice for her career, I think this girl is being pushed by the older “boyfriend “ and I think it’s dangerous and not a healthy decision for any body.
That was such a weird way for that article to put things.
I suspect her parents are afraid for her well being and safety more than any supposed shame or embarrassment. This may not end well for her.
I know they have the resources to find proper care for the mental issues she might be dealing with. If it was the abuse at 11, the bullied at boarding school or the creepy old bf and I wish she would take the time she needs. I don’t look at her parents because at some point in your life you have to take a stand for yourself.
Hope all the pearl clutchers who are reacting negatively to this story don’t ever watch porn. PS people have to make it somehow! I feel for this young woman but it’s not like she will be forever tarnished by going into sex work. She might need to just work through whatever is demanding she claim ownership of her sexuality/body in this specific way. I hope she finds what she’s looking for in the end. Life is messy, she could be doing porn now and go on to do whatever she likes in the future.
oh to be this naive…
She’s a young woman from a wealthy, caring, successful family who is going down the rabbit hole of porn. We’re not pearl-clutchers, and she could have made a great life for herself instead of SELLING her body into a potentially dangerous lifestyle of degrading and trivializing young women as mere sex objects. She’s buying into the misogyny of “ownership of her sexuality/body”. She won’t own it any more honey…a bunch of dirty old men will.
Good comment, Chimney. And please don’t ever let vile elders who regularly go around calling women every misogynistic name in the book, perpetuating dangerous stereotypes, and saying men own the bodies of any woman who undresses before them or has sex with them, try to “Mama knows best” you or your feminism.
none of this adds up. too many blanks in the story. For openers, why was she at boarding school? behavioral issues?
I am struggling for words….A young adult, from one of the wealthiest families in US has made her choice to be a sex worker and perform in porn on the Internet.
OK, so, she is over 21, that makes her an adult in US.
Granted as an adult she has the right to make her own decisions BUT, who has put this “porn is empowering” nonsense in her head? Take a look at that scruffy looking boyfriend who, to me, looks like an older dude who has found his meal ticket!
BF is over 45, she is 23….does he actually have paid employment? Darts player? Does that mean he earns enough $ to support himself playing darts? I bet NO.
My best advice would be for her to work at getting an education, study whatever subject you have an interest in, please stop posting anything online.
Any parent would be greatly concerned at her decision, I hope they are still open to helping her.
Be safe, young woman. I’m 58, and in my experiences in life as a female, the world is neither kind nor forgiving for women.
I agree 100%, She is making poor choices that will affect her ways that she can’t even imagine.
I feel badly for her and her parents.
This reminds me of LaToya Jackson as I feel this older BF is controlling this narrative. We’ve never really heard anything about this young woman before and now not only is she doing interviews but letting everyone know she is Spielberg’s kid, which of course will get her recognition for her site. And $15 fee? That may seem like a lot to him but is change to someone who had means like her. This young woman may be being sex trafficked right before our eyes.