11 Celebrities Who’ve Shared the Highs & Lows (& Rights & Lefts) Of Teaching Their Kids to Drive

Tori Spelling

Beverly Hills, 90210 star Tori Spelling was all in her feels after her daughter Stella got her driver’s permit and can be her “personal uber.”

“Life moves pretty fast,” Spelling wrote on Instagram. “But, the rewards are amazing all around. I can still picture her in her car seat. Me, checking constantly to make sure she was ok in the back.”

“Now, my view is quite different literally, physically, mentally, and emotionally … not gonna lie I cried like a baby when she passed [the written test]. Tears of pride.”

Now, Spelling says, she has 6 months to “figure out a car situation” before Stella gets her license.

Julie Bowen

In an exclusive interview with SheKnows, Modern Family star Julie Bowen discusses her worries about her three sons driving.

“My biggest concern is their overconfidence about driving in general,” she says of Oliver and her twins John and Gustav. “They think they know everything, and then they’re afraid to admit what they don’t know.”

Sure, they might think they’re experts given their years of “driving” in video games, but that’s not the real deal.

“[Video game] tracks don’t have stop signs and drunk, distracted people merging onto the 101,” she quips.

Michael Strahan

Michael Strahan is having a hard time letting his daughter take the wheel. The Good Morning America co-host shared a video on Instagram of him sitting in the back seat as his 19-year-old daughter Sophia sits in the driver’s seat next to her twin sister Isabella.

“I just figured out I don’t like being driven around by my kids.  Scared sh**less LOL #GirlDad #LetMeDrive,” Strahan joked in the caption.

Willie Geist

Willie Geist revealed that his 16-year-old daughter Lucie got her driver’s license, per People, and discussed how he was both so emotional, and knew she would be responsible. 

“She’s a good kid with a driver’s license now,” the proud dad said. “She just got her driver’s license. That’s a big moment as many of you parents out there know,” he said, adding that she is “good” and “responsible.”

He added, “She pulled away. She’s driving in front of me and Christina and it was a little emo. The first thought I had was, I taught her how to ride a bike in Riverside Park in New York, you stand behind her, you hold the seat. And you watch her kind of go away on her own. And she turns back and goes, ‘Oh, Dad’s not holding the seat anymore, I did it.’ And I had the same feeling.”

Justin Hartley

Justin Hartley has had some stressful experiences driving with his “reckless” daughter. The This Is Us star told Kelly Clarkson in 2021 that his daughter Isabella’s first lessons ended with her crashing into a curb “pretty bad.” But that bump in the, er, sidewalk apparently didn’t encourage her to be more cautious.

Soon after, he called her lessons “the worst thing in the world” during an appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers.

“I’m in the car, she’s driving, she’s doing great and I’m in the passenger seat. I’m kind of feeling loose and I open up gummy bears and as I’m eating them — I’m shoving them in my mouth like a child — and I look up and we are cruising through a four-way — a red light! Just reckless! She just could not have cared less.”

Heidi Klum

In 2020, Heidi Klum shared a selfie of her and her daughter Leni where Leni is behind the wheel. Klum had no choice but to put a wide-eyed emoji in the caption. Because, yeah, that pretty much sums it up.

Tom Hanks

During an appearance on The Late Show, actor Tom Hanks told host Seth Meyers what it was like to teach his now-grown kids how to drive, using his scary dad voice and everything.

“You’re riding, sitting shotgun, and all you say is ‘What are you doing? What are you doing? What are you doing? What are you doing? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, easy, easy, EASY! EASY! Turn left, LEFT! LEFT! LEFT!'”

Luke Bryan

Luke Bryan admitted in July 2023 that when his oldest son got his driver’s permit, it was a “nightmare.”

“He is not a very good driver right now, so we’re having to work with him pretty hard,” the country music singer said. “He’s very frustrated right now because he thinks he knows how to drive, but he has no idea what he’s doing. He thinks because he can operate a 4-wheeler or Polaris that he is quite proficient, but he is not, I assure you.”

Giada De Laurentiis

Meanwhile, chef Giada De Laurentiis called watching her daughter learning to drive an “emotional rollercoaster.”

“It’s so stressful,” she told PEOPLE. “It’s so emotional to watch your child grow up like this, and I feel like driving is such a big step.”

Because yes, it’s the mark of so many changes in her daughter Jade’s life. “It won’t be like, ‘Hey, mom. Can you drive me here? Hey, mom. Can I do this?’ It’s more going to be like, ‘Hey, mom. I’m going to do this. I’ll see you later,’ and I get left in the dust.”

“It’s also really fun to see her excitement,” she conceded. “She is so excited to be independent. It’s like this thing she just so badly wants.”

Tom Brady

In an emotional 16th birthday tribute for his son Jack, Tom Brady pivoted from tears to laughs when he brought up the next milestone for Jack who he shares with shares with ex Bridget Moynahan.

“Now it’s time for the next step … the learners permit 😬😂 …. hahahaha … I’m gonna make sure I’m off the road 😁😂😁😂😁😂❤️❤️❤️,” Brady joked.

The twice-retired football quarterback might as well sell his car if he’s staying off the road. It won’t be long before his kids Benjamin (b. 2009) and Vivian (b. 2012) — who he shares with ex-wife Gisele Bündchen — are on the road too.

Kevin Hart

Comedian Kevin Hart learned pretty quickly that he couldn’t be the one to teach his daughter Heaven (b. 2005) to drive. He told Ellen DeGeneres that driving together is “too much.” She doesn’t listen to him because he’s her dad.

“Anybody else she listens to, but when I say stuff, it’s always the most,” the dad of four said before imitating his daughter. “‘Dad! All right. God. Let me try. You’re not even letting me try,'”

“Well, because you’re going to hit a f*cking truck like you’re not even paying attention,” he said, getting a big laugh out of the audience.

Reese Witherspoon

Reese Witherspoon is reaping the benefits of teaching her son Deacon (b. 2003) how to drive. In Nov. 2020, the actress shared an Instagram story of her sitting shotgun while Deacon was driving. “When I’m tired, Deacon always offers to drive me. Love my kid,” she wrote over the selfie.

Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Paltrow admits to a major (but ultimately necessary) mom fail from when her daughter Apple (b. 2004) was learning to drive.

“She’s a really good driver,” she told singer John Legend when he hosted an episode of Ellen DeGeneres Show. “I try to be calm [but] the first time, I failed as a mother because she went through a red light and I kind of yelled at her and then she started crying. It was just terrible and I felt so bad. So then I was just like, ‘OK, you know what? I’m just gonna be chill and I’m gonna just pretend.’”

Mark Wahlberg

Mark Wahlberg’s son Brendan (b. 2008) got a head start. He got his first driving lesson from his dad four years early. At age 12, Brendan took a golf cart for a spin while his dad took a video from the passenger seat.

“Best way to learn how to drive is to start with a golf cart,” Wahlberg said. “This boy knows how to drive.”

 “Watch the road, not the camera,” the actor joked with his son. “First driving lesson with dad. He’s good.”