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.
Barbara Hutton, la vie scandaleuse d'une héritière croqueuse de
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.
Barbara Hutton
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.