Get to Know Kurt Cobain & Courtney Loves Daughter Frances Bean Cobain
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Back on August 18, 1992, news broke that beloved Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain and Hole frontwoman Courtney Love welcomed a daughter named Frances Bean Cobain. People were instantly in love with the musician’s expressive daughter, loving when she made adorable appearances in Kurt’s interviews when she was a baby.
Related story Throwback Halloween Costumes You AND Your Kids Will LoveFast forward to now, Frances Bean is thriving and in her 30s. While she was brought into this world by two superstars, she’s kept a much quieter life. While there are a lot of things people know about her, there’s more to this artist than you may think!
From her almost-acting jobs to her alma mater, and from her godparents to her modeling career, there’s so much to know about Frances Bean.
Now, in case you missed it, news broke that Frances Bean tied the knot with her longtime love: Tony Hawk’s son Riley Hawk. And after their secret nuptials became public knowledge, everyone wanted to get reacquainted with the cosmic artist.
In honor of the big news, let’s talk about everything Frances Bean! Check out everything we know about Frances Bean below:
TW: This post discusses suicide and drug use.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org. And if you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, you can get help by calling the Drug Addiction Hotline at 1-877-813-5721.
The Inspiration Behind Her Unique Name
Frances Bean has multiple inspirations for her unique name. Her first name was inspired by The Vaselines guitarist Frances McKee, and her middle name? Her father Kurt Cobain thought she looked like a kidney bean on the ultrasound, per ABTC, and so he got to have her middle name be Bean.
She Has Superstar Godparents
She has not one, but two superstar godparents. Former R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe is her godfather, and actress Drew Barrymore is her godmother!
She’s a Talented Visual Artist
After attending Bard College, Frances has continued to work on her Artistry with electronic art pieces, sketches, and paintings, which she frequently post to her Instagram page and sometimes unveils in public collections.
She Reportedly Turned Down Two Major Film Roles
Frances Bean’s mother Courtney Love claimed that her daughter turned down the roles of Bella in the Twilight franchise and Alice in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland to focus on her schooling. And per the Cut, she even called the Twilight script a “That’s a sexist, Mormon, piece of s**t.”
She Did Musical Theater in School
Per People, she did musical theater during her formative years, where she performed in Hair and played Rizzo in Grease.
She Attended Bard College
Frances Bean Cobain attended Bard College to study art, and many other stars have attended the school like Mia Farrow, Blythe Danner, and Chevy Chase, according to Ranker.
She Has Over 20 Tattoos
Frances Bean has over 20 tattoos, including one of Dolly Parton, multiple phrases that have important meanings to her, and even a “K” tattoo for her father, per Body Art Guru.
She Was Previously an Intern at Rolling Stone
Before Frances Bean enrolled in college, she wanted to be a journalist and had the opportunity to intern with Rolling Stone back in 2008 when she was 15, per the Richest.
She’s Been Nominated for a Primetime Emmy
Back in 2015, Frances Bean was nominated for a Primetime Emmy with a group of others for producing. It was specifically for the award of “Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special” for Cobain: Montage of Heck.
She’s Been Sober for Years
Back in 2018, Frances shared that she was celebrating two years of sobriety. She’s talked about her sobriety journey numerous times in her life, but her IG post has connected with so many. “The fact that I’m sober isn’t really public knowledge, decidedly and deliberately,” she wrote about keeping her struggles private. “But I think it’s more important to put aside my fear about being judged or misunderstood or typecast as one specific thing,” she wrote, per People.
She Loves Japan
Everyone has a place that’s special to them, a place they always want to go back to; and for Frances Bean, it’s Japan. She’s posted pics from her Japan trips numerous times, talking about how she wants to go back. Back in 2019, she posted pics with the caption reading, “(^-^)(^_-)☆☀︎☁︎*•* 📸: @mattsukkar #takemebacktojapan.”
She and Her Mother Courtney Love Have a Tumultous Relationship
If we start at the beginning, then we remember that Love lost custody of Frances to Kurt when she was only a few weeks old. While she quickly returned home, it wouldn’t be the last time that Love lost custody of her daughter. They were together for some years until Frances filed for emancipation from her mother by the time she was 18. They were estranged for years, but she previously said in a 2019 appearance on the RuPaul: What’s the Tee? Podcast: “When my mom is on a right and healthy path, she is one of the most fulfilling, beautiful, intelligent and kind people I ever met. This is what I like to call the era of balance, and I hope that we’re bringing in the era of balance,” per People.
She Was Married to Isaiah Jones Silva for Two Years
Isaiah Silva and Frances Bean Cobain were together for quite some time, starting in 2010 when he was 24 and she was, erm, 17. They got engaged in 2011, and on June 29, 2014, they married in a super-secret ceremony. They broke up in 2016 and filed for divorce.
Soon after their divorce, Frances Bean and Love got together to fight a court battle that resulted in him getting Kurt Cobain’s iconic guitar. Insiders told Page Six that the family saw him as a “terror” and had a “frightening obsession” with Kurt. A few weeks before this, Silva filed a lawsuit claiming Love and Frances Bean were conspiring to murder him for the guitar.
Sources said to the same outlet that Silva put Frances through “years of psychological, substance and emotional abuse.”
Frances Bean Is Now Happily Married to Riley Hawk
Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love’s daughter Frances Bean Cobain and Tony Hawk’s son Riley Hawk just tied the knot! The duo married in Los Angeles on Oct. 7, per Page Six.
The pair started dating in 2021, and have kept their romance quite private.
Her Sweet 16 Had a Very Controverisal Theme
Her sweet 16 was quite lavish at a $323,000 celebration held at the House of Blues, but per The Richest, it had a suicide theme.
She’s Dabbled in Modeling Over the Years
She’s been modeling since she was 14, and has appeared in photo spreads for Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, and was the face of Marc Jacobs’ Spring/Summer 2017 campaign.
She Controls Her Father’s Image
Back in 2012, Francis Bean won control over the publicity rights to her father Kurt Cobain’s name and image, subsequently taking it from Courtney Love’s control, per Spinner.
She Isn’t Into Grunge Music
Frances Bean has said time and time again that she’s not the biggest fan of Nirvana’s music, or grunge music in general. Per Rolling Stone, she prefers music from Oasis and Mercury Rev.
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