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The funniest mother/daughter duos
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The funniest mother/daughter duos

Following in the footsteps of your mother can be a daunting task, especially when she is a successful actress. However, that didn’t stop these women. Here are some of our favorite funny mother and daughter duos. They may not have done solely comedic fare, but when called upon they could bring the laughs.

 
1 of 19

Kate Hudson/Goldie Hawn

Kate Hudson/Goldie Hawn
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Goldie Hawn was so charming that she could even make a problematic premise like “Overboard” seem like a fun romp! Her daughter then took up the rom-com mantle, taking on films such as “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.” Actually, that’s another premise with issues, but Hudson, like Hawn, made the most of it.

 
2 of 19

Carrie Fisher/Debbie Reynolds

Carrie Fisher/Debbie Reynolds
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Reynolds and Fisher weren’t exactly kindred spirits in terms of comedy. Reynolds is best known as the cute ingénue from “Singin' in the Rain.” Fisher was known for having no filter when it came to talking about, well, anything. That led to some great books and one-woman shows, though. Carrie was so much more than merely Princess Leia.

 
3 of 19

Gwyneth Paltrow/Blythe Danner

Gwyneth Paltrow/Blythe Danner
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Paltrow is known more as a brand ambassador these days, and a lot about GOOP is funny. Of course, it isn’t supposed to be, but we digress. Gwyneth has been in such classically tinged comedies as “Shakespeare in Love” and “Emma.” Danner is in all the “Meet the Parents” movies, a slightly lower brow style of comedy.

 
4 of 19

Melissa Rivers/Joan Rivers

Melissa Rivers/Joan Rivers
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The Rivers women got to spend a lot of their time working together. Joan, of course, was a legendary standup. The two were known for their work hurling insults at questionable fashion for many years. It was right up Joan’s alley, and the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

 
5 of 19

Rashida Jones/Peggy Lipton

Rashida Jones/Peggy Lipton
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Jones had roles in two iconic sitcoms, “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation.” However, her comedy chops were best displayed in her goofy comedy “Angie Tribeca.” Momma Lipton is best remembered for the non-comedic “Mod Squad,” but she also had roles in comedies like “Bewitched,” “Psych” and “Wings.” Oh, and “Angie Tribeca,” of course.

 
6 of 19

Zoe Kravitz/Lisa Bonet

Zoe Kravitz/Lisa Bonet
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Bonet became famous thanks to a sitcom starring a certain comedian whose name we’d prefer not to mention. Let’s shout out her work on “A Different World” instead. Zoe, who is also the daughter of Lenny Kravitz, appeared in an episode of “Portlandia” and also voiced Catwoman in “The Lego Batman Movie,” which was fun. Her comedy bona fides were raised when she starred in the TV adaptation of "High Fidelity."

 
7 of 19

Dakota Johnson/Melanie Griffith

Dakota Johnson/Melanie Griffith
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No, Johnson isn’t here because of the unintentionally hilarious “Fifty Shades” movies. She’s shown she can be funny on purpose in stuff like the sitcom “Ben and Kate.” Dakota also hosted “Saturday Night Live” once. Her mom, meanwhile, starred in one of the iconic ‘80s comedies “Working Girl” and also has done some voices for “Robot Chicken.” No, really!

 
8 of 19

Eva Amurri/Susan Sarandon

Eva Amurri/Susan Sarandon
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Sarandon’s resume need not be laid out here. Whether it’s comedy or drama, she’s a living legend. Amurri isn’t quite at that level, but she has shown her chops in a couple of episodes of “New Girl” and “Mindy Project.” Also, Sarandon and Amurri played the same character at different ages in “That’s My Boy.” It’s a terrible comedy, but that’s not their fault. Interestingly, Amurri has said that she is retired from acting, though she did briefly return for "Monarch," a show that happened to star her mother. 

 
9 of 19

Rumer Willis/Demi Moore

Rumer Willis/Demi Moore
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A lot of the Brat Pack movies had at least some comedy to them, and Moore deserves to be here solely for providing a voice in the movie “Beavis and Butthead Do America.” Rumer, who is also the daughter of the sometimes funny Bruce Willis, had a nice role in the charming movie “The House Bunny.” She was also on “Masked Singer,” which was funny in its own way.

 
10 of 19

Liza Minnelli/Judy Garland

Liza Minnelli/Judy Garland
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Garland made several lightly funny movies back in the day, usually of the musical variety and is probably best known for her more serious role of Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz." Minnelli, though, is forever a comedy legend for being on “Arrested Development.” You can’t show up on that show, be funny and not get some love.

 
11 of 19

Maude Apatow/Leslie Mann

Maude Apatow/Leslie Mann
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Maude may owe her career to nepotism — Judd Apatow seems to love to stick his family in his movies — but she’s not without talent. One imagines that as she gets older, she will show that’s she’s more than Judd’s daughter, should she choose to follow the comedic path. Mann definitely has comedy chops, though, as she almost stole the show in “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.”

 
12 of 19

Jamie Lee Curtis/Janet Leigh

Jamie Lee Curtis/Janet Leigh
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Curtis is best known for “Halloween,” but she has appeared in several comedies over the years, including “Trading Places.” Like her daughter, Leigh is primarily known for a horror movie, namely “Psycho.” However, like so many actors back in the studio system days, she was in a bit of everything and also made many appearances on variety shows hosted by the likes of Bob Hope and Jerry Lewis.

 
13 of 19

Tracee Ellis Ross/Diana Ross

Tracee Ellis Ross/Diana Ross
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Yes, Diana Ross is a famous singer; she never really acted much. On the other hand, she did appear alongside the Muppets once, and she’s shown some humor in public appearances at times. We will admit the younger Ross is doing most of the heavy lifting. She was one of the stars of the hit sitcom “Black-ish.”

 
14 of 19

Abby Elliott/Paula Niedert

Abby Elliott/Paula Niedert
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Niedert is the less-known member of a pretty impressive comedy family. She’s the wife of Chris Elliott, who is the son of Bob Elliott, and she’s the mother of Abby and Bridey Elliott, two successful comedic actresses. Both Chris and Abby were on “Saturday Night Live.” Niedert is funny in her own right, though, as shown in her limited public appearances.

 
15 of 19

Kelly Osbourne/Sharon Osbourne

Kelly Osbourne/Sharon Osbourne
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Neither of the Osbourne ladies is an actor by trade. Did you watch “The Osbournes,” though? Have you see Sharon in her various daytime talk show roles? They both know how to be funny when called upon, even if they aren’t always funny on purpose.

 
16 of 19

Laura Dern/Diane Ladd

Laura Dern/Diane Ladd
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Both Ladd and Dern are great dramatic actors, but that doesn’t mean they can’t do comedy. “Enlightened” was on the darker side of comedy, but Dern was amazing in that show. So was Ladd, who also appeared regularly on the sitcom “Alice.” Yes, the one where Flo said, “kiss my grits!”

 
17 of 19

Clementine Ford/Cybill Shepherd

Clementine Ford/Cybill Shepherd
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Shepherd had her own titular sitcom, not to mention her time on “Moonlighting.” She was a comedic TV powerhouse for years. Her daughter Ford is mostly known for her soap opera work, but she had small roles in both “American Pie” and “Bring It On.”

 
18 of 19

Zosia Mamet/Lindsay Crouse

Zosia Mamet/Lindsay Crouse
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Mamet, one of the stars of “Girls,” is usually tied to her famous writer father, David. Her mom had a fine career of her own, though, including an Oscar nomination. On the comedy front, she appeared in “Slap Shot” and also on an episode of “Frasier,” one of the greatest sitcoms of all time.

 
19 of 19

Zoey Deutch/Lea Thompson

Zoey Deutch/Lea Thompson
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Thompson had to act like she was attracted to Howard the Duck, so we know she has skills. She was also quite funny in “Back to the Future.” Her daughter has started to carve out a fine career in comedy for herself. Already she’s been in “Why Him?” and “Set It Up,” and she scored a role in the "Zombieland" sequel.

Chris Morgan is a sports and pop culture writer and the author of the books The Comic Galaxy of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and The Ash Heap of History. You can follow him on Twitter @ChrisXMorgan.

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