The granddaughter of Elvis Presley opens up about the romantic links in her family.
It's no secret that Riley Keough comes from a fascinating family. The 34-year-old actress and musician is the daughter of the late Lisa Marie Presley and Danny Keough, as well as the granddaughter of the late Elvis Presley.
In her new profile for Vanity Fair, Riley opens up about the "chaos" in her family following the January death of Lisa Marie, and her life as a mother to her 1-year-old daughter, Tupelo, whom she welcomed via surrogate with husband Ben Smith-Peterson. She also speaks to her unorthodox family's dating history.
The California native refers to herself in the profile as "an OG Calabasas girl," noting her history with the Kardashian family, who have long associated themselves with the California town.
"My grandma dated their dad, I think?" Keough says of the reality TV royalty. "Fact-check that."
In fact, Priscilla Presley did date Robert Kardashian Sr. after her divorce from Elvis in 1973, but she refused to marry him while Elvis was alive, so they split. Robert married Kris Jenner in 1978 before they divorced in 1991. Robert died of esophageal cancer in 2003.
The profile notes that Kim Kardashian and her now-ex-husband, Kanye West, bought the Calabasas property where Riley's childhood home once stood in 2014. It is now the site of Kim's current residence.
In the piece, Riley also opens up about Lisa Marie's dating and marriage history.
Reflecting on her separating from her father, Danny, and eloping with Michael Jackson 20 days later, Riley admits, "My whole childhood was probably very extreme. In hindsight, I can see how crazy these things would be to somebody from the outside. But when you’re living in them, it’s just your life and your family. You just remember the love, and I had real love for Michael."
Of the late King of Pop, Riley adds, "I think he really got a kick out of being able to make people happy, in the most epic way possible, which I think he and my grandfather had in common."
Following Lisa Marie and Jackson's split, she married actor Nicolas Cage — a marriage that ended four months later with a separation. Riley, who had her breakout role in Daisy Jones & the Six this past year, says she'd be willing to do a film with her former stepfather.
"He’s a great actor," she says. "I’ve had some wild stepfathers. Famous and not famous."
In addition to Jackson and Cage, Lisa Marie was also married to Riley's father, Danny, from 1988 to 1994 as well as Michael Lockwood from 2006 to 2021.
She shared Riley and her late son, Benjamin Keough, with Danny, and twin daughters, Harper and Finley Lockwood, with Michael.
Lisa Marie died on Jan. 12, 2023. She was 54.
"When my mom passed, there was a lot of chaos in every aspect of our lives. Everything felt like the carpet had been ripped out and the floor had melted from under us," Riley tells Vanity Fair. "Everyone was in a bit of a panic to understand how we move forward, and it just took a minute to understand the details of the situation, because it’s complicated. We are a family, but there’s also a huge business side of our family. So I think that there was clarity that needed to be had."
A legal dispute ensued, when Priscilla decided to contest "the authenticity and validity" of Riley's appointment as sole trustee following the death of her brother, Benjamin, claiming that "there are many issues surrounding" it. Riley went on to win a bittersweet legal victory just last week, when she was officially named as the sole trustee of the estate of her late mother.
"Clarity has been had," Riley tells the magazine.
"Things with Grandma will be happy," she adds. "They’ve never not been happy."
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