John Travolta’s Kids: A Guide to His Family With Late Wife Kelly Preston
Shocking claims about John Travolta‘s family were made in a new lawsuit against Priscilla Presley‘s son, Navarone Garibaldi, with the plaintiffs alleging that Presley’s granddaughter, Riley Keough, is the biological mother of Travolta’s youngest son after donating her eggs to the actor and his late wife, Kelly Preston.
Travolta and Preston were married for 29 years at the time of her death in 2020. During the course of their relationship, they welcomed three children together. Scroll down to learn more about the family.
Who are John Travolta’s kids?
The couple’s eldest son, Jett, was born on April 13, 1992, and died in January 2009 (more on that below). Eight years after Jett was born, Kelly gave birth the couple’s daughter, Ella, on April 3, 2000. The family was complete when Benjamin was born on November 23, 2010.
After Jett’s death, Benjamin gave the Travolta home “a renewed spirit and purpose,” the Grease star told People. He and Preston tried to conceive a child for years, even before Jett’s death, so they’ve referred to him as their “miracle” baby.
View this post on Instagram
“He’s brought us a new beginning, and his presence has brought joy to all the people who have wanted the best for us,” Travolta added.
Ella has been following in her parents’ footsteps as a performer. In addition to some acting gigs, including roles in The Poison Rose and Old Dogs, Ella has pursued a music career and even dabbled in modeling, making her Fashion Week debut in 2025.
What happened to Jett Travolta?
Jett died in the Bahamas when he was 16 years old in 2009. The teenager had a seizure and hit his head in the bathtub.
“[Jett] was autistic,” Preston said on The Doctors in 2012. “He had seizures and when he was very young, he had Kawasaki syndrome.” Kawasaki disease “causes swelling, called inflammation, in the walls of small to medium-sized blood vessels that carry blood throughout the body,” according to Mayo Clinic.
Jett had a history of seizures before his death.
View this post on Instagram
In September 2009, Travolta testified in a trial against men he accused of extortion. Per The Guardian, he was woken up by a nanny on the day Jett died and said he “ran downstairs with my wife to help my son.” He added, “He was autistic. He suffered from a seizure disorder.” Travolta also specified that Jett’s seizures took place every five to 10 days and lasted 45 seconds to a minute.
How old was Kelly Preston when she gave birth to Ben?
Kelly was 47 years old when she gave birth to her youngest child, Ben. She and Travolta have not revealed whether they conceived naturally.
“When I found out I was pregnant, I was floored,” she told Health magazine in 2011. “I’d snuck out of bed and then came back and woke Johnny up in bed. We both started crying. It was wonderful.”
Travolta appeared on Good Morning America in 2016 and admitted, “Having little Ben has been a beautiful kind of glue for us to rebound after a tremendous loss.”
How did John Travolta and Kelly Preston meet?
Travolta and Preston met at a screen test for their 1989 film The Experts in 1987. At the time, Preston was married to Kevin Gage. After the divorce, she dated George Clooney until 1989, and was briefly engaged to Charlie Sheen before their 1990 split.
On a Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen appearance in 2018, Preston said it was “kinda” love at first sight with Travolta. “I was not that happily married, let’s put it that way. I was really with the wrong person,” she said of her marriage to Gage.
Travolta proposed on December 31, 1990. He and Preston tied the knot less than nine months later on September 5, 1991. At the time of the wedding, Preston was two months pregnant with Jett.
Preston died in 2020 after privately battling breast cancer for two years.
