Emma Roberts shares wedding photo with aunt Julia Roberts to mark her 59th birthday

When Emma Roberts wanted to wish her aunt Julia Roberts a happy 59th birthday, she reached back to a moment they had shared just months earlier — a warm embrace at Emma's own wedding — and posted it for nearly 20 million Instagram followers to see.

Julia Roberts turned 59 on Wednesday, October 28, and the tributes came from two of the people closest to her. Emma, 35, posted a previously unseen photograph of the pair smiling and embracing, taken at Emma's July wedding to actor Cody John in Sun Valley, Idaho, where Julia was a guest. Emma captioned it simply: "Happy birthday Aunt Julia 👑 i love you beyond!!"

Happy birthday Aunt Julia 👑 i love you beyond!!— Emma Roberts, actress

Julia's husband, cinematographer Danny Moder, 57, also marked the day on social media, sharing a photograph of Julia laughing beside a birthday cake as he kissed her shoulder.

Celebrating everyday… but october 28 the most. More candles bring more joy. Love you so much.— Danny Moder, cinematographer

Emma is the daughter of Julia's older brother, actor Eric Roberts. Despite growing up in the same industry, Emma has been deliberate about not riding her aunt's coattails. In a 2024 appearance on the 'Table for Two' podcast, she described watching Julia's level of fame up close and concluding it was not what she wanted for herself.

I saw very up close what that really looks like with my aunt Julia. It's fun and it's great, but there is a part of it that's really scary.— Emma Roberts, actress

Fame has never been the goal, because fame at a certain level is kind of scary. Even in my later teens, I was like, I never want my fame to outweigh my work. Because there's nothing scarier to me than being so famous that you're never left alone, but also you're not getting good jobs.— Emma Roberts, actress

That admiration has coexisted with a conscious effort at independence. "I'm just doing my own thing," Emma told Us Magazine in 2011. "I don't really compare it to what my aunt does, but I do admire her and love all her movies."

Emma has also spoken about the double-edged nature of her family connections. "People like to say, you know, you have a leg up because you have family in the industry," she said, according to Us Magazine. "But then the other side to that is you have to prove yourself more. Also, if people don't have good experiences with other people in your family, then you'll never get a chance."

Julia Roberts won the Best Actress Oscar for 2000's 'Erin Brockovich' and received three additional nominations across her career. She and Danny Moder, who met on the set of 'The Mexican' in 2000, married on July 4, 2002, and share twins Hazel and Phinnaeus, 21, and son Henry, 19. The couple marked their 24th wedding anniversary in July.

Why it matters — The post offers a rare candid look at one of Hollywood's most prominent family bonds, while Emma's own words about navigating fame in Julia's shadow add a layer of context that goes beyond a routine celebrity birthday tribute.

Reported by ew.com, usmagazine.com, entertainmentnow.com, news.meaww.com, geo.tv