Legendary actor Sylvester Stallone is about to hit the small screen with his own reality show, The Family Stallone, and viewers will get a fascinating glimpse into the world of the intimidating Rocky star and his family

When iconic movie star Sylvester Stallone thought his daughter was pregnant, he was ready to go “full-on Rambo” – fortunately, she was just pranking him.

As the legendary actor hits the small screen with his own glossy reality show, viewers get a fascinating glimpse into daily life with the eccentric star and his family in California.

The Family Stallone, landing on Paramount+ on Thursday, follows as Sly, his wife of 26 years Jennifer and their three stunning daughters Sophia, Sistine and Scarlet open up about their work, family and love lives in a chaotic Italian American home.

And it’s revealed that the 76-year-old Rocky star is an overprotective dad who makes no effort with his daughters’ boyfriends, scaring them all away.

His eldest daughter Sophia, 26, a budding filmmaker, says: “He’s not your typical dad. On the one hand you bring a boy home and he becomes full-on Rambo with guns. But then he’s ‘girl dad’. He wants to bake with us, he watches The Bachelor with us and it’s a totally different side of him.”

In one scene, as the family celebrates Sly’s birthday, 24-year-old Sistine helps mum Jennifer make a fake ‘I’m pregnant’ cake as a joke, which sends him into a meltdown.

Sly with (from left to right) wife Jennifer Flavin and daughters Sophia, Sistine Stallone and Scarlet (Image: NDZ/STAR MAX/IPx)
“Please turn these cameras off so I can destroy this place, I’m going full Rambo,” says Sylvester, who calls their boyfriends “creeps”.

Sistine, an actress and model, says: “He’s very overprotective and quite intimidating. Dating when you have the dad that we do is rough.

“The first time a boy came over to meet my parents, he’s going in for the first kiss. I was so nervous and excited.

“He looked up at the balcony and said, ‘Oh my God, what is that?’ It was my dad, standing on the balcony, backlit so you just see a silhouette.

“He’s so cinematic. This kid jumped in the car and I never saw him again.

Stallone as movie Vietnam vet John Rambo (Image: Getty Images)
“Now that we’re older and in relationships, you’d think he’d want to make an effort and want to get to know the boyfriends, but that doesn’t happen. It does hurt my feelings that there has been minimal effort on his part.”

The daughters also complain that their famous surname makes dating extremely challenging.

Sistine says: “One guy brought a resume, another guy brought a script. One said he was an aspiring actor. I said, ‘Do you want to date me or Sly?’”

Following in the well-trodden steps of other famous families, like the Kardashians and the Osbournes, Sylvester says he agreed to film the eight-part reality show to spend more time with his family.

He laughs: “I’m on the road so much and I looked around and thought, my daughters are grown up. Wouldn’t it be great to spend some serious time with them where they couldn’t escape, where they had to be with me.”

Stallone and Jennifer in their California home (Image: Art Streiber/Paramount+)

The family Stallone at home (Image: Art Streiber/Paramount+)
The actor, famed for his action-man roles, says he wants to spend more time at home in California with the people he loves, describing long periods of filming as something that used to be fun but is now “punishment”.

Clearly a doting dad, Sylvester describes Sophia as the strong one who comforts everyone in the family, Sistine as the fragile kitten who he toughened up and is now fearless, and 20-year-old Scarlet as being one-of-a-kind. He gushes: “She’s a one-off, she’s unusual. She reminds me of me.”

The humorous reality series, which features candid interviews and home videos and photos, also gives an eye-opening insight into the upbringing of the Stallone girls, who say it was like being in the military.

Their dad would make them get up at the crack of dawn and do hardcore exercises. He also wanted them to be professional golfers.

Sistine says: “My dad raised us like little military brats. We did shot put, he made us do sprints in the backyard. We’d box in the kitchen. We had to eat raw eggs just because he did that in a movie once. I would literally throw up my breakfast and he would make me another plate of eggs.”

In one episode Sylvester’s heads out for dinner with old pal Al Pacino (Image: TV GRABS)
Sophia, who hosts podcast Unwaxed with sister Sistine, says: “You got up at 5.30am. You did ten push-ups. You would swing the golf club, then play pool. We’d do chess and have to read out loud.”

“He made us very competitive in sports,” adds Scarlet.

Sylvester, who has just been filming his mafia capo series Tulsa King in Oklahoma for six months, also talks about his relationship with former model Jennifer and how she keeps him balanced.

He says: “People won’t believe me, but the first time I met her I felt the earth move,” while Jennifer says she still gets butterflies whenever she sees him.

Despite a well-publicised rocky patch last year, which saw the couple reconcile just a month after Jennifer filed for divorce, it seems they are keen to demonstrate their devotion to each other in the series.

Sly is very protective towards his daughters (Image: Jackie Brown / Shutterstock)
Sylvester, who also has two sons from his first marriage to actress Sasha Czack, says: “I just knew when I met Jennifer that this was someone unique and special.

“Jennifer is impossible not to like. She does everything right. She’s a wonderful business woman, fantastic mother and wife, she even takes care of the dogs. And the fact that she takes care of me, she should win the Nobel Peace prize.”

Jennifer, who co-owns wellness brand Serious Skincare, says: “To me family is everything. We don’t always live in a normal world, but when we’re watching TV together, cooking dinner together, that is home.

“He’s been away filming for six months and it’s the longest we’ve ever been apart.”

During the series, we see Sylvester offer romantic advice to his daughters as they navigate dating.

Family dog at the dinner table (Image: TV GRABS)
Speaking to Sophia as she struggles with a long distance relationship, he tells her: “You need to be precious with your time. Time is your currency.

That’s the most valuable bank account you’ll ever have. You’ve got to spend it in the right spot or you’ll go emotionally bankrupt. So if it’s love, make sure you’re not wasting your currency on the wrong person. You haven’t got time to f*** around with people.”

Over the season, we can expect emotional ups and downs as Sophia, Sistine and Scarlet have make ups and break ups and turn to their parents for support. The show follows them at the luxurious Californian Stallone home as well as out and about socialising and at work.

Sylvester says: “I think young love is a temporary form of insanity. So you do things that you may regret. I’m here to prevent that.”

He then ponders that you only have so much time and a certain number of weekends in your life, realising he has depressed himself. He adds: “I like being depressed though. When I’m depressed I’m at my most creative.”

Of course it wouldn’t be a celebrity reality show without a few famous faces dropping in for the odd cameo.

Sly agreed to the show so he could spend more time with his family (Image: Art Streiber/Paramount+)

New reality show follows the Stallones (Image: Art Streiber/Paramount+)
In the first episode alone, Sylvester’s heads to a pizzeria with old friend Al Pacino, who he’s known since 1977. They affectionately mock each other as Al doesn’t understand how to take a photo with his phone.

Sylvester’s Rocky IV co-star Dolph Lundgren turns up to his birthday party, and we can expect other celebs to make an appearance.

In the show, the Stallone daughters also decide to reconnect with their Uncle Frank, Sylvester’s younger musician brother

As they tour Frank’s unique apartment, which they haven’t been to in years, they’re shocked to see it is rammed with a mountain of memorabilia from Sylvester’s career – as well as gifts like his old king size bed.

“Either he’s a great collector or clinically nuts,” says Sylvester, while the daughters call their uncle the Italian Austin Powers.

The Stallones enjoying a family meal (Image: TV GRABS)