When fame is involved, families can turn toxic. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the infamous and shocking times famous faces spoke candidly in public about or acted against problematic relatives.
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00:00We've got to get away! We've got to run away!
00:04Welcome to MsMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the infamous and shocking
00:09times famous faces spoke candidly in public about or acted against problematic relatives.
00:15I think he knew I was upset with him and then the worst part about it was I didn't get that
00:20closure.
00:22Number 10. Jeanette McCurdy on Debra McCurdy
00:26Bursting onto the acting scene in 2000, Jeanette became one of the most well-known child performers
00:32in the industry after starring in iCarly. Yet between 2017 and 2018, she retired from
00:38professional acting. Later on, we would discover the heartbreaking reason why.
00:43I said a lot of things, a lot of uncomfortable truths that are, I think, difficult things
00:48to say. The more uncomfortable something was for me to put on the page, the more important
00:52it felt for me to put it on the page.
00:54Jeanette spoke in interviews and in her 2022 memoir, I'm Glad My Mom Died, about the alleged
01:00abuse she sustained from her mother, Debra. She pushed Jeanette into acting, living vicariously
01:05through her with Debra's own younger acting ambitions. On top of this, she also subjected
01:11her daughter to intrusive examinations and emotional abuse.
01:15I started wondering if something was off because I could sense concern in people around me
01:22and I started piecing together, I don't know if reality is mom's reality, but I didn't know how to
01:29come to terms with that. Jeanette has spoken honestly about the struggles this experience
01:33had on her, especially after Debra's passing in 2013. Thankfully, Jeanette's doing much
01:39better today.
01:40I wouldn't want to just be like emotionally aching or trauma aching. I really wanted to
01:44find the structure and the story and the entertaining elements. And so I think having that experience
01:50of therapy where I process everything prior to writing the book was very, very important.
01:54Number 9. Cole Sprouse on Melanie Wright.
01:57As one half of the iconic, identical twin acting duo alongside Dylan, Cole has spent
02:02nearly his whole life in the limelight since making his screen debut less than a year after
02:07his birth in 1993. Yet away from performing, the home life of the Sprouse brothers was
02:13difficult.
02:14And I think as I've aged and I've looked back on a lot of the circumstances of that
02:19entire environment, I see a person that grapples with mental illness, drug abuse, but primarily
02:29narcissism.
02:30Cole has spoken in interviews about their experience with their mother, Wright. She
02:34pushed the twins into acting.
02:36I mean, it started really as a means to put bread on the table and also allow my mother
02:41at the same time to be a mother, but to make her main focus on her job, our careers.
02:48According to Cole, she had substance use disorder and was driven by narcissistic need to be
02:53recognized as an artist. Then, Wright reportedly lost all the money the twins had made from
02:58their earliest roles. Due to the struggles, the twins' father, Matthew, was given forced
03:04custody after their divorce. Since then, the Sprouses have had no contact with Wright.
03:10When it rains, it rains on everyone's roofs. That's how it goes. It takes a village, man.
03:15And selfishness that is encouraged very much, like I said, from the industry, just doesn't
03:21really work. It doesn't really work for being a mother.
03:25Number 8. Ariel Winter on Cressula Workmen.
03:28It was really painful for me to watch my mom go on news outlets and go on Dr. Phil and
03:34kind of spread things everywhere when it's really just private family business.
03:40Four years after making her big screen acting debut, Winter had her big break with the small
03:45screen's modern family and became a TV star. Yet in 2012, her sister Chanel Workmen applied
03:52for guardianship of Winter after allegations she was subjected to abuse from her mother
03:58Cressula. In 2015, a year after Chanel got guardianship, Winter was legally emancipated.
04:05It has been very sad for me, but at the same time, it's been much better for me emotionally
04:09and physically to be on my own and have a better, safer household and support system.
04:14Over the years since, Ariel has disclosed her dire situation with Cressula. Winter spoke
04:19about having a lonely childhood, practically in isolation, as Cressula warned her about
04:24other girls and even controlled her diet. At the same time, her mother physically and
04:30emotionally abused her. Cressula also dictated what Winter wore, often making her dress more
04:35provocative. But thankfully, due to the good people around her, Winter is doing better.
04:41I wanted to go to college since I was very young. I've worked very hard. I go to real
04:45high school, and I do my best to move forward in my future that way. I would love to be
04:50a lawyer, and I've applied for college, and I'm going through that process right now.
05:00Feeling powerless is the worst feeling in the world. Your home needs to feel like your
05:08sanctuary, and it wasn't that way for me.
05:11Before she became one of the most talented pop singers around, Christina grew up in a
05:15turbulent household, which she has spoken about publicly over the years. Back then,
05:20she often moved around due to her father's enrollment in the U.S. Army. But on top of
05:25that unsettlement, Fausto was said to have taken out his issues on the family by physically
05:30and emotionally abusing Christina and other members.
05:34I mean, you know, it's terrifying, and it's like all you want to do is help, but a lot
05:37of times, even when you call the authorities, you don't get the help that you need, and
05:42then the door shuts, and you're with your abuser again.
05:45The singer stated music gave her a path to escape the hard situation. Eventually, her
05:50mom and father divorced, but Christina has disclosed the trauma of that upbringing, which
05:55is still with her decades on. In 2000, she briefly let Fausto back into her life before
06:01becoming estranged once more.
06:03You know, at 42, I'm still affected by this. It's under the surface. Trauma never leaves
06:08you. You just figure out ways to try and heal it, and to me, it's therapeutic to speak about it.
06:156. Demi Lovato on Patrick Martin Lovato
06:19Since being a teenager, Demi has juggled the life of an actor and musician successfully.
06:25However, their relationship with their father Patrick has been less positive. Demi has spoken
06:31about the conflict within themself after Patrick passed away in 2013.
06:35I've done therapy where I sit in front of an empty chair, and I share my truth with
06:43the empty chair as if he was sitting there. It was extremely healing for me.
06:47They stated that while he wanted to be a good man, he was abusive and he struggled with
06:51mental health issues. This experience led to Demi creating the song Father, which explored
06:57their mixed emotions towards him.
06:59You did your best, or did you? Sometimes I think I hate you.
07:06In 2018, Demi's mother Diana De La Garza released her memoir, which detailed the abusive
07:13behavior she sustained from Patrick, which caused her to lose a finger. After leaving
07:18him, she met Eddie De La Garza, who became a positive force in Demi's life.
07:23And when my mom married my stepdad, he still had this huge heart where he would say, I'm
07:30so glad Eddie's taking care of you and doing the job that I wish I could do.
07:35Number 5. Britney Spears on Jamie, Lynn, and Jamie Lynn Spears
07:40In 2019, news leaked about Britney's conservatorship. After she was put on an involuntary psychiatric
07:47hold in 2008, a group led by her father, Jamie, was legally put in charge of Britney's
07:53affairs.
07:54Honestly, still to this day, I don't know what really I did, but the punishment of my
07:59father, I wasn't able to, you know, see anyone or like anything.
08:05In 2021, after getting public support with the Free Britney campaign, Britney went public
08:10about the conservatorship, criticizing her family in the process. She said her support
08:16system of Jamie and her sister, Jamie Lynn, let her down as they took advantage and controlled
08:21every aspect of her life.
08:23To me, it was like they secretly, honestly liked me being the bad one, like I was messed
08:28up and they kind of just liked it that way.
08:30While her mother, Lynn, publicly supported the end of the legal agreement, Britney stated
08:35that the conservatorship was her idea originally. Soon after this all came to light, the end
08:40of Britney's conservatorship was granted by the courts.
08:44After nearly 14 years, it took a judge in this courthouse today less than 40 minutes
08:48to decide that Britney Spears' conservatorship was no longer required, her attorney assuring
08:53the court that safety nets are in place to protect Britney personally and financially
08:57and put her in a position to succeed.
08:59Number 4. Macaulay Culkin on Kit Culkin
09:03In the industry of child stars, none have perhaps been as successful as Macaulay thanks
09:08to his success in the Home Alone franchise. Yet, away from the silver screen, home life
09:13was difficult for him and his father, Kit.
09:25After his parents split up, a custody battle erupted between them, with Macaulay and his
09:30siblings wanting to be with his mom, Patricia Brentra. He then removed his mother and father
09:35from his trust fund to protect its large contents.
09:43Since then, he's been estranged from Kit. Macaulay has stated in interviews that his
09:54father, who was an aspiring actor when he was younger, was jealous of his success, so
09:59he was mentally and physically abusive to his son and the rest of the family.
10:04Number 3. Drew Barrymore on John Drew and Jade Barrymore
10:16With father John Drew being a professional actor, Drew should have been protected when
10:20she became a child star after E.T. the Extraterrestrial. Instead, she underwent one of the most turbulent
10:28upbringings thanks to John's violence. When he split with Drew's mother, Jade, it got
10:33worse for her. Jade was irresponsible and took young Drew to clubs often. This opened
10:39up Drew to drink and use substances. By the time she was in her early teens, she had been
10:56in rehab more than once and had a long stint at a psychiatric hospital. She eventually
11:01moved in with singer David Crosby and his family to help her stay sober. Drew was later
11:17granted emancipation. While she's never completely forgiven Jade, Drew stated she
11:22was financially supporting her in 2023.
11:26Number 2. Michael Jackson on Joe Jackson While professionally he was the king of pop
11:32and one of the most celebrated performers ever, Michael's personal life was vastly
11:37different. In 1993, he was interviewed by Oprah Winfrey, where he discussed the methods
11:42of his father Joe. During the Jackson 5 days, Michael was seen as a man with a lot of money
11:56and a lot of fame. Michael also spoke about his lonely childhood under Joe's thumb.
12:23Instead of being able to play, he had to go to the studio to rehearse or record. In
12:282003, Joe admitted to whipping but specified that he didn't use a stick as that implied
12:34he beat his children.
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13:00Number 1. Judy Garland on Ethel Marion Gumm With her celebrated film work in The Wizard
13:06of Oz and an outstanding music career, Garland is one of the most beloved icons of the entertainment
13:12industry. Yet, not only did the MGM studio allegedly mistreat her, but so did her mother
13:18Ethel Gumm. From an early age, Gumm was overbearing when it came to performing. As detailed by
13:30Garland to Barbara Walters in 1967, if she felt too ill to perform, Gumm would threaten
13:36her daughter with violence. She also described her mother as very jealous and wicked. It's
13:53even been said that it was Gumm who supplied Garland with substances, some to perk her
13:58up, some to help her sleep. This led to a lifelong dependence that resulted in Garland's
14:04passing in 1969. What other incidents of family members being called out by celebrities did
14:16we miss? Let us know below.