Celebrities You Did Not Know Had Toxic Parents

1. Britney Spears

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The Princess of Pop had her life and her $60 million fortune controlled by her father, Jamie, for 13 whole years.  She even claimed that her father had bugged her bedroom during the conservatorship which has since been terminated.  But this isn't all, in her memoir, Britney has also accused her mother of abuse and her younger sister of lying about her.

2. The Hadid Sisters

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Mother to the Hadid sisters, Yolanda, admitted on TikTok that she was a 'terrible mother'.

  And Gigi and Bella have even confirmed that there have been times she has been a toxic parent, including repeatedly telling Gigi not to eat as a teenager when she was first entering the modeling industry, telling her to 'eat an almond'

when she felt weak.

3. Eminem

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Eminem's strained relationship with his mom, Debbie, has never been a secret.  In fact, he has been known to use every opportunity to diss her and her spaghetti

in his music.  But in all seriousness, Eminem's tumultuous relationship with his mother appears to stem from her drug abuse and neglect of him when he was a child.

4. Oprah Winfrey

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Oprah has spoken publicly about her complicated relationship with her late mother, Vernita Lee.  During the first 6 years of her life, Oprah was raised by her grandmother, who allegedly abused her, and when she finally went to live with her mother in Milwaukee, she was forced to sleep on her mom's porch and she has opened up about being sexually abused by relatives and family friends.

5. Angelina Jolie

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Despite starring in movies with her dad, like Tomb Raider

, the truth is that Angelina Jolie and her famous actor father, Jon Voight, have had a pretty turbulent relationship.  So much so that she changed her last name.  And a lot of it was down to Vought, including not being around when she was little to nearly stopping her adoption of Maddox when he broke the news too soon!

6. Justin Bieber

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When Justin Bieber was tiny, his mom, Pattie Pallette, and dad, Jeremy Bieber, were only teens.  Jeremy admitted that he wasn't ready for a baby at that time but there was a custody battle between the pair in which Pallette cited that Jeremy had a long criminal history.

  But Justin's keen to show the world that he wasn't a total deadbeat dad.

7. Macaulay Culkin

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Macaulay Culkin opened up in an interview about his abusive father.  He said that he would be physically and emotionally abusive towards the Home Alone actor, threatening to hit him if he wasn't good.

  In fact, when he was 15 years old, he took his parents to court and they lost their roles as legal guardians and thus their right to his then $17 million fortune.

8. Selena Gomez

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Selena Gomez's mom, Mandy Teefey, admitted in an interview that her parenting style wasn't working

when she tried to support her daughter through her diagnosis of bipolar disorder and she said she had to relearn how to be a parent.  But despite this closeness, the pair became estranged back in 2018 when Gomez and Justin Bieber were an item!

9. Jennifer Aniston

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Friends star, Jennifer Aniston has spoken publicly about the 'dark childhood'

she experienced after her parent's divorce.  She said that the divorce really hit her mom hard and that she got her toxic anger

from her.  And she was absolutely thrilled to finally leave her family home.

10. Adele

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Singer, Adele's parents divorced when she was only three years old and her father spent a lot of her life estranged from her, moving back to his hometown in Wales.  But contrary to many reports, Adele did say that she forgave her dad just before he died of cancer aged 57 and they found peace.  She even played him her new album before he passed away.

11. Ariel Winter

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Ariel Winter left her family home to live with her sister when she was just 14 years old and has spoken publicly about how her childhood was stolen from her by her mother, Crystal Workman.  Winter stated that her mother was physically and emotionally abusive, and isolated her away from others.

12. Beyonce

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Beyonce's father, Mathew Knowles, was also her manager for 14 years.  But working with family members didn't pay off this time because she was ultimately forced to fire him.  And the reason he was fired was that he stole a large sum of money from her from one of her tours.

13. The Kardashians

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Questions about whether Kris Jenner is a toxic mom have been circulating online, including being accused of being a momager:

managing her kids' schedules and working them into the ground.  And she seems to have had some bad moments in some of the earlier series of Keeping up with the Kardashians

, like prioritizing Kim over her other children and being incredibly self-centered!

14. Mischa Barton

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Back in 2015, Mischa Barton sued her manager mother for a loss of earnings and it caused quite a big rift in their relationship.  In fact, Barton called her mom a 'greedy stage mother' 

and accused her of exploiting her daughter for her own monetary gain.

15. Leighton Meester

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Leighton Meester's mother, Constance, made some bad decisions even before she gave birth to her daughter, including smuggling drugs for Meester's father via a drug ring, resulting in her being incarcerated at the time of Leighton's birth.  But successful actress, Leighton reportedly sent her mom $7500 a month solely for her brother, Lex who didn't see a dime.  Instead, Constance reportedly spent the cash on botox instead!

16. Lindsay Lohan

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Both Lindsay Lohan and her mom, Dina, have both accused Lindsay's father of being abusive to Dina and a toxic influence on his daughter's life.  He struggled with alcohol and drug abuse and was in prison for three years for insider trading when Lohan was just a toddler.

17. Drew Barrymore

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Drew Barrymore was already super famous by the age of 9, thanks to her role in E.T.

but it was also around this time when her dad left her mom.  It has been reported that her mother, Jaid, took her to places where she had unrestricted access to alcohol and drugs, and at the age of 13, Drew checked into rehab for addiction problems.

18. Kate & Oliver Hudson

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Kate and Oliver Hudson look to have had a wonderful life with their mother, Goldie Hawn, and stepdad, Kurt Russell.  But the coronavirus pandemic allowed Kate to reflect upon her family and she brought up their biological father, musician Bill Hudson, 

in an interview.  She said that their estrangement had troubled her for a long time.

19. Demi Lovato

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Demi had a complicated relationship with her dad, Patrick Lovato.

  And she has been really open with fans about her drug and addiction problems.  In fact, she revealed that it was her father that influenced her when it came to drug-taking when she was just 17 years old, and, since then, she has been hospitalized for an overdose.

20. Matthew McConaughey

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Matthew McConaughey's parents had a very turbulent relationship, marrying three times and divorcing twice!  And in his 2020 memoir, Greenlight,

he shared a photograph of his mother's crooked fingers that were allegedly broken by his father in violent rows.  He also said that his mom was absolutely furious when he announced that he had a child on the way because he was not yet married!

21. Mariah Carey

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Mariah Carey wrote in her memoir that she never felt like her mother took much notice of her and she craved a mother who felt like a safe place.

  And she wants a mom who showed a genuine interest in her before asking for monetary favors.  She recalled one memory of nearly drowning on the beach at 7 years old and her mother didn't even notice her screaming.

22. Carrie Fisher

Image Source: VanityFair

Carrie Fisher had a pretty tough upbringing with her superstar parents, Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher (who left Debbie for Elizabeth Taylor!).  She once joked about her upbringing saying that she was a product of Hollywood inbreeding.  

She said that it was a struggle growing up with America's Sweethearts

as her parents because she and her brother had to share them with the world.

23. Judy Garland

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Judy Garland once said that she only felt wanted by her mother, Ethel Milne Gumm, when she was performing.  And when she was just 13 years old, Ethel handed her over to MGM Studios who assigned a team to oversee her minuscule diet of chicken broth, cottage cheese, and drugs to keep her slim.  And by the time she'd finished filming The Wizard of Oz, 

she was addicted to amphetamines.

24. Corey Feldman

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Like many child actors, Corey Feldman was plunged into the industry by his parents when he was just 3 years old.  In fact, Feldman claimed that his parents exploited his earning potential and he described one incident when his mom threatened to kill him as she was beating him with a stick.  She denied the accusations.

25. Christina Aguilera

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Christina Aguilera once opened up about music being her escape from her army sergeant father.  She said that when she was growing up, she never felt safe and had to suffer regular horrific violence at the hands of her dad.  Her mom eventually took her daughters to live with her grandmother to escape the abuse.

26. Kelly Rowland

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Kelly Rowland's parents split when she was 7 years old and her mother took her to live in Atlanta.  Since then, she had been estranged from her dad, Christopher Lovett, for 30 years.  But they finally reconnected after all that time.  Lovett said that he did try to find his daughter but Rowland recalled that as she got older and more successful, she put things in place to stop that from happening.

27. Charlize Theron

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Charlize Theron has spoken out about her traumatic childhood where she suffered verbal and emotional abuse from her alcoholic father.  She said that her father had been an alcoholic for as long as she could remember and that she had witnessed him being physically abusive to her mother.

28. Halle Berry

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Halle Berry also grew up with an alcoholic father and she said that she suffered verbal, physical and emotional abuse as a child.  Jerome Jesse Berry passed away back in 2003 and Halle spoke publicly about her childhood and how she managed to forgive him.

29. Marilyn Monroe

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Marilyn Monroe's childhood was completely disrupted by her mother's mental health and she said that she spent much of it bouncing around foster homes and orphanages.  When she stepped into Hollywood, she said that she was an orphan, even though her mom was still alive.

30. Meghan Markle

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Meghan Markle cut off her toxic father, Thomas Markle, who has caused her a lot of grief and embarrassment, particularly since she became a 'Royal'

.  He staged paparazzi photographs, and leaked secrets to the press, and Meghan has been criticized for her estrangement from him.

31. Brie Larson

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Actress Brie Larson has openly spoken in the past that she used her own personal experience to use for her character in Room. This experience was trouble with her parents - in her mid 20s, she hadn't spoken to her dad in 10 years, and said apparently he didn't want to be a parent.

32. Adele

image source: bbc.com

Singer Adele has gone from strength to strength, but apparently none of that is due to a strong supportive mom and dad. During a Grammy acceptance speech, she thanked her manager rather than any parents, and said she didn't love her dad. He'd left her mother when she was just three.

33. Oliver Hudson

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Brother of actress Kate Hudson, Oliver also went through issues with his father when he was young. Many people think Kurt Russell is actually Oliver's father, but it's not the case - his real father, Bill Hudson, is estranged from his family after leaving their mom, Goldie Hawn.

34. Katie Cassidy

image source: usweekly.com

This actresses last name will be familiar to you if you remember David Cassidy, of the Partridge family - and that's because David was her father. The pair of them never had a relationship, and David acknowledged he was her biological father, but had nothing to do with raising her.

35. Ariana Grande

image source: elle.com

It seems singer Ariana Grande can do no wrong, but she's sadly had a troubled relationship with her parents - or, more specifically, her father. Apparently they had a fall out in 2013 and it hasn't gotten any better since - so much so for her to put a lyric about him in her song, Thank U, Next!

36. Heather Graham

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Actress Heather Graham's falling out with her parents came from her career choices - her overly religious mom and dad weren't happy about her role in Boogie Nights, in which Heather plays an adult film star. The film launched Graham's career - but her parents never spoke to her since.

37. Emma Roberts

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Emma Roberts is the daughter of actor Eric Roberts (and the niece of Julia Roberts, of course!). But she's actually estranged from her fellow-actor father. Eric split from Emma's mother when she was just a child, and even Julia Roberts was estranged from her brother.

38. Tracy Morgan

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Comedian Tracy Morgan revealed in recent years that he doesn't really have a relationship with his family in general, but specifically his mom. He's said that he's okay with it though, without giving any explanation as to why they might be estranged, and describes himself as an 'island'.

39. Meg Ryan

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Hollywood rom-com actress Meg Ryan actually made the conscious effort to end her relationship with her mom back in the early 90s, after comments that her mom had made. Not only did her mom not approve of Meg's marriage to Dennis Quaid, she then started speaking publicly about Meg having an affair with Russell Crowe!

40. Courtney Love

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Rock singer Courtney Love actually spent some of her childhood in foster care, away from her biological parents. She became emancipated at the age of 16, and she still doesn't speak to her parents to this day, and her cut-off also extended to her maternal grandmother!

41. Tatum O'Neal

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Actress Tatum O'Neal is the daughter of a very famous father (and fellow actor) Ryan O'Neal, who also had a boxing career. Tatum has been estranged from her dad for most of her life. That's not without trying, though - they had a TV show together in which they tried to sort out their differences, but apparently ended up worse than when they'd started!

42. Ryan Lochte

image source: people.com

Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte has admitted to not speaking to his mom for years. Apparently the divorce of his parents in 2011 was the catalyst to their estrangement, but it was made worse when his mom apparently said some not-very-nice-things when told she was going to be a grandma...

43. Paris Hilton

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Socialite Paris Hilton has spoken openly about her 'rebellious' teenage years, and apparently her parents tried to send her to boarding school to control her behavior. Sadly, she made claims of abuse from her time at boarding school, which made her 'hate' her parents. They've tried to build bridges since.

44. Michael Jackson

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Michael Jackson has left a lasting legacy behind, but he's also left behind the truth about his apparent abusive childhood at the hands of his father. There were claims he was 'forced' into the music industry and his father would force the Jackson children into nonstop rehearsals.

45. Judith Barsi

image source: newyorkpost.com

Judith Barsi was a child actress who was met with tragedy at the hands of her father. She was famous for voice acting in particular, but when she began to get more successful, her alcoholic father would abuse her - until eventually, he killed her before shooting himself.

46. Marvin Gaye

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Marvin Gaye is a name you'll know from the Motown music scene, and even though he's now passed, his name and music lives on. His relationship was so toxic with his father it led to his death, after Gaye had intervened in a fallout between his parents only for his father to shoot him during an altercation later.

47. Aaron Carter

image source: variety.com

Aaron Carter was a singer and a teen pop star, brother to Nick Carter from the band the Backstreet Boys. Coming from a celebrity family, there was already pressure on him to succeed, and his parents were more managers than loving family. It's alleged his parents tried to 'capitalize on his success' and he ended up in debt, before later tragically dying.

48. Britney Campbell

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Britney Campbell was famous as a child beauty contestant- and with any child placed into a pageant based on their looks at such a young age, you have to look to their parents to question it. Her mother even wanted her to have Botox at eight years old! It seemed her mother cared about pageant results..

49. Jennette McCurdy

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If you're a fan of the kid's show iCarly, and the spin off Sam & Cat, then you'll know actress and screenwriter Jennette McCurdy. She revealed that she had been abused by her mother when she was young, both emotionally and sexually, before her mother died of cancer.

50. Carley Wynn

image source: eonline.com

Carly Wynn was another tragic case of famous child beauty pageant star, where the pressures from her mother was so much she even developed a split personality called 'Darla', and she was only 5 years old when she had to face up to dissociative personality disorder!