8 celebs who got called out by their own children: From Tom Hanks to Elon Musk
8 celebs whose children aired their dirty laundry in public: From Rob Schneider to Ewan McGregor
Growing up in the limelight may seem glamorous, but for a lot of celebrity kids it is anything but. Being raised by a famous parent can come with a lot of challenges, and some celebrity offspring have spoken out about their difficult experiences. Few of these children have even publicly called out their parents, revealing the less-than-perfect relationships they have despite the regular sunshine and rainbows dynamics portrayed in the media. While some of these revelations have led to estrangement, others have managed to reconcile and mend their relationships. Let us explore some candid stories of these celebrity children and what they had to say about their respective parents.
1. Rob Schneider
Rob Schneider had a troubled relationship with his daughter—singer Elle King—during her childhood. Elle has been vocal about her father's "toxic" parenting, sharing how he was not present in her life. She recalled being sent to fat camp multiple times, with Rob punishing her when she failed to lose weight one summer due to an injury. Visits to his movie sets were also traumatic; Elle described how Rob would scream at her if she got in the way. He apparently forced her to cover her tattoos with sweaters, even in extreme heat. “My dad forgot about every single birthday. I spent my 18th birthday in a summer school and they brought me cupcakes and I came home and my dad forgot my birthday,” Elle reflected on the 'Dumb Blonde' podcast. “He’s just not nice…You can want someone to change so much. You can’t control anyone else’s actions and you can’t control people’s feelings. All you can control is how you react and what you do with your feelings.” Rob later issued a public apology during an interview with Tucker Carlson, admitting his shortcomings and wishing that he had been "the father in [his] 20s that she needed" while also hoping she could “forgive [him] for [his] shortcomings.”
2. Shanna Moakler
Shanna Moakler's relationship with her children Landon and Alabama Barker has been rocky for years. The tension came to a head in 2021 when both children publicly slammed their mother for not being present in their lives. Landon responded to a follower who accused him of "taking sides" in his parents' divorce. “Actually if you weren’t such a dumba** you would realize our mom has never been in our lives and isn’t there for us like our dad is," he wrote. Alabama also chimed in after Shanna accused her ex-husband, Travis Barker, of alienating their children from her. “My mom has never completely been in my life, can you guys stop painting her out to be an amazing mom," Alabama said. Shanna responded by telling People that the “claims of being absent” were “false and incredibly hurtful.” Despite the harsh words exchanged, Shanna later shared that her children had “taken back what they said about [her] and apologized,” suggesting that they were working on mending their relationship.
3. Billy Ray Cyrus
The relationship between Billy Ray Cyrus and his daughter Miley Cyrus has seen its share of ups and downs, dating back to at least 2013. The tension became public when Miley’s mother Tish filed for divorce from Billy Ray for the first time—prompting Miley to seemingly accuse her father of infidelity. In a quickly deleted tweet, Miley allegedly posted a photo of Billy Ray with one of his Chicago co-stars. “Since you won’t reply to my texts, I’m giving you an hour to tell the truth, or I’ll tell it for you," the pop star wrote. Billy Ray did not publicly respond to the tweet, but the father-daughter relationship has remained tumultuous. Adding to the drama is Billy Ray's recent relationship with singer Firerose. However, Miley later clarified that she is not estranged from her father and jokingly referred to him as a narcissist, adding that she might have inherited that trait from him.
4. Bill Hudson
Bill Hudson—the father of actors Oliver and Kate Hudson—has had a strained relationship with his children for years. In 2015, Oliver posted a scathing Father’s Day message on Instagram. “Happy Abandonment Day!” he wrote in reference to Bill’s purported absence in their lives. Bill responded harshly, declaring that he no longer considered Oliver and Kate his children. “I had five birth children, but I now consider myself a father of three. I no longer recognize Oliver and Kate as my own. I would ask them to stop using the Hudson name,” Bill told the Daily Mail. “They are no longer a part of my life. Oliver’s Instagram post was a malicious, vicious, premeditated attack. He is dead to me now. As is Kate. I am mourning their loss even though they are still walking this earth," he added. Despite the harsh words, the family has been working on reconciling, with Kate recently stating that they are “warming up” to each other.
5. Elon Musk
Elon Musk's trans daughter Vivian Wilson made headlines this year after the Tesla founder claimed that he was "tricked" into authorizing transgender-related medical treatment when she was 16. The tech billionaire also maintained that Vivian was "not a girl" and was figuratively "dead, killed by the woke mind virus." Vivian spoke out against her father and accused him of being an absent and unsupportive parent. She claimed that Elon was only around "10% of the time" during her adolescence. “He was cold. He’s very quick to anger. He is uncaring and narcissistic,” she told NBC News, claiming he would pressure her to appear and sound masculine. “I was in fourth grade. We went on this road trip … and he was constantly yelling at me viciously because my voice was too high. It was cruel," she recalled. Vivian has not spoken to her father for the past four years and said that she wishes to live a life defined by her own choices rather than his.
6. Ewan McGregor
Actor Ewan McGregor was publicly criticized by his daughter Clara in 2018 after he separated from her mother Eve Mavrakis and began dating his 'Fargo' co-star, Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Clara made her disapproval known by commenting on a fan account's photo of Winstead. “Most beautiful and talented woman on earth? Oh man, y’all are delusional. The girl is a piece of trash x," she wrote. Although her comment was a sharp rebuke, Clara later admitted that it was not the most mature way to voice her feelings. She later apologized, “It wasn’t the most mature way to go about things, but I was angry and upset.”
7. Tom Hanks
Chet Hanks has had a turbulent relationship with his parents Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson. In a now-deleted YouTube video, Chet discussed his struggles growing up with famous parents. “I didn’t have a strong male role model to tell me, ‘Bro, f**k these people. They’re just jealous of you. You have all these things that they want, so they’re trying to f**king throw their shade at you so you can feel s***ty about yourself because they’re jealous',” Chet said and added, “I needed to hear that. I didn’t have anyone to tell me that. This is me now telling the younger version of myself what I needed to hear then.” He explained that his anger and insecurity led him down a path of partying, drugs, and substance abuse. Despite what appeared to be a slight at his father, Chet noted that he had turned his life around and was now on a better path.
8. Russell Simmons
In 2023, music mogul Russell Simmons found himself in the middle of a public dispute with his daughters Ming Lee Simmons and Aoki Lee Simmons. The conflict began when Ming posted a Father’s Day tribute to her mother, subtly shading Russell in the process. Russell responded by accusing his ex-wife, Kimora Lee Simmons, of straining his relationship with their daughters. Aoki then fired back with alleged evidence of her father's alleged toxic behavior. In a now-deleted video, Aoki said, “My father is not well, for years, he needs help and won’t accept that he refuses to acknowledge he is not himself. He has threatened and bullied my sister, my grandma, he has harassed my grandma in the middle of the night in poor health, [and sent] a man to my sister’s apartment at 2 a.m. to scare her. He lashes out at ANYONE who does not say, ‘Ooh Russell everything is fine'. Well, it’s not fine.” Aoki went on to explain that her father's personality had changed dramatically in recent years, noting that they had been very close before. Kimora also got involved and accused Russell of threatening their daughters, cutting them off financially, and refusing to pay for Aoki’s therapy. Russell later apologized via Instagram story. Despite the drama, Aoki said she did not regret calling out her father. However, the family seems to be on better terms now, according to TooFab.
