Tommy Lee Jones’ comment about 'firing' daughter Victoria draws attention after her sudden death

Victoria Jones, 34, was found unresponsive in the early hours of New Year’s Day in San Francisco's Fairmont hotel
PUBLISHED JAN 3, 2026
Tommy Lee Jones' daughter Victoria Jones was found dead in a hotel in San Francisco on New Year's Day (Ken Ishii/Getty Images)
Tommy Lee Jones' daughter Victoria Jones was found dead in a hotel in San Francisco on New Year's Day (Ken Ishii/Getty Images)

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: The sudden death of Victoria Jones, the daughter of Tommy Lee Jones, has resurfaced past comments about the actor’s relationship with his daughter, and they are being widely shared again.

One incident frequently cited dates back to when Victoria was 14, when Tommy reportedly removed her from a film role after she refused to get out of bed for an early production call. The anecdote has reemerged following Victoria’s demise at age 34 on Thursday, January 1.

Actor Tommy Lee Jones (R), wife Dawn Laurel-Jones and daughter Victoria Jones attend the premiere of Broad Green Pictures' 'Just Getting Started' at ArcLight Hollywood on December 7, 2017 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage)
Tommy Lee Jones attended the premiere of 'Just Getting Started' with his wife Dawn Laurel-Jones and daughter Victoria Jones in 2017 (Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage)

Tommy Lee Jones’ past interview comments on firing daughter resurface

Following the shock death of his daughter, past remarks by Tommy Lee Jones about their relationship have resurfaced. The actor once spoke about the challenges his daughter faced while working on a film set, saying the demands of the job tested her commitment at a young age, as per News.com. 

“She had to get up at 5 am for her part,” he recalled. “One morning, she wouldn’t get out of bed. I said, ‘Honey, this is work.’ But she wouldn’t budge. So I fired her.”

Tommy later said the decision was short-lived. “Then, without telling me, the production staff went over and woke her and rushed her out to the set just in time,” he said.

Actor Tommy Lee Jones and daughter Victoria Jones arrive at the premiere of 'Just Getting Started' at ArcLight Hollywood on December 7, 2017 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
Tommy Lee Jones and daughter Victoria Jones arrive at the premiere of 'Just Getting Started' at ArcLight Hollywood on December 7, 2017, in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

Despite the incident, Jones later spoke positively about his daughter in a 2006 interview with The New Yorker. He said Victoria, who was 14 at the time, appeared in 'The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada' as a young Mexican girl and showed a level of professionalism and discipline beyond her age.

Victoria Jones was found dead at a San Francisco hotel

Victoria Jones, the daughter of actor Tommy Lee Jones, was found dead at a hotel in California. Law enforcement said that Jones was pronounced dead in the early hours of New Year’s Day at the Fairmont hotel in San Francisco. 

A spokesperson for the San Francisco Fire Department said emergency crews responded to a medical call at the hotel at about 2.52 am. Paramedics evaluated the individual and pronounced her dead at the scene, as per Unilad.

Police said officers arrived and confirmed that an adult female had died. The San Francisco Medical Examiner later arrived at the hotel and opened an investigation into the death. 

American actor Tommy Lee Jones with his wife and daughter Victoria arrive for the premiere of the film
Tommy Lee Jones, with his ex-wife Kimberlea Cloughley and daughter Victoria Jones, arrives for the premiere of the film 'Stuart Little 2' at Planet Hollywood on July 14, 2002, in London (Dave Hogan/Getty Images)

Victoria was born on September 3, 1991. She made her film debut at age 11 with a small role in her father’s movie 'Men in Black II'. She and her brother, Austin Jones, 42, are the children of the actor and his second wife, Kimberlea Cloughley.

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