10 Celeb Kids Estranged From Their Famous Parents

Family drama is nothing new in Hollywood, especially between famous parents and their children. From ’90s tabloids to today’s social media posts, these personal battles often become public. While ordinary families keep such conflicts contained within a group chat, for celebrities, they can turn into years-long public sagas.

Vivian Wilson, Elon Musk’s transgender daughter, recently addressed her father’s anti-trans comments made during a live stream with psychologist Jordan Peterson. Wilson, during an interview with NBC News, stated that Musk "crossed a line" and refuted his claims that he was tricked into authorizing her gender-affirmative care. She mentioned that despite initial hesitation, Musk had consented to her procedures. Wilson also shared painful childhood memories, stating that Musk often criticized her for being feminine and frequently complained about her high-pitched voice. According to Wilson, Musk was an absentee father, leaving the upbringing of her and her siblings primarily to their mother, Justine Musk, and nannies. Musk has not directly responded to these claims.

In another high-profile case, Pax Jolie-Pitt, son of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, highlighted his tumultuous relationship with his father. After Angelina’s allegations of abuse against Pitt surfaced, Pax marked Father’s Day in 2020 with a bitter post on social media, calling Pitt a "world-class a**hole" and accusing him of being a terrible person who made the lives of his younger siblings miserable. Pax accused Pitt of lacking empathy and causing constant fear among his children. Many of Pitt’s children, including Shiloh, have dropped his last name, with Shiloh even petitioning for a name change on her eighteenth birthday.

Angelina Jolie herself experienced a strained relationship with her father, Jon Voight. After Voight had an affair, he and Jolie’s mother separated, leaving Marcheline Bertrand to raise Jolie and her brother alone. In a 2002 interview, Voight accused Jolie of having "unspecified" mental health issues and pleaded for her to get help. He also criticized her marriage to Billy Bob Thornton, predicting it would fail due to their "serious problems." Jolie admitted to having mental health issues but denied that they were the reason for her estrangement from her father. She legally changed her last name to her middle name, Jolie, and expressed a desire to protect her own child from her father’s influence. Though they reconciled in 2010, their relationship seems to be rocky again following Voight’s recent criticism of Jolie’s political views.

Jennifer Aniston had a complicated relationship with her mother, Nancy Dow. In 1999, Dow published a memoir detailing their tense relationship, and five years later, Aniston revealed that they were still not speaking. Aniston cited her mother’s preoccupation with appearances as a significant strain on their relationship. They reportedly reconciled in 2005 after Aniston’s divorce from Brad Pitt and remained in contact until Dow’s death in 2016.

Adele’s relationship with her father, Mark Evans, was similarly strained. Evans left Adele and her mother when Adele was just three years old, and she felt let down by him throughout her childhood. They cut off contact when she was 12, and they only saw each other sporadically afterward. Their conflict escalated further when, in an interview, Evans blamed Adele’s relationship issues on his failings as a father, prompting Adele to angrily rebuke him publicly. Evans was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2013 and died in May 2021, but Adele later revealed that they had reconciled before his passing.

Drew Barrymore’s childhood was marked by turmoil, largely due to her mother, Jaid Barrymore. Jaid took Drew to nightclubs like Studio 54 as young as nine, leading to Drew developing substance abuse issues by 13. She spent a year and a half in a psychiatric ward and became emancipated from her mother at 14. Despite describing the estrangement as the worst pain she had ever known, Drew stated in 2021 that she felt empathy and understanding toward her mother.

Oliver and Kate Hudson’s relationship with their father, Bill Hudson, was also fraught. On Father’s Day in 2015, Oliver posted a throwback picture of their father with a caption calling it "Happy Abandonment Day," causing Bill to disown both of them publicly. However, recent reports suggest that their relationship has begun to heal.

Tatum O’Neal and her father, Ryan O’Neal, were estranged for over two decades, partly due to Ryan’s jealousy over Tatum’s acclaim following her Oscar win at age ten. Their relationship only began to mend after the death of Ryan’s partner, Farrah Fawcett, in 2009.

The relationship between Cher and her son Elijah Blue Allman has also been tumultuous. Elijah accused Cher of not supporting him during his Lyme disease battle, and their legal conflicts came to a head when his wife alleged that Cher hired men to take Elijah from a hotel room. Cher denied the abduction allegations but confirmed that their issues were related to Elijah’s addiction. Cher recently sought sole conservatorship of Elijah, citing his ongoing substance abuse and mental health struggles.

These celebrity family dramas illustrate that fame and fortune do not immunize against personal strife. Despite the public spotlight, the struggles between parents and children in these cases mirror those found in many families, famous or not.

Source: NBC News, The Daily Mail, Access Hollywood, The Sunday Telegraph, Marie Claire, Glamour, Us Weekly, People, Page Six