Being the child of a celebrity isn't all "nepo baby" upside. From wild
partying to possible endangerment to just plain not being around,
these famous parents have faced some serious accusations about how they handle their kids.
Tom Cruise spent far less time with his daughter, Suri Cruise, after his 2012 split from
Katie Holmes. Tom was reportedly granted only 10 visitation days per month as part of the divorce,
but a source told Us Weekly that the star doesn't even see his daughter that often.
Former Scientologist Samantha Domingo alleged that the Church of Scientology
prohibits the actor from seeing Suri because she's not a follower of the religion,
of which her dad is famously an adherent. In his lawsuit against Bauer Media,
Tom confirmed that his ex-wife and daughter aren't Scientology followers. Domingo added that this
rule may have stemmed from the religion's views regarding reincarnation, stating,
"[They believe] Suri's not really his daughter — she's
just a spiritual being in his daughter's body."
A spokesperson for the church denied the allegations.
In 2016, a source claimed to In Touch magazine Tom hadn't had any contact with his daughter
for 1,000 days. And Us Weekly had reported that he
was last publicly seen with her three years prior to that piece. As of 2023,
it appears as though Cruise hadn't been publicly spotted with Suri for a decade.
Kris Jenner has done a lot to make sure that most of her kids are set for life.
"Keeping Up With The Kardashians" was a jumping-off point that the family
has used to make millions more. Kris has helped provide her daughters with so many
opportunities it's easy to forget that her son Rob Kardashian Jr., is often left out.
In fact, Jenner may have indirectly confirmed suspicions that her son isn't her favorite
child during an episode of Hulu's "The Kardashians." In an eyebrow-raising sequence,
the mom discussed baby names after a discussion with Kylie Jenner about
her own son's name. Kris listed all of her children's full monikers, but she was a bit
forgetful when it came to Rob's middle name. At first, she said his middle name was George.
"Sorry, Robert Arthur Kardashian. I didn't even know my child's name. This
is so confusing. Can anybody keep up with this?"
Kris also faced some shocking allegations about her parenting in diary entries allegedly
written by her late ex-husband Robert Kardashian Sr. In Touch first published
these entries in a since-deleted article in which he accused his ex-wife of having once
attacked Kim Kardashian and once left their kids alone for several days while
she pursued an affair with someone else. Kris denied the allegations.
Frances Bean Cobain, the daughter of Courtney Love and the late Kurt Cobain, hasn't always
had a great relationship with her mom. Frances actually filed a restraining order against Love
in 2009. According to The Fix, Frances claimed that Love's drug use, poor diet, and hoarding
habits had become a concern — even leading to the deaths of two pets. Frances alleged in court,
"[Love] has taken drugs for as long as I can remember. [...] She often
falls asleep in her bed while she is smoking, and I am constantly worried
that she will start a fire — which she has done at least three times."
The restraining order was filed — and ultimately granted — after the two got
into a physical fight. The two appear to have repaired their relationship,
but it didn't magically happen overnight.
On a 2019 episode of RuPaul's "What's the Tee" podcast, Frances revealed that she had been
furious with her mom's self-destructive behavior for a long time. She said of her adolescence,
"Some kids were like, 'F--k, I didn't do my essay,' and I'd be like, 'F--k, I had to call
the paramedics to get my mom's stomach pumped last night' [...] just a different set of priorities."
As Love chose a healthier path, she and her daughter found their way
back to each other. Frances ultimately called her mom "a really good person."
Nadya Suleman became known as "Octomom" after she earned fame for carrying eight
children at once. The tabloid star is actually the mother of 14 kids in total,
and she's opened up about the challenges that come along with managing such a large family. Suleman
even faced financial hardships and had to make choices she's since revealed she isn't proud of.
In 2012, Suleman released a sex tape to make money. Four years later,
she told People that she regrets that decision, saying,
"I earned $8,000 from basically selling my whole soul [...] I definitely regret
that 100 percent. At the time, we were in foreclosure, we were about to be homeless,
and it allowed us to move into a rental, but of course, I do regret
that more than anything. But I learned. It validated and reinforced who I am not."
Suleman also came under fire after a controversial interview with InTouch
in which she appeared to say she hated babies. She denied saying that.
"I never said any of that."
"We were contemplating suing because it's slander."
"I never said any of that. None of it, actually."
"You're contemplating suing?"
"We were contemplating...."
But audio from the interview was leaked to the press, seemingly confirming that Suleman
said those things. Jezebel posted the audio in which she responded,
"No. I cringe, and I'm not kidding, when I hear a baby cry and I'm outside. I do not like babies."
Suleman's representative denied that she did the interview and
clarified that she didn't hate her own children.
"Teen Mom" star Farrah Abraham has often faced scrutiny for her parenting
decisions. She made the transition from reality TV to adult films,
which is one of the many things she's done that raised eyebrows. In 2013,
Abraham also took heat for taking time away from her daughter. She told InTouch,
"It's healthy that we have a break. She has her own life
and is doing her own thing, and I'm doing mine."
Abraham also found herself at the center of a scandal after she was
accused of bringing her daughter Sophia, who was 13 at the time,
along with her to a club. Abraham defended herself in an interview with TMZ, saying
"For the record, I wasn't clubbing with her. It was an all-ages concert and I think who
better to go with their child to a concert than a parent? Especially when there was,
like, Travis Scott concerts [with] kids dying."
Abraham was referring to the 2021 Astroworld Festival incident in which a crowd crush led to
10 deaths. She went on to explain that she took time to educate her daughter on concert safety,
advising her to stay away from the mosh pit and other potentially dangerous areas.
Bill Hudson, who was once a vocalist in The Hudson Brothers band, is a father to five kids.
That includes actors Kate and Oliver Hudson, whom he welcomed with his famous ex-wife Goldie Hawn.
Unfortunately, Kate and Oliver upset their father in 2015 with their Father's Day Instagram posts.
With his post, which included a photo of himself and Kate as kids alongside Bill, Oliver wrote,
"Happy abandonment day."
Oliver was likely referring to the fact that he and his sister were primarily raised by
their mother and stepfather, Kurt Russell. A day earlier, Kate had shared a similar
shady Father's Day post. She posted a photo of herself and Russell calling him "Pa" and adding,
"Happy Father's Day, I love you to the moon and back."
Kate made no mention of Bill. In an interview with The Daily Mail,
Bill said the Oliver's post was "like a dagger to the heart," adding,
"If what he wanted was me out of their lives,
then he's succeeded. I don't want to see either of my eldest children ever again. It's over."
He denied ever abandoning his children and accused Hawn of manipulating their children against him.
In an interview with Rap-Up, 50 Cent's son Marquise Jackson opened up about how his
father wasn't present for much of his childhood. Saying of his relationship with his rapper father,
"It completely went south when I was probably like 10 or 11. He wasn't really
around enough. It kind of dwindled down as time went on and certain events happened."
It appears that 50 Cent never re-entered his son's life — at least not in a positive
way — because the two have had numerous online arguments over the years. It was even alleged
that 50 Cent disowned Jackson via text message when he was only 16 years old.
In October 2022, Jackson posted on Instagram
about his father's reported $6,700 per month child support payments, writing,
"Since y'all think $6,700 is so much money someone tell my pops I will pay him $6,700 for just 24hr
of his time so we can do everything I ever wanted to do with him as a kid."
50 Cent responded to the post during an interview with "The
Breakfast Club," arguing that his son's actions were an attempt to
get attention rather than a meaningful effort to rebuild their relationship.
On a 2022 episode of HBO's "The Shop: Uninterrupted," Drew Barrymore explained
that her childhood was less than ideal. She said of her mother, Jaid Barrymore,
"My mom took me to Studio 54. "What" "The hell?"
"I don't think that kids should live like adults."
Attending clubs with her mom meant she'd become a serious party girl by the age of
8. When she was 13, Drew was sent to a psychiatric ward for 18 months for her
drug use. At 14, Drew won emancipation from her mom. The actress told People,
"I'll never forget the judge saying, 'You never have to go to school again.'"
Drew also told People that the process of healing
from what she endured as a child has taken time. She explained,
"The more time goes by and the older I get, the less guilt and corrosive
toxic shame and just absolute discomfort comes with it. The more you sort of go,
'My God I'm going to be 48, when does that guilty little girl that's still so sad that
I don't have this amazing nuclear relationship with my family, when does that become okay?'"
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues,
help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).