A History of Celebrity Parent-Child Feuds

By Amy Wilkinson Posted Nov 5th 2009 05:00PM

The he-said/she-said between actress Lindsay Lohan and father Michael Lohan reached a fever pitch this past week as Lindsay took to Twitter to vent her frustrations with dear old dad. "My father is a lunatic and doesn't even deserve such a title since he's never been around in my life other than when he'd threaten me and my family," she wrote. Michael certainly hasn't been mum in this war or words, reportedly telling In Touch magazine that his daughter is near death from drug use. All this nasty infighting got us thinking about other famous parents and kids who couldn't see eye to eye. Here's a look at the most famous family feuds of all time.

The Family: The Crawfords

The Fight: Clear your closet 'cause this 'Mommie Dearest' hates wire hangers. It's not often a family feud spawns its own pop-culture catchphrase, but with her 1978 tell-all, actress Joan Crawford's adoptive daughter Christina Crawford managed to tap into the cultural psyche with a juicy revelation about her mother's hanger preferences among more serious allegations of physical and emotional abuse. The memoir, published a year after Joan's death, was later turned into a 1981 film starring Faye Dunaway.

The Resolution: After being disinherited from Joan's will, Christina seemingly got the last laugh with her successful exposé.

The Family: The Barrymores

The Fight: Emancipated since the age of 15, Drew Barrymore has been on the outs with both of her parents at one time or another. Dad John left Drew and mother Jaid when Drew was very young. Jaid went on to engage in some questionable parenting practices, including bringing a pre-teen Drew to clubs like Studio 54, where she began experimenting with drugs and alcohol. Drew landed in rehab at the tender age of 13.

The Resolution: After playing a less-than-perfect mother in 2000's 'Riding in Cars With Boys,' Drew decided to bury the hatchet with mom Jaid. She also reconciled with dad John in 2004 before he died from a rare form of bone-marrrow cancer. "I didn't want to be crippled by things that happened in the past," she told People magazine.

The Family: The Culkins

The Fight: One of the most famous child stars of all time, 'Home Alone' actor Macaulay Culkin also had one of the most infamous stage dads of all time. Father Christopher 'Kit' Culkin, himself a former child actor, was notorious for his creative negotiating style, once even threatening to yank Macaulay from 'Home Alone 2: Lost in New York' in the middle of filming to secure another role for his son. Not surprisingly, money disputes soon followed.

The Resolution: Following the separation of never-married parents Kit and Patricia Brentrup and the ensuing battle over custody and Macaulay's fortune, control of the young Culkin's finances were put in the hands of his accountant.

The Family: The Spellings

The Fight: An already-tenuous relationship between 'Beverly Hills, 90210' actress Tori Spelling and her mother Candy was made even more hostile after the death of patriarch and TV czar Aaron Spelling. Tori claimed that she learned of her father's death via e-mail, spurring several rounds of public back and forth, until it looked as though the two would reconcile when Tori gave birth son Liam in 2007.

The Resolution: The reconciliation was short-lived. This past summer, Candy penned an open letter to Tori regarding the invitation she received for granddaughter Stella's first birthday, which would also be taped for Tori's reality show "Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood." Candy addressed the letter, which ran on TMZ.com, to "MIDDLE-AGED REALITY SHOW STARS (LIKE MY DAUGHTER)," saying "A big party wasn't how I envisioned meeting my granddaughter for the first time; but, hey, this is Hollywood, and my grandchildren have become reality show props, too." And the feud rages on.

The Family: The Anistons

The Fight: After dishing a little too much dirt about daughter Jennifer on a tabloid T.V. show, mom Nancy unwisely went on to pen a tell-all about the 'Friends' star, 'From Mother and Daughter to Friends,' hoping it would bring about a reconciliation. It didn't. Jennifer Aniston couldn't have been anymore nonplussed, excluding Nancy from her nuptials to Brad Pitt in 2000.

The Resolution: After a nine-year estrangement, it was her 2005 divorce from Pitt that brought mother and daughter back together again.

The Family: The Carters

The Fight: In late 2003, pop singer and "Dancing With the Stars" contestant Aaron Carter filed for emancipation from momager Jane after discovering alleged financial discrepancies in his accounts.

The Resolution: Aaron eventually worked out his differences with Jane, but thanks to the 2006 reality show 'House of Carters' we got to watch the clan (including Backstreet Boy bro Nick) continue to play games with each others' hearts.

The Family: The Voight-Jolies

The Fight: Oscar-winning actor Jon Voight has said his estrangement from Oscar-winning daughter Angelina Jolie stems from his divorce from Angie's mom Marcheline Bertrand, though Mrs. Brad Pitt has declined to offer a reason for their chilly relationship. Jon has issued several public pleas for reconciliation including a tearful appeal on 'Access Hollywood,' where he claimed Angelina needed help for unspecified "mental problems."

The Resolution: Father and daughter had a brief period of harmony during the filming of 2001's 'Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,' in which they both starred, but it was not to last, as the two are still on the outs. In fact, Voight reportedly has yet to meet his six grandchildren.

The Family: The Baldwins

The Fight: In 2007, '30 Rock' actor Alec Baldwin left a caustic voice mail for then-11-year-old daughter Ireland, which leaked on TMZ.com, calling her a "rude, thoughtless little pig," for not answering the phone for their scheduled conversation.

The Resolution: Baldwin later issued a public apology on "The View" explaining that his anger came from "deep and seemingly endless frustration" with someone else (likely ex-wife Kim Basinger). Earlier this year, Ireland accompanied her father to the Screen Actors Guild Awards, seemingly putting the incident behind them.

The Family: The Lamas'

The Fight: In 2002, rumors swirled that former 'Renegade' star Lorenzo Lamas' wife Shauna Sand had an affair with her then-18-year-old stepson A.J. Father and son have been estranged since.

The Resolution: Though the two have yet to patch things up, thanks to the new E! reality show 'Leave It to Lamas,' we can all watch as daughter and former 'Bachelor' contestant Shayne Lamas schemes to bring father and son together.

The Family: The Mathers'

The Fight: It's hard to name someone rapper Eminem hasn't feuded with over the course of his decade-long career, but perhaps the one that cuts closes to home (besides sometimes-wife Kim) is the ongoing battle with mom Debbie Nelson. Following the release of his debut single 'My Name Is' in 1999, Nelson sued her son for $10 million, claiming slander based on lyrics like "My mom smokes more dope than I do." She got a measly $1,600 from the suit. Nelson penned a memoir in 2008, "My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem," attempting to clear the record about her drug use, among other things.

The Resolution: Eminem countered with the song 'My Mom' writing "My mom does Valium and lots of drugs/ That's why I am like I am 'cause I'm like her." Nelson's dying wish is reportedly to reconcile with Em and his daughter Hailie.

Comments

(10)

Saturday 07 November

By Lynne

Low Ranked Vote down Vote up Report this

Don't worry about Lindsay, in a few years she will be dead..... drugs are getting to her, and no real loss to the movie industry...

Sunday 08 November

By Jimmy

Vote down Vote up Report this

Life is short and thier are no do overs!

I belive that if Lohan was that bad off on drugs, she would have true family and frineds supportting her and not allegidly, make camments to rag magazines for publicity.
I have had 1 family memeber and 3 friends die over this sistuation and I sometimes blame myslef for not interviening. I did the best I could and my Uncle was worth in the 20 of millions. The rag magazines and papers could have had a field day but we kept it private and his heart gave out at an early age because the drugs over th years. Having gone thru this I would like to think that I have helped save some other lives and never spoke about this to anyone.
The pressure celeb's or anyone for that matter can be overwhelming, not to mention having your parents or family abuse thier rights.
On another note, Candy will regret her time lost with her daughter and grandchildren, God forbid anything happen to her, "whom will be there to take care of her". I hope this make some sense and again, "life is short and thier are no DO OVERS!"
I wish all the best....

By coneyisle

Nuts are only good if tey are named Filbert or Hazel

By wofabushangqule

hello

By Joey

Did anyone think she grew up to be such a jerk withoout parental help?

By Paulstarnyc

High Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Angelina Jolie is NOT Mrs. Brad Pitt!! How does the author of this article not know that?

By Uncle Eddy

They forgot Hollywood's No. 1 disfunctional Family...The O'Neals. Ryan will never win father of the year.
He makes Joan Crawford look like Donna Reed

By Linda

I have 2 comments....Jolie is suppose to be a world renowned peace maker for humantarian reasons, but she won't speak to her own father. Wow whats wrong with this picture. She wants to have a "family" with family values, but won't have anything to do with her dad. Maybe her kids will one day treat her like that. We can only hope. As for LiLo...for a girl so young she looks old and rode hard, end of that comment.

By Never Another Womens Man!

I have comments as well.... Jolie is suppose to be a world renowned peace maker for humanitarian reasons, she doesn't speak to her own father due to his unfaithfulness to her mother who past away not too long ago and she obviously has some ill feelings remaining about his unfaithfulness to her mother. HOWEVER whats wrong with this picture ?? every serious relationship she has had began when the male in it already belonging to another. (LOOK IT UP) She wants to have a family with "family values" but every meaningful relationship in her life the man was already in one with someone else when they met (married/engaged) That isn't family values, that is as low as a women can get. I am glad she is using her money to do some good in the world but perhaps it is her attempt at retribution? Personally, I have no respect for her. She is a women seeking something that is missing inside and is doing it in the bed of men that is already occupied by women when she arrives and is delusional enough to go on tv and state in an interview "I'm not hurting anyone". What did Jennifer Aniston state in an interview once, "Missing a sensitivity chip." I couldn't state it better. Eventually her relationship will end with Mr Pitt (no respect there either) as well, just as the ones before it.

By Kathy

AJ Lamas is not the only child of Loreno's that he is estranged from.

Page 1 of 1