9 Stars Who Were Estranged From Their Family — And Why

Read on to find out why these celebs and their families didn’t speak…even if it was temporary.

1. Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber may have a great relationship with his mother Pattie nowadays but at one point, the pair didn’t speak for two years. Back in 2015, he admitted his relationship with his mom was “pretty nonexisting.” At that time, Justin said he was working on reconnecting with Pattie after their estrangement.

“I was distant because I was ashamed. I never wanted my mom to be disappointed in me and I knew she was. We spent some time not talking, so it takes time to rebuild that trust,” Justin told Billboard.

2. Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey detailed her rocky relationship with her mother Pat in her 2020 autobiography “The Meaning of Mariah Carey,” where she wrote that their “complicated journey together” had caused her “so much pain and confusion.” While she always wanted a loving relationship with her mother, she explained that she felt her mother had never been able to provide that for her. Mariah admitted that she ended up having to go through the “excruciatingly painful” process of removing certain people from her life, even though she cared for them.

“I had to stop making myself available to be hurt by them. It has been helpful. I have no doubt it is emotionally and physically safer for me not to have any contact with my [siblings]. The situation with Pat, on the other hand, is more complicated. I have reserved some room in my heart and life to hold her — but with boundaries. Creating boundaries with the woman who gave birth to me is not easy — it is a work in progress,” Mariah wrote.

3. Ariel Winter

Ariel Winter doesn’t have a relationship with her mother anymore following a years-long court battle. When the “Modern Family” actress was just 14, her guardianship was handed over to her older sister Shanelle. Her mother tried to regain custody during a two year court battle but Shanelle was eventually granted permanent guardianship and Ariel was eventually emancipated from her parents at age 17.

“I am now officially emancipated!!! I’m really lucky I have an amazing support system and lovely people in my life who have given me the support and guidance to have been given this wonderful opportunity. Most importantly I want to thank @shanelle_gray and my father for their special support regarding this matter, I really couldn’t have done it without them. Thank you to all of my family, friends, and fans who have supported me through all of my endeavors in life, and have encouraged me. Thank you for making my life so special! I can’t wait to embark on my new adventures,” Ariel later wrote in a tweet.

4. Jennifer Aniston

Jennifer Aniston was estranged from her mother Nancy Dow for many years and amid their challenging relationship, her mother published a tell-all book titled “Mother And Daughter To Friends: A Memoir.” While the pair were able to reconcile before Nancy’s passing, Jennifer still recalls the unpleasant aspects of their relationship.

“She was critical. She was very critical of me. Because she was a model, she was gorgeous, stunning. I wasn’t. I never was. I honestly still don’t think of myself in that sort of light, which is fine. She was also very unforgiving. She would hold grudges that I just found so petty. She had a temper. I can’t tolerate that. If I get upset, I will discuss [things]. I will never scream and get hysterical like that,” she told The Hollywood Reporter.

5. Adele

Adele reportedly cut off contact with her father Mark Evans when she was a preteen, following her parent’s divorce. In a Grammys acceptance speech she even admitted that she didn’t love her father, calling her manager Jonathan the father-figure in her life. While Adele and her real father were estranged for many years, she says she finally made peace with him prior to his passing from cancer.

“I know he loved me, and we actually got our peace before he died. When he passed, I had this sort of physical reaction. That fear left my body,” Adele told Vogue.

6. Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera reportedly grew up with her grandparents and didn’t speak to her father for almost a decade. In 2009, Christina briefly allowed him back into her life, but quickly realized it was not the right choice at the time. The last she spoke of her father, she said she would be willing to reconcile — but hasn’t spoken about him since then.

“I let him back into my life briefly but I soon realized that he is not necessary in my life…I’ve talked about how rough things were for me and I’m sure he’s heard it. He can’t be thrilled about it. So maybe one day we can do lunch…Maybe it’s time,” Christina told Latina.

7. Ryan Lochte

Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte became estranged from his mother as an adult, revealing that he had to walk away from their relationship after she made very hurtful comments about his family. While he says he’s willing to forgive her, she isn’t willing to apologize, so he hasn’t spoken to her in years.

“Later on in life, when I told her that she was going to be a grandma, she said some very, very hurtful things that kind of ended our relationship…She just said some things to me and my wife. I can get over it but I just want an apology from her and she said that she’ll never apologize,” Ryan said during an interview with Graham Bensinger.

8. Kate Hudson

Kate Hudson has always been close with her mother Goldie Hawn but the same can’t be said for her relationship with her father Bill Hudson. He was not in her life growing up and, instead, she was raised by Goldie and her partner Kurt Russell. While Kate says she’s worked on forgiving her father throughout her life, he says that he has disowned her as well as her brother Oliver.

​​”I say to them now, ‘I set you free.’ I had five birth children and I now consider myself a father of three. I no longer recognize Oliver and Kate as my own. [Oliver] is dead to me now, as is Kate,” Bill once told DailyMail.

9. Anthony Hopkins

Anthony Hopkins has been estranged from his daughter Abigail for over two decades, which he says is okay with him. He shared he has no interest in reconciling the relationship between them at this point.

“You know, I did the best I could, but you know, okay, I think if somebody doesn’t want to be part of my life, fine. Go and do whatever you want. I wish her well and all that, but I don’t want to talk about my daughter. Those things are over,” he told The Telegraph.