10 Celebs Who Had a Rocky Relationship With Their Family but Found a Way to Mend the Bond

A survey of young adults found that about 17% of the participants experienced estrangement from an immediate family member. Whereas, a survey of older adults found that about 12% were estranged from their child or children. And even though family estrangement is isolating and painful and some people try to reconnect with their family, and some decide to never look back.

Bright Side discovered that some celebrities found the courage to mend their relationship with their parents and we admire their bravery.

1. Miley Cyrus

The TV show Hannah Montana brought many families together, but not the Cyrus family. On one occasion, Miley revealed that the show destroyed their family. Even though their relationship is complex, and each of them is different in their own way, they make unconditional love a priority, and that’s what brought them back together.

Miley’s family is also very supportive of her, and in one interview, her father Billy revealed that what Miley went through during those years was because she was reinventing her sound. “She’s evolving as an artist herself. I think that all of what everyone is calling controversy now, that’s still my Miley.”

2. Matthew McConaughey

Matthew’s mom, Kay McConaughey, enjoyed her son’s fame even more than he did and that’s what lead to 8 years of estrangement between them. While Matthew was trying to find his own balance between fame and a personal life, he would open up to his mother. However, Kay didn’t keep that information to herself and would share it with the media, thinking that Matthew wouldn’t find out.

McConaughey was against his mother’s betrayal, and he stopped sharing personal things with her. With time, Matthew grew confident that he’d secured the ground he wanted with his career and he patched things up with his mom. “My boat was built well enough where I didn’t feel like she could sink it.”

3. Mariah Carey

Mariah’s relationship with her family is far more than complicated. In her book, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, she refers to her brother and sister as ex, but she also mentions that despite everything, she reserved some room in her heart for her mom. But with boundaries. “Creating boundaries with the woman who gave birth to me is not easy — it is a work in progress.”

4. Selena Gomez

Even though Selena and her mother, Mandy Teefay, look like the mother-daughter duo of our dreams, they’ve had their fair share of ups and downs. Their turmoil was because Selena decided to rekindle her relationship with Justin Bieber, and her mom was against it.

This event led the mother and daughter to unfollow each other on Instagram. But their love for each other is bigger than their issues and they always find ways to mend their relationship.

5. Justin Bieber

Around the year 2014, Justin and his mom had a falling-out. He kept his distance from his mother, because, as he said on one occasion, was ashamed of himself. “I never wanted my mom to be disappointed in me and I knew she was.”

They spent some time not talking to each other, and it took them time to rebuild their trust. But Justin loves his mother and thinks that she’s an amazing woman, and thankfully their relationship is getting better.

6. Angelina Jolie

Angelina and her father Jon are working to put the past behind them after years of estrangement. After her divorce from Brad Pitt, Jolie and her children were seen having dinner with Voight, trying to rebuild their relationship.

Even though they’ve had difficulties, they found art as a common language and they’ve been able to talk. “Jon and I have gotten to know each other — through grandchildren now, we’re finding a new relationship, and it’s very, very nice,” Jolie revealed.

7. Drew Barrymore

Drew and her mother haven’t spoken with each other much since her emancipation. However, in her memoir, Wildflower, Drew wrote that she doesn’t harbor any anger toward her for their unconventional lives when they were together because she loves her life.

Even though they don’t talk, Drew still financially supports her mother. “I must know that she is taken care of or I simply cannot function. I am grateful to this woman for bringing me into this world, and it would crush me to know she was in need anywhere.”

8. Demi Lovato

Demi felt resentment toward her father Patrick. And when he passed away, she revealed that she was very conflicted. “He was mean, but he wanted to be a good person, and he wanted to have his family. When my mom married my stepdad, he would say, ‘I’m so glad he’s taking care of you and doing the job that I wish I could do.’”

Even though Demi and her father didn’t mend their relationship while he was still alive, she decided to forgive him and wrote a gratitude letter, thanking him for all the things she got from him.

9. Oliver Hudson

After Oliver’s parents’ divorce, Bill, Oliver’s father, wasn’t present in his life. In 2015, instead of wishing a Happy Father’s Day to Bill, in his Instagram post, he wrote “Happy Abandonment Day.” Bill was hurt by his son’s comment and tried to get in touch with him.

Oliver’s post helped them to rekindle their relationship and see each other after 12 long years. “We’re texting and we’re trying to see each other,” he said. “We might be mending something.”

10. Paris Hilton

Paris had rebellious years as a teen, which led her parents to send her off to boarding school to try to curb her behavior. However, the staff from the school were constantly making her feel bad and bullying her. While she was there, she lost contact with her parents as she was cut off from the outside world.

Filming her YouTube documentary was, in a way, therapeutic to her as she was finally able to open up about the trauma of her past. “It feels like my nightmare is over. And I’m going to watch the movie with my parents — I think it will be good for us, but emotional too. There are no more secrets,” revealed Paris in an interview.

Do you have a good relationship with your family? If you were in these celebrities’ shoes, would you mend your relationship with your parents?

Angelina Jolie’s relationship with her adoptive daughter Zahara is notably deep, shaped by shared experiences of pain and adversity. This bond is contrasted with her relationship with her biological daughter Shiloh, who she describes as the “outcast” of the family due to her unique features.