These child stars were betrayed by those closest to them. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down the child stars whose parents made their lives miserable, or much worse.
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00:00 Modern family actress Arielle Winter has been living a real-life drama with her real-life
00:05 mom.
00:06 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down the child stars whose parents made their
00:11 lives miserable or much worse.
00:13 I think my mom wanted to keep me as controllable as possible.
00:20 Number 10.
00:21 Demi Lovato He was mean, but he wanted to be a good person.
00:27 Demi Lovato did not have much of a relationship with her late father, and it's an issue that
00:31 has stemmed from her difficult childhood.
00:34 Problems began when Lovato was just a baby with her mother, Diana De La Garza, fleeing
00:39 the romantic relationship when Lovato was just 18 months old.
00:49 Lovato later revealed much in a personal essay, saying that she held a lot of resentment towards
00:54 him through much of her life.
00:55 Patrick died in 2013 without a reconciliation with his daughter.
01:00 However, Lovato displayed some acts of forgiveness in recent years, penning a quote "gratitude
01:05 letter" in 2020 and naming a scholarship program in Patrick's honour.
01:19 Number 9.
01:20 Taylor Momsen Taylor Momsen is a former child actor turned
01:24 musician known for playing Cindy Lou Who in How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Jenny Humphrey
01:30 on Gossip Girl.
01:35 She was seven years old when The Grinch was released but had already been working for
01:39 years, having been signed to Ford Modelling when she was just two.
01:49 Momsen resented her parents for this decision, telling Revolver magazine quote "No two-year-old
01:54 wants to be working, but I had no choice."
01:57 She also stated quote "I didn't have a real life" and complained about being quote "in
02:02 and out of school."
02:03 As a result, she never had any real friends growing up.
02:07 However, Momsen later clarified that she loved her parents, despite the unconventional and
02:12 difficult childhood.
02:15 Number 8.
02:16 Gary Coleman Gary Coleman was a major attraction in the
02:20 late 70s and 80s, playing Arnold Jackson on the popular sitcom Different Strokes.
02:29 As a result of his success, Coleman became the highest-paid child actor on TV, but he
02:34 saw very little of this money.
02:36 The sitcom ended in 1986 when Coleman was 18 years old.
02:41 Just three years later, he took both of his parents and his financial advisor to court,
02:46 claiming that they had misappropriated his earnings.
02:57 The judge settled in defense of Coleman and awarded him $1.3 million, the modern equivalent
03:03 of $3.2 million.
03:05 Unfortunately, he lost all of his money over the course of a decade owing to medical problems
03:10 and some bad business decisions.
03:16 Number 7.
03:17 Michael Jackson When it comes to problematic parental figures,
03:25 it doesn't get more infamous than Joe Jackson.
03:28 The father of pop icon Michael Jackson and the patriarch of the Jackson dynasty was a
03:33 deeply controlling manager.
03:47 The truth about Jackson's behavior began to emerge in the late 80s and early 90s, with
03:52 Michael revealing uncomfortable truths in a 1993 interview with Oprah.
03:58 According to him, Joe was both physically and mentally abusive, often overworking his
04:03 children and whipping them with a belt as a form of punishment.
04:07 Joe admitted to whipping the children, claiming that such punishment was common at the time.
04:20 Number 6.
04:21 Shirley Temple Some child stars break through the cute novelty
04:25 to become genuine cultural figures, and Shirley Temple was undeniably one of them.
04:36 Temple began acting with educational pictures at just four years old after she was spotted
04:41 by a casting director at a dance school.
04:44 Temple described her early roles as "a cynical exploitation of childish innocence" and reported
04:50 instances of on-set mistreatment, like locking children in windowless sound booths.
05:02 Temple retired in 1949 at the age of 21.
05:05 By that time, she had earned $3.2 million, the modern equivalent of $41 million.
05:12 However, she only received $44,000, as her father George had refused to put her money
05:18 in a court-ordered trust and kept it for himself.
05:26 Number 5.
05:27 Judy Garland You may know Frances Gumbetter as Judy Garland,
05:31 the multi-talented performer who stunned on stages, behind microphones, and in front of
05:36 cameras.
05:37 Garland was so renowned as a young performer that she received the Cecil B. DeMille Award
05:42 for Lifetime Achievement at just 39.
05:58 But Garland led a very troubled and tragic life.
06:01 Her mother Ethel was very involved in her career and worked as her manager.
06:05 In Garland's own words, "Mother decided we had to be stars.
06:09 She started to drag us to any place someone important might see us."
06:13 It worked, but at what cost?
06:24 Garland faced insurmountable pressure in the industry and developed both mental health
06:28 issues and substance use disorder.
06:30 She passed away at just 47, following an overdose.
06:44 Number 4.
06:45 Aaron Carter The Backstreet Boys made their famous debut
06:49 in 1996, with Nick Carter being one of the five famous members.
06:58 The success of this band eventually helped Carter's younger brother Aaron to enter showbiz,
07:03 and he also became popular.
07:05 But according to Carter, his parents often exploited him for money.
07:13 Carter's father also allegedly coerced him into signing a check by shooting a gun near
07:18 his ear, causing Aaron to lose most of his hearing.
07:22 Carter also claims that he received only a small portion of his earnings, and when he
07:25 turned 18, he was ordered to pay millions in taxes.
07:29 Carter then suffered a very troubled and controversial adulthood before drowning at age 34.
07:41 Number 3.
07:42 Ariel Winter Ariel Winter became a household name playing
07:46 Alex Dunphy on the wickedly popular TV comedy Modern Family.
07:58 The series debuted in September 2009, when Winter was only 11 years old.
08:02 Unfortunately, her time on the show was marred by a messy family custody battle, as her sister
08:07 Chanel fought to take custody of Winter from their mother, Crisoula.
08:16 Chanel claimed that Crisoula was both mentally and physically abusive towards them.
08:20 Chanel eventually won the legal battle in the court system and was awarded guardianship
08:24 of Ariel.
08:25 The GMA obtained court documents that show a judge ordered Ariel's mother to have no
08:42 contact with her daughter's professional relationships and business contacts.
08:45 In 2022, former Nickelodeon star Jeanette McCurdy released a memoir titled "I'm Glad
08:50 My Mom Died," which should tell you all you need to know.
08:54 The book received praise from critics about its raw vulnerability and emotional power.
09:03 McCurdy was candid about the physical and emotional abuse that she suffered at the hands
09:08 of her mother, and claims that she was under constant stress, owing to her erratic behavior.
09:13 McCurdy also reveals that she was financially manipulated and that she developed disordered
09:18 eating when her mother began controlling her diet.
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09:45 1.
09:46 Macaulay Culkin Macaulay Culkin was one of the most popular
09:50 child actors in movie history and the first to cross the million-dollar salary mark.
09:55 But despite the fame and riches, Culkin's early life was not easy.
10:02 He was managed by his father Kit, who used to work on Broadway.
10:06 Culkin claims that his father was jealous of his success and that he was both physically
10:10 and mentally abusive towards him.
10:18 Culkin also took his parents to court when he was a teenager to prevent them from managing
10:22 his multi-million-dollar earnings.
10:25 His childhood experiences drove a permanent wedge between Culkin and his father, and they
10:29 have remained estranged ever since.
10:38 Did you already know about any of these distressing stories?
10:41 Let us know in the comments.
10:42 I'm sorry dad for feeling this, I can't believe I'm staying in.
10:49 Dad!
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