These celebs couldn’t keep their important family details away from the public

These celebrities couldn’t keep their family secrets away from the public

Hollywood is full of secrets and intrigue. Some of these stars have made so much money or come from Hollywood royalty which means that they have become very adept at hiding secrets or keeping little known facts from reaching the public. However, it is very hard to keep secrets forever and for some of these stars they found that some things they wish had stayed in the dark didn’t. Most of these dark secrets have to do with family and the things some stars didn’t even know themselves which makes them all the more intriguing. Keep scrolling to find out some of the hottest Hollywood secrets about your favorite celebs.

Jack Nicholson


Jack Nicholson had a pretty normal childhood alongside his sister except that what he did not know was that his parents were his grandparents and his biological mother was actually his older sister.

As he got older his family decided to keep it a secret but some sleuthing by a reporter from TIME found out the truth and revealed it to him and the world during an interview. Sadly, nobody knew who his father was.


Mariah Carey And Her Sister


Mariah Carey has a sister that the media barely hears about unless the sister decides to do a tell-all which she does on occasion. Alison has not had an easy life and has struggled with addiction and other personal things which could have been helped with financial aid or some time in a rehab facility.

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Carey will not talk publicly about the situation with her sister but Alison maintains that Carey has simply turned a blind eye towards her when she is in a position to help her. It’s impossible to know what has gone on between the two sisters but nothing good from the sound of it.

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Joaquin Phoenix


It is undeniable that Joaquin Phoenix is a phenomenal actor but his past has some dark shadows in it. He spent some of his formative years as part of a cult called The Children of God. The cult was massive at the time he was born and his parents were staunch believers in its practices.

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When he turned four, they finally realized that the cult was not the place to be raising children and they ran away from it. The past stayed with them though and all of their children suffered from various addiction issues with Joaquin’s brother River, sadly passing away from an overdose.



Kevin Spacey


Growing up Kevin Spacey and his brother Randall did not have an easy time. Their father was pretty hardcore in his beliefs and even attended meetings of an illegal group. He was known for neglecting his children during the time they were growing up.

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Kevin has unfortunately followed in his father’s footsteps according to recent allegations. He has not been in the limelight due to this and basically being shunned by Hollywood.

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Liv And Steven Tyler


Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler is quite the rock legend and that rock and roll lifestyle was a bit too much for Liv’s mother Bebe. Due to this, she opted not to tell Liv that Steven was her father until Steven himself noticed that he and Liv bore a striking resemblance to each other.

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This forced Bebe to admit the truth. Until that point, Liv had thought her dad was Todd Rundgren. Now she simply says she has two dads.

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Sofia Vergara


Modern Family star Sofia Vergara has had anything but an easy life. She grew up in Colombia with two brothers, one of which sadly passed away when he was kidnapped.

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She was only little when this occurred but her parents knew that Colombia was no longer safe for them. This is what made them leave South America for the United States. Once there her other brother fell in with the wrong crowd and developed addiction issues.

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Robert Downey Jr.


His image has undergone some major revamping but Robert Downey Jr. used to have a pretty bad addiction to multiple substances. His dad has struggled with addiction his whole life and when his son turned 8 he decided that he is now old enough to start experimenting with certain things.

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This beginning is what would lead to RDJ’s troubles with addiction but he has truly undergone a rebirth and gotten himself clean and healthy. Also, it seems like his career really took off once he put his health first.

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LaToya Jackson


One of the many members of the Jackson family, LaToya decided to tell all in an autobiography designed to shock the world. It was shocking but now some members claim that what she said wasn’t true.

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In her book, she accused her father of being physical. Her brothers and sisters said that this was not true though which has led many people to question the validity of her entire book.

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Jason Sudeikis


Going on live television to learn about family secrets just seems like a bad idea. Comedic actor, Jason Sudeikis decided to star in an episode of Who Do You Think They Are to find out more about his grandparents.

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What he ended up finding out was that his grandfather had two wives and two families at the same time. This means he has another family he didn’t even know that he can now go and meet.

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Dylan McDermott


Tragedy struck when Dylan McDermott was only 5. His mother had been dating a man named John Spoza when she was attacked and killed by someone with a gun. Dylan was asked to be the star witness in the case but could not be given any solid details.

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Fast forward 45 years and he knew that this was no accident. With the use of private investigators the case was opened, investigated, and the boyfriend at the time found guilty of the crime.

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Jackie Chan


Growing up in Communist Russia was not easy for Jackie Chan’s parents but what makes their relationship interesting is the fact that they came from such different backgrounds. Jackie’s mom, Lee Lee was involved in the criminal underworld until his dad, Charles busted her for dealing with things she shouldn’t be.

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He was something of a spy but it was love at first sight and together they left China in 1949. Jackie rarely discusses his family and it does seem like they led a pretty secret life.

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Rihanna And Her Siblings


Singer, Rihanna grew up in Barbados but when she broke out onto the pop scene with “Pon de Replay” she quickly shot to fame. As soon as she left Barbados her father began to date around which meant she now has three new brothers and sisters from three different moms.

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Her relationship with her father has been tenuous since this development but she has made a real effort to get to know her new family.

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Tobey Maguire


This former star of Spiderman in the titular role found himself with a whole bunch of new brothers and sisters after his aunt died. His father and mother were having a lot of trouble making ends meet with all of his cousins now in the mix. After a lot of thinking, his dad decided to attempt a bank robbery.

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Needless to say he did not pull it off and wound up in prison. Tobey understood why his dad did this and has continued to support him during his time in the slammer.

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Kathy Griffin


In another tell-all, Kathy Griffin decided to publicly accuse her brother of being un-kind towards her as a child and his then-wife. What her fans did not like was that she knew her brother was hurting his wife and did not approach the police about it.

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Once the book came out she did provide testimony that helped to put him in jail but some felt it was a little bit too late. It is a hard topic to tackle but she did the right thing in the end.

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Gavin Rossdale


Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani are no longer married and when they broke up, it was quite the scandal. It turns out that he had had problems being faithful to Gwen during their marriage. Over the years he had had multiple affairs with both men and women.

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When she found out she could not stay married to him which helped to throw her into the path of now beau, country star Blake Shelton.

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Richard Pryor


Funnyman Richard Pryor did not have the easiest of upbringings either. His mother worked in a house of ill repute which was where he would be born and raised. To make it even worse, his grandmother was the proprietor of the establishment.

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This upbringing would follow Pryor his whole life as he had a number of failed marriages and some very severe mental health issues which culminated in some pyro tendencies. He would eventually need to seek help for this.

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Christina Aguilera


Childhood was pretty rough for a lot of these stars and Christina Aguilera’s was no different. She and her brother were both subject to their father’s wrath. He would often fly into fits of rage where he would physically hurt them both.

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Due to this not so good father-daughter relationship, she has cut all ties with Fausto and has since done her best to work through what she went through during her childhood. She channels this into her music.

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Charlize Theron


This is quite the family saga but growing up in South Africa, Charlize Theron’s parents did not have a happy marriage. Her father had a very addictive personality. One night things took a turn for the worse and her father later passed away and Charlize and her mother were expected to continue on with their lives.

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Charlize had seen the whole thing unfold and it is something that has stayed with her forever. It is also not a topic she likes to be asked about during interviews.

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Woody Harrelson


It seems like all of the really amazing actors had rough upbringings which allow them to fully embody some troubled characters. Woody Harrelson is no different.

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His father was a paid assassin who was in charge of taking out some very influential people in the 1990s. One of these people was a federal judge and he was eventually caught for all of his hits. Harrelson always maintained ties with his dad even when he was in prison.

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Rose McGowan


Another actor born into the same Children of God cult was Rose McGowan. They were not raised in the same sect of the cult but that did not mean that the practices were any different. As Rose got older she realized that what she was witnessing was in no way normal and because of this she fled the cult and its practices.

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It was known for making women subservient to the men and treated as less than second-class citizens. She could not face that kind of life for herself and has now become quite the advocate for women’s rights.

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Cara Delevingne

The model who has graced the cover of some of the most famous magazines in the world has managed to keep her private life, well, private however it was in an interview that information about her parents was pried out of her. Cara said, “It shapes the childhood of every kid whose parent has an addiction.”

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Continuing she said, “You grow up too quickly because you’re parenting your parents. My mother’s an amazingly strong person with a huge heart, and I adore her. But it’s not something you get better from, I don’t think. I know there are people who have stopped and are fine now, but not in my circumstance. She’s still struggling.”

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Angelina Jolie And Jon Voight


Last but not least, we come to Angelina Jolie and Jon Voight. This one is a bit of a mystery as neither party has ever publicly stated what went wrong in their relationship. Once Angelina reached adulthood it seemed like the two grew apart but what the catalyst was nobody can pinpoint.

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Angelina Jolie And Jon Voight

The estrangement was made official in 2002 when she had Voight removed as one of her last names legally and that brings us to the end of all of these Hollywood family scandals.

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Gavin Rossdale


To make matters worse, the cheating scandals that swirled around Gavin Rossdale as multiple men and women stepped forward to say they had been with him were made brought to a head by the introduction of a child. It turned out that he may have fathered another child in addition to those he had with Gwen Stefani.

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Gavin Rossdale

A very public paternity suit was then filed and everyone waited with bated breath to see if it was his child. The child was indeed his.