By Wonderwall.com Editors
8:01am PDT, Sep 15, 2022
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Talk about a parent trap! Lindsay Lohan's star was on the rise after big-screen hits like "Freaky Friday" and "Mean Girls" when she started making headlines for two of the wrong reasons: her mom and dad. In addition to reports of her own bad behavior on film sets, the former child star had to contend with nonstop drama involving her parents, Michael and Dina Lohan. From public name-calling and leaked audio tapes to drunken driving, assault accusations and multiple arrests, the Lohans were constant tabloid fodder after their bitter 2005 split. To mark Dina's 60th birthday on Sept. 15, 2022, join Wonderwall.com as we take a look at some of the celeb parents who have created the most drama for their famous offspring over the years.
Keep reading for more on Lindsay, Britney, Rihanna, Drew and more stars whose parents caused major drama…
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As Lindsay Lohan grew from freckle-faced child star to wild-child teen, mom Dina Lohan came under scrutiny for behavior including frequent late-night partying with her daughter. In October 2012, 911 was called after the duo — pictured at the New York City premiere of Lindsay's film "A Prairie Home Companion" in 2006) had a verbal altercation at their Long Island, New York, home, though no arrests were made. Dina has had several brushes with the law, including an arrest for speeding and driving under the influence in September 2013 and another in January 2020 for driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident.
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Lindsay Lohan's dad, Michael Lohan — who's run afoul of the law multiple times and been incarcerated twice — has brought serious public drama over the years. When Lindsay was going through legal troubles of her own beginning in 2009, Michael spoke to the press asking for help in saving his daughter. Lindsay replied on Twitter: "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." (In 2018 the actress gave an update on her family to talk show host Wendy Williams, saying they were "great.") Michael — pictured here in a 2009 mug shot after his arrest for allegedly violating an order of protection obtained by ex-girlfriend Erin Muller — has made headlines for plenty of other bad behavior over the years, including the revelation in 2008 of a daughter he had fathered with a massage therapist while still legally married to Dina.
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Drew Barrymore had a famously complicated relationship with mom Jaid Barrymore. After the young "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" star became addicted to cocaine at 12, her mother sent her to rehab; a year later, Drew's mom had her committed to a mental institution. At 14, Drew was granted legal emancipation. "I felt so guilty denying my mom access to me. It felt like I was cutting off the source of life… Definitely the worst pain I've ever known," Drew — pictured with her mom outside New York City's famed China Club in 1985 when she was 10 — later revealed on "The Howard Stern Show." "And I just thought, 'I have to let this go. What is this doing for either of us?'" Drew, now mom to daughters Frankie and Olive Kopelman, told the shock jock that "there is healing there. I feel goodness toward my mom."
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When it comes to Meghan Markle's drama-filled relationship with father Thomas Markle, it's hard to know where to begin! Before the Duchess of Sussex's marriage to Prince Harry, her dad was at the center of a scandal involving staged paparazzi photos in Mexico, where he lives. He ended up skipping the royal wedding. The pair's estrangement grew after she welcomed son Archie in 2019 and daughter Lilibet in 2021 without informing him of her pregnancies. Thomas has repeatedly spoken to the media about his daughter and her husband, including his 2020 remarks to The Sun likening the royal family to a "cult." Their relationship is so strained that after Meghan successfully sued a U.K. newspaper for printing a letter she wrote Thomas after he failed to show up for her 2018 nuptials, it was revealed during the appeals process in 2021 that Duchess Meghan had intentionally worded the letter with an eye toward positive P.R. because she expected it would be leaked.
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Rihanna was always close with dad Ronald Fenty — until 2019, when the singer accused her father and his business partner of misrepresenting a company they started without her knowledge, Fenty Entertainment. The lawsuit alleged that Ronald sent out a press release stating the company was created with his daughter and "used these lies in a fraudulent effort to solicit millions of dollars from unsuspecting third parties." In 2021, RiRi — seen here with Ronald at her "A Girl Like Me" album launch in Barbados in 2006 — dropped the lawsuit against her father.
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During his meteoric rise as a child actor, "Home Alone" star Macaulay Culkin was managed by his father, Kit Culkin. When Macaulay was 16, his parents — Kit and Patricia Culkin, seen here with Macaulay and his younger brother Kieran in a 1990 portrait — separated, and went to war over custody of their seven kids and Macaulay's sizable savings. "I had millions and millions of dollars in the bank, and my mother couldn't pay the rent because she was spending all of her money on lawyers," the actor told New York Magazine in 2001. Macaulay has spoken out over the years about his father's alleged physical and mental abuse. "He beat our spirits down," he told the magazine, adding that his dad "was a screamer, he was an intimidator."
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"Modern Family" star Ariel Winter has had nothing but family drama with her mother, Crystal Workman. Ariel was officially emancipated in 2020 at 17, ending a custody saga that had dragged on for years. When Ariel was just 12, her older sister Shanelle Gray became her guardian after the Department of Children and Family Services found evidence her mom had emotionally abused her. "It has been very sad for me, but at the same time, it's been much better for me emotionally and physically to be on my own and have a better, safer household and support system," she said of her emancipation on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." Crystal, who has been accused of undergoing procedures to look more like her famous daughter and looks very different from this 2012 photo in more recent shots on her Instagram account, has denied her daughters' allegations and in 2017 told "Inside Edition" of Ariel: "I think she craves the attention, and if it means throwing your mother under the bus and breaking her heart, she's going to do it."
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Aaron Carter filed for emancipation from his mother, Jane Carter, and fired her as his manager in 2003, when he was 16. The singer — seen here with Jane at the 2001 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards — accused her of removing more than $100,000 from his bank account without his permission. "I feel betrayed by own mother," he said in a statement at the time. "I worked hard for months — 10/11 hours a day, not including school and press appearances — and I come home and owe money!" Their tumultuous relationship took a surprising turn just a month later, when mother and son appeared to resolve the dispute and he chose not to pursue emancipation. But on a 2019 episode of "Marriage Boot Camp: Family Edition," Aaron was asked what he would tell his younger self and he replied: "I would tell you that you should've did it; you should have gotten emancipated."
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Jennifer Aniston's strained connection with her mother, Nancy Dow, grew into a deep rift in 1999 when Nancy published the memoir "From Mother and Daughter to Friends" and dished on her difficult relationship with the star. Jen eventually reconnected with her mom just before her death at 79 in 2016. In 2021, Jen told The Hollywood Reporter that she "grew up watching [her late mother] sit comfortably in victimhood, and I didn't like how it looked. I knew that this person was giving me an example of what I'd never want to be, and I will never ever be that. I think it's toxic, and it erodes your insides and your soul." Jen had previously opened up to the publication about how Nancy — a former model and actress — had been "very critical" of her because she couldn't live up to her mom's beauty standards when she was younger and had held "grudges" that were "so petty."
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Beyonce has long had a complicated relationship with dad Mathew Knowles, who quit his job as a medical equipment salesman to focus his energy on Destiny's Child when the group — which showcased his daughter's massive talent — evolved from the group Girls Tyme. Though he was largely responsible for landing Destiny's Child a record deal and then managing, developing and producing the singers, he developed a reputation for his no-nonsense and unforgiving style. Beyonce announced she was no longer being managed by her father in 2011, the same year her dad and mom Tina Knowles — pictured with Bey at a charity event in 2005 — finalized their divorce. Neither Beyonce nor sister Solange attended his subsequent wedding to former model Gena Charmaine Avery. Though the uber-private superstar has kept mum about the state of her relationship with her dad, he committed a major PR gaffe when he broke the news of the birth of Beyonce and husband JAY-Z's twins, son Sir and daughter Rumi, on Instagram in 2017.
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Mischa Barton's fractured relationship with her mom, Nuala Barton, landed in court in 2015. That's when the star of "The O.C." filed a lawsuit accusing Nuala accusing her of being "a greedy stage mother posing as a talent manager who, instead of acting in the best interest of her daughter/client, schemed to defraud her unsuspecting victim." Mischa — seen here with her mom at a Las Vegas party in 2012 — claimed Nuala lied about her daughter's earnings so she could pocket the difference and that she had used Mischa's name to create handbag and fashion lines without compensating her. In 2016, the actress dismissed the suit, and in 2020, she revealed she'd mended fences with Nuala, dedicating an Instagram post to her "strong, beautiful and ferocious mother," adding: "This industry isn't easy and mother/daughter relationships aren't easy! … We've walked all over this planet together mama and I'm so proud to call you my mum. I love you with all my heart and soul."
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Leighton Meester's drama with mom Constance Meester exploded in 2001 when the "Gossip Girl" star sued her mother for misuse of money. Leighton alleged that she sent her mom $7,500 per month to cover her brother Alexander's medical expenses, but that Constance instead spent the money on cosmetic procedures including plastic surgery, Botox and hair extensions. Leighton also alleged that her mother threatened to sue her if she didn't raise the monthly allowance to $10,000. Constance filed a $3 million countersuit claiming she had "sacrificed her happiness" to support her daughter's career. The judge sided with Leighton. It wasn't Constance's first time with legal troubles; in the '80s, she was convicted of helping a drug ring smuggle marijuana from Jamaica to the U.S., and she gave birth to Leighton while in a Texas halfway house.
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LeAnn Rimes was just 13 when her album "Blue" was released and went on to sell 6 million copies. Four years later, at 17, she accused her father, Wilbur Rimes, of stealing $7 million from her over five years (along with her former co-manager, Lyle Walker). The singer sued both men in 2000 and Wilbur countersued his daughter. They eventually settled the lawsuit — and before her first wedding, to Dean Sheremet, LeAnn decided to repair the broken relationship. "There's so much more life ahead of me," LeAnn — pictured attending the Hollywood Christmas Parade with her dad in 1996 — told ABC News in 2005, adding that she shared the traditional father-daughter dance with Wilbur at her nuptials. "To carry on a burden of hating someone… it's just not worth it."
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When Britney Spears was a young star on the rise, she was super close with parents Lynne Spears and Jamie Spears — pictured here at a Planet Hollywood party in Las Vegas in 2001. But they divorced in 2002 and the pop princess's relationship with them deteriorated, leading to the controversial conservatorship that Jamie oversaw from 2008 until it was legally overturned in 2021. Since then, Britney — who married Sam Asghari in 2022 without either parent present — has denounced her family and been especially critical of Lynne and Jamie, who she said "THRIVED AND LIVED WITH DRAMA" in an April 2022 Instagram post she later deleted. Keep reading for more on the major drama Britney's had with each parent…
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Britney Spears and mom Lynn Spears are a far cry from the happy twosome who hit the red carpet together at the 1999 Teen Choice Awards. Britney has routinely called out her mother in recent months, accusing her of everything from lying about her involvement in the star's 13-year conservatorship and rarely responding to her texts to hiding her beloved coffee from her and only keeping photos of Britney's sister, Jamie Lynn Spears, and Jamie Lynn's daughter Maddie on the family fridge. In a July 2022 Instagram post, she wrote of Lynne: "you abused me … yes I will say it and it blows my mind that you still play the prayer loving mom." When asked about her famous daughter in 2022, Lynne told photographers: "I just want her to be happy."
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Since the end of the 13-year conservatorship in which her father legally oversaw decisions on everything from how she spent her money to who she could marry, Britney Spears has publicly slammed Jamie Spears, who testified in 2019 that his relationship with Britney "has always been strained." At a June 2021 court hearing she called the conservatorship "abusive" and said she felt "enslaved" by Jamie during his time as her conservator. "He loved the control he had over me, 100 percent," the Grammy winner testified, adding, "I've lied and told the whole world I'm OK and I'm happy. If I said that enough, maybe I'd become happy. … I'm in shock. I'm traumatized. … I'm so angry it's insane." Britney (pictured with Jamie at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas in 2006) has also condemned Jamie for "humiliating" her by telling her she was fat and "treating me like a caged animal."
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When Corey Feldman was 14, the "Goonies" and "Stand By Me" actor learned that he'd earned about $1 million — and that there was only $40,000 left. The next year, he was granted emancipation from his parents. Once the former child star was all grown up, he alleged in his 2013 book, "Coreyography: A Memoir," that mom Sheila Feldman had been abusive, forcing him to keep his weight down with diet pills and beating him with a curtain rod. (Sheila publicly denied Corey's allegations.) "Child stars have nothing," he told ABC News in 2011. "They have no choice… I was never taught how to have a family. I was never taught how to raise a child because I wasn't raised properly. I was never taught how to care for somebody because I was never shown genuine love. I knew how to read a contract by 10 years old, but I didn't know what it meant for somebody to come in and tell me they loved me and kiss me goodnight. That's a problem."
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Bethenny Frankel and mother Bernadette Birk have traded cruel jabs in the press for years. In a 2017 interview with Life & Style, Bernadette called the "Real Housewives of New York City" star and Skinnygirl founder "a liar and a shark" and said, "She is a moron. She got very lucky, and she just knows how to surround herself with people who are intelligent." In her 2011 book "A Place of Yes," the reality star wrote that she never felt "safe" with her interior designer mom, and has previously said Bernadette was "never a mother" to her and that she "never had a true childhood." The two have long been estranged, though Bethenny reached out in 2016 after her daughter Bryn Hoppy asked about her grandmother.
