Family Feud: 12 Celebrities Who Have Rocky Relationships With Their In-Laws
Dec. 23 2023, Published 4:30 a.m. ET
Angelina Jolie
Brad Pitt found himself in a challenging situation as his then-wife, Angelina Jolie, and his mother after the Maleficent actress spoke about her past use of "every drug possible" in an interview.
A source told Star that Jane Etta Pitt was "livid" after hearing the discussion.
"She really let Angie have it when they were on the phone together shortly after," a source told the media outlet. "Jane told Angie there was nothing to gain from rehashing her drug use, and that she has a lot more to think about than herself — she should have considered her children and family first!"
According to insiders, Jolie apologized to her mother-in-law, but the feud reportedly continued even with their other family members.
Benjamin Walker
Benjamin Walker had a smooth sailing relationship with Mamie Gummer despite their split years after their wedding. He was also close to his then-in-laws, though he felt something different when he became part of Meryl Streep and Don Gummer's family.
"It's much harder for women in this industry, so it's truly remarkable what she has accomplished," he told Metro. "The only thing more intimidating than an international film star is a mother-in-law. So we should just probably leave it at that.
Dario Franchitti
Dario Franchitti did not have any problems with his in-laws, except with Ashley Judd's sister Wynonna Judd.
It started in 2012 when Wynonna tied the knot with Cactus Moser in a private ceremony, and Ashley and Franchitti were not invited. In her interview with Us Weekly, Wynonna said her sibling was too busy with the race car driver winning the Indianapolis 500, so she probably did not knot about her wedding.
"We're getting ready to sit down with our life coach and re-evaluate what we want out of this relationship … we just don't have a lot of contact right now, if any, because we're all doing our own thing," she went on.
Dean McDermott
After Dean McDermott and Tori Spelling split, the potential reasons behind their marriage's downfall emerged — including his relationship with her mother, Candy Spelling.
In his in-depth conversation with the Daily Mail, he hinted at how Candy's cold approach toward him impacted his relationship with Tori. He told the news outlet how unfortunate it was that his ex-mother-in-law never tried to get to know him over the years.
"I haven't spent a lot of time with her, and we didn't from the beginning," he said. "It wasn't for lack of an effort on my part – she just didn't want to know and brushed off everything I tried to do."
Things reportedly did not get any better, even when they welcomed their five children.
McDermott continued, "It's your daughter. It's your flesh and blood and it's your grand babies. And for someone who is so blessed to have so much, it would be really nice for her to share with her daughter."
Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt
Both Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt likely thought their wedding was only part of their reality show, The Hills. Multiple media outlets noted the tensions between the families, which worsened when the reality TV star developed a beef with Stephanie Pratt.
She revealed on "Make Speidi Famous Again" that she and her sister-in-law were no longer on speaking terms.
"I had a lot of on-Hills drama with a family member and that was very challenging and heartbreaking," she said without mentioning Stephanie. "I felt like there were some very below-the-belt, nasty comments that weren't even true."
Jay-Z
Footage showed Solange yelling at the rapper before hitting and kicking him repeatedly. A man tried to stop her until the Crazy in Love singer stepped in.
According to a source, Solange was provoked by designer Rachel Roy earlier that night.
"Toward the end of the night, Jay said something inappropriate to Beyoncé and Solange, and she snapped," the insider revealed. "When they got in the elevator, it escalated quickly the way family tensions can. It got exceptionally heated the way family moments can. Solange is super protective of Beyoncé.”
On the other hand, they eventually released a joint statement to address the unfortunate incident and apologize for what happened.
Jenny McCarthy
Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg sparked family feud rumors before their wedding.
Multiple media outlets cited sources who claimed McCarthy's in-laws hated her and that they did not attend their ceremony.
"These two have drama," a source claimed, referring to the brothers. "Mark has gone all Hollywood and Donnie is still a regular guy. They have very little to do with each other. Jenny has been looking at opportunities to get the two families together, but so far Mark has not responded with a date."
Kanye West
Kanye West added more drama to the Kardashian-Jenner clan during his tumultuous marriage to Kim Kardashian. Amid their highs and lows, momager Kris Jenner acted to save what they had — only to get disrespected in return.
After the divorce, Jenner told the hosts of The Kyle & Jackie O Show it was always going to be a hard anytime.
"The good thing about our family is that we are there for each other and supportive and we love each other very, very much—so all I want is for those two kids to be happy," she said. "And I want the kids to be happy. That's the goal. I think we all want that for our families, just to be able to have… the love and appreciation of one another and just that everyone's okay."
Keke Palmer
After Keke Palmer requested a temporary restraining order against Darius Jackson following the revelation he was abusive toward her, her mother spoke up after he called her daughter names.
"I dare you [to] mess with my family. Family means everything to me! You and your family act like sociopaths… like the world can't see it. You are phony!" the matriarch said. "I saw you from day one. My daughter is kind and our family treated you with kindness, and this is how you treat it. I won't take this laying down anymore. I'M DONE!"
She added in the video that she approached Jackson's sibling, who is "also disrespectful to women just like his brother."
On the other hand, reports unveiled Jackson's mother Yhinyer's past restraining order filing against his father, Romel, in 2020, also citing domestic violence as the reason.
Kris Humphries
Kris Humphries had a short-lived marriage to Kim, and it did not allow him to get closer to her family.
The KKW Beauty mogul's sisters Kourtney Kardashian and Khloé Kardashian notoriously targeted Humphries as they reportedly knew things would not work out between them.
"There's a ton of times that like, you know, I've told my sister the truth," Khloé told Snoop Dogg. "Like when she wanted to marry Kris Humphries, I was like, 'He's a f------ loser. Why are you marrying this f------ dog?'"
She added, "But she didn't have to hear me, and that's OK," she added. "But the fact is I said what I had to say. And I'm not just gonna dumb myself down and act like this guy's not a f------ joke, when, for what?"
Tom Cruise
Even one of the highest-grossing actors in the world does not have the full support and love of everyone.
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes tied the knot in 2006 and divorced in 2012. After their split, sources told RadarOnline her parents, Martin and Kathleen Holmes, were relieved about it.
"Both Martin and Kathleen had very strong reservations about Katie marrying Tom, but she was an adult and they obviously couldn't stop her from following her heart," a source said. "It's been tough for them over the past five years to watch Katie be controlled by Tom and they really felt that they had lost their daughter to some extent."