Tom Hanks' Son Chet Admits To Drinking & Drugging To Cope With Childhood Traumas
Feb. 16 2022, Published 1:51 p.m. ET
Chet Hanks seems to be on a better path.
Taking to his YouTube channel to promote his new "self-mastery program" called HanxFit, the 31-year-old often-troubled son of beloved actor Tom Hanks and actress Rita Wilson posted a lengthy video in which he got candid about "the truth about growing up as a Hanks."
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, 2021 was a tumultuous year for Chet; it was marked by an apparent fall from the sobriety wagon, an abuse lawsuit from an ex-girlfriend, and his controversial single, White Boy Summer.
But Chet looks and sounds clean and sober these days, and he's pouring all of his energy into documenting his journey toward healing.
When we spoke to the ex who sued him, Kiana Parker, back in July, she described Chet as angry and said she believed he had returned to drinking and drugging to mask childhood traumas she said he would often talk to her about.
"He's been – he's still to this day, I don't care what anyone says, I know him – he's fighting a lot of childhood demons. A lot," Parker shared with us at the time. "That's the main problem with him is his parents. It's not perfect like the world thinks. So he's dealing with that and was dealing with trying to stay sober with no drinking, but he's back doing that."
She told us that Chet began drinking again in early 2020, around the time the coronavirus pandemic began making its way across the country. When Tom and Rita found out, Kiana told us they stopped paying for his things, which she believes affected his treatment of her.
Without naming his ex, Chet did say in his straight-to-camera video that he was "a lot different" from the man who filmed White Boy Summer.
"I've come a long way," he claimed.
He said repeatedly he felt "blessed" and "grateful" to have the parents he has but admitted that being the son of such an adored man is a "double-edged sword." According to Chet, no drug on Earth is more powerful than fame. And to make his situation more "complicated," he wasn't even the one who was famous.
With that came expectations from everyone around him – family, friends and the public. People automatically assumed he was an "arrogant," "entitled," "spoiled brat."
He explained how those "preconceived notions" resulted in bullying and therefore a lack of trust on his part in basically everyone around him. And all of that, said Chet, created a lot of "contempt," "disdain" and "animosity."
Chet said what he really felt inside was "shame" for how "privileged" and "sheltered" he grew up, embarrassment over how "unprepared" he felt to "deal with real life," and insecurity about his self-worth.
But he chose to conceal the truth with a "hard exterior" rooted in "anger" and "hostility." He built his wall high so that he didn't have to be honest with himself or others.
And then came the self-destruction. Chet said he went in the complete opposite direction of how he grew up out of numerous resentments he just wasn't equipped to manage.
However, he says he's done a lot of work to unmask the anger and process everything underneath.
Though uncharacteristically "vulnerable" in the video, Chet was still Chet.
He said he always felt he had the "it factor;" he was handsome, talented, popular and "good with girls." He feels jealously was also a huge factor in his negative experiences growing up and wishes he had had "a strong male role model" to tell him that his haters were likely just envious.