16 Moms Trying To Piggy Back Off Of Their Famous Children
Even though it can sometimes seem like celebrities just appear out of nowhere and start walking the red carpet and living the life of luxury, that's not the case. Every celebrity out there is a regular person who came from some kind of family - some from wealthy families who were already established in show business, and some from middle-class or lower-class families in small towns across America. The point is, they all come from somewhere.
While many celebrities have admitted that they get asked for money and things like that by relatives once they reach fame, there's just something different about your own parents, the ones who raised you and nurtured you, taking advantage of your new fame. Many celebrities admit that their parents are actually the ones who keep them grounded, who refuse to accept much from them and just want them to live a normal life. Then, there are the celebrity moms who make this list. You can call them stage moms, you can call them mom-zillas, whatever you want - the fact is, these moms decided that they worked hard all those years raising their children, so they deserve a slice of the pie now that they're famous. Whether they just want cold hard cash or they want a slice of fame for themselves, they're shameless about using their celebrity offspring.
Here are 16 moms who are trying to piggyback off of their famous children.
16 Crystal Workman (Ariel Winter's mom), who prompted Ariel to get a different kind of Modern Family
Child stars are a tricky thing. On the one hand, they need their parents or relatives or someone to look after them, since they're just children. On the other hand, they begin earning far more than their parents ever have, and the dynamic becomes a little switched. However, whatever the dynamic is, one thing is for sure - child stars are in the spotlight, which means that any family drama or scandals will often find its way to the tabloids, which is exactly what happened here. Ariel Winter had a thriving career as a cast member on a hugely successful sitcom, but her real life family wasn't quite as idyllic as the Dunphys. In fact, she claimed her mother was abusing her, and ended up filing for emancipation when she was a teenager in order to control her career and life.
15 Dina Lohan (Lindsay Lohan's mom), who was partying right alongside her troubled daughter
You would think that, if your child star daughter begins to go off the rails a bit and seems like she needs a break from the whole Hollywood scene, you'd pack her up and take her on a quiet family vacation, or just somewhere away from that environment, right? Well, that's not exactly Dina Lohan's strategy. When her daughter Lindsay's fame was increasing, she didn't remove her teenage starlet daughter from the environment that was leading her to make bad decisions - she was sitting right beside her, keeping the drinks flowing and hitting the club right along with her. We have to imagine that Dina just wanted her own slice of fame and attention from the paparazzi, because there's no way she actually believed she was acting in her daughter's best interest.
14 Constance Meester (Leighton Meester's mom), who was treating her daughter like a bank
Thanks to her classically gorgeous looks and the fact that she spent the majority of her career playing an Upper East Side princess, it can be easy to assume that Leighton Meester was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. However, that couldn't be further from the truth. She was actually born when her mother was still in prison, and their relationship has definitely had its ups and downs. While her mom Constance didn't want fame and attention, she did want Leighton's Hollywood paychecks. Leighton sent her money to use for helping with her brother's medical bills - thousands a month - before eventually discovering that her mother wasn't using the funds for her brother at all, but rather for personal things such as cosmetic surgery procedures. She sued her mom, the judge ruled in her favour, and they got the messy situation somewhat sorted out - but that kind of thing definitely breaks your trust.
13 Kris Jenner, the ultimate momager, who birthed an empire
At this point, Kris Jenner is just as big a star as all her daughters - she gets coverage when she does something as minor as changing her hair colour, and the world is as obsessed with her as with her daughters. However, she didn't get to the top on her own - she got there by transforming her children into a reality television empire that helped her get to the top. On the one hand, we've got to hand it to her - as far as momagers go, she's managed to ensure the success of every one of her daughters, despite the fact that they may not be as talented as other starlets struggling to succeed. There's no doubt, though, that she piggybacked off their success in order to ensure her own - hey, with that many kids, you have to make sure you can afford to put food on the table!
12 Nuala Quinn-Barton (Mischa Barton's mom), whose mom skimmed some of her daughter's earnings
While Mischa Barton became known around the world when she was a bit older, thanks to her starring role as Marissa Cooper on The O.C., she got her start in Hollywood at a much younger age. Her mom helped her along the way - and apparently took a fair chunk of those earnings for her own use while she was managing her child star daughter. Barton later sued her mother for the money that was stolen from her. It just goes to prove what a vulnerable situation many child stars are - all Barton's mom allegedly did was tell a young Mischa that her salary was less than it actually was for every film, and just slip the rest of the earnings into her own pocket. Yikes. We don't know how you rebuild trust after a situation like that.
11 Teri Shields (Brooke Shields' mom), who had her daughter doing very intimate scenes at a young age
The problem with child stars who have stage moms is that a situation arises where there's really no one to speak up in their children's best interest. That's pretty much exactly what happened with Brooke Shields and her mom, Teri. Shields got her start in the industry at a very young age, and took on some roles that were a bit risque for her age - with Teri right there by her side. Teri also talked unapologetically about her daughter's body and things like her period, doing whatever she could to ensure her daughter was in the spotlight, getting movie offers, and clawing her way to the top of the industry. There's a reason that stage moms often get the side eye, and it's exactly because of these kinds of situations. Brooke has spoken out over the years since about the complexity of their relationship.
10 Pattie Mallette (Justin Bieber's mom), who went from teen mom to mom of a teen pop sensation
There seems to be a fair amount of stars who were born to quite young parents, and there's a reason for that - when you're a teen parent trying to make ends meet, why not try anything possible to put food on the table, including putting your child forth for commercials and auditions? Pattie Mallette didn't thrust her son into the spotlight, but when his talent was noticed by a scout at a very young age, she was more than happy to let him thrive in the entertainment industry - and tag along now that the family fortune was secured. She hasn't really tried to get her own record deal, but she's probably living a lot larger than when she was a single mom back in Canada trying to make ends meet.
9 Mama June (Honey Boo Boo's mom), who wouldn't have been reality television famous without her daughter
While this whole family has become somewhat famous now thanks to their spin-off reality television show, Here's Honey Boo Boo, there's no doubt that the most famous member is the young pageant queen. Mama June helped primp and prep her daughter for the pageant stage, and her efforts paid off - they got their own television show and became reality television stars. Now, Mama June is living large, getting appearances on television shows to talk about her daughters and her life, and even managed to shed over 100 pounds thanks to weight loss surgery that she likely wouldn't have been able to afford back in the day. In this day and age, with reality television shows and social media and all that, your life can seemingly change in a short amount of time - and Mama June's definitely did.
8 Tish Cyrus (Miley Cyrus' mom), who wanted every family member to be famous
You would think that, given her husband was a successful country star who knew the ins and outs of celebrity, Trish Cyrus would want to keep her children as far away from that world as possible. However, that's not exactly what happened - when she was still a tween, Miley became an international superstar thanks to her role playing Hannah Montana on the Disney channel's hit show. And, when Miley began to unravel a bit once she hit her teenage years, Trish didn't pull her away from that world - instead, she did things like smoke illegal substances right alongside her wild child daughter. It just goes to prove that sometimes a momager doesn't cut it - you need a real manager who will take you away from that world for a break when you seem to be self-destructing.
7 Jaid Barrymore (Drew Barrymore's mom), who let her daughter live an out of control lifestyle
As far as child stars go, Drew Barrymore definitely has one of the craziest stories. She grew up in a Hollywood family, and got her start when she was still a kid, getting film roles and raking in the dough. Rather than protecting her childhood and making sure her acting didn't affect her life, her mom Jaid was living the party girl lifestyle and bringing Drew along with her - which is exactly how Drew ended up abusing illegal substances and going to rehab twice, all before she even hit her adult years. From posing for Playboy shortly after her daughter did to auctioning off Drew's baby clothing to literally saying that "I was going to be the star, not her!" it's clear that Jaid had a lot of issues - no wonder Drew decided to get emancipated when she was just 15.
6 Mandy Teefey (Selena Gomez' mom), who thrust her daughter into acting to help pay the bills
Mandy Teefey was another teenage mom who was trying to do anything to make ends meet and to provide for her family - and that included taking her daughter to auditions and hoping she could bring in some cash for groceries as well. And, it worked - Selena Gomez had something about her that the entertainment industry loved, and soon she was a superstar, with mom Mandy managing her career along the way. Teefey apparently wanted to be an actress as well, and has been using her daughter as a bit of a way to make herself noticed in the industry. Selena eventually fired her as her manager and sought actual, trained representation, but the two still seem to be somewhat close. It just goes to show how tough being a teen parent is.
5 Kate Gosselin (the Gosselin squad's mom), whose children are the sole reason she snagged a reality tv show
This one is a bit of a different situation. Unlike many of the moms on this list, Kate Gosselin didn't actually piggyback off her famous children in the sense that she benefited because they became famous. However, without her larger than life family, she never would have convinced the network to give her a reality television show, which made her a star. The children all appeared on the show as well, but it was Kate who did the media rounds to promote things and tried to keep herself in the spotlight as much as possible. I mean, the woman's insane haircut alone garnered pages and pages of coverage! We can't help but wonder how those children feel, knowing that their childhoods were basically used as bait to get a reality television show.
4 Tina Knowles (Beyonce's mom), who lived out her dream as a clothing designer for years
Tina Knowles is all about fashion and beauty, and she got her start as a beautician and salon owner in Houston. Then, her daughter became a part of a girl group, Destiny's Child, and the rest is history. Since the group didn't have a ton of money to spend on outfits, but still wanted to project a certain image, Knowles stepped forward and began designing all the costumes. Some of them are a bit cringeworthy to look back on today, but hey - they were memorable, that's for sure. Destiny's Child became known as much for their coordinating outfits as for their chart-topping hits, and Knowles practiced her designing skills. She later went on to work on some fashion lines alongside Beyonce and continues to dabble in that world today.
3 Colette Momsen (Taylor Momsen's mom), who takes full credit for raising her troubled daughter
When you see Taylor Momsen and Colette Momsen together, you might assume at first that they're sisters - Colette looks like a cool older sister, but in actuality, she's Taylor's mom. And, while you might assume that she'd be horrified by Taylor's attention-seeking antics, it seems she's totally fine with them. From the skimpy outfits Taylor wears onstage to the sometimes shocking things she says in interviews, her new brand is all about shock value - and Colette just proudly proclaims in her Twitter bio that "I'm Taylor Momsen's Mom. Yes, I gave birth to that actress/musician. Being a parent is hard… and my daughter is a perfect example of that." Uh… okay. We're not sure if she's trying to throw shade at her daughter or piggyback off her fame by name dropping her at every opportunity - or maybe both.
2 Krista Keller (Courtney Stodden's mom), who had no issue letting her teen daughter get married to a much older celeb
The name Courtney Stodden may not ring a bell immediately, but if we tell you a bit more about why she's famous, it probably will. Stodden is the teen who became famous around the world for marrying an actor, Doug Hutchinson. Why on earth did the world care that she got married to a celebrity? Well, because she was just 16 at the time, and he was in his 50s. Instead of discouraging her daughter from making the choice she did, or even just telling Doug to wait two years until Courtney was eighteen to actually tie the knot, her mom Krista signed over her parental consent immediately and walked Courtney right down the aisle. There's a whole lot of drama going on in that family, and we have a feeling there will be more in the years to come.
1 Patti Wilkinson (Kendra Wilkinson Baskett's mom), who wanted her daughter to stay in the Playboy world
Kendra Wilkinson Baskett is living an entirely different life now than when she first shot to stardom as someone living in the Playboy Mansion and starring on The Girls Next Door. However, it seems that her mother preferred when she was getting her first taste of fame - she often partied alongside Kendra at events, encouraged her to stay at the mansion as long as possible, and generally just encouraged the whole lifestyle that may have not been the best fit for her daughter in the long run. Kendra has spilled some of the family drama in her various tell-all books, but she hasn't quite given up the whole story - and given that Patti has threatened before to write her own tell-all, we have a feeling this isn't the end of this particular family drama.
