Celeb Kids Who Seriously Disgraced Their Parents

Being the child of a celebrity sounds amazing from an outsider's perspective. They get to live in the lap of luxury, travel the world, and pal around with Mom and Dad's famous friends. Where's the downside, right?

In reality, the pressures and temptations of fame sometimes take a harder toll on the children of celebrities than the actual celebrities themselves, and those pressures and temptations can result in seriously bad decision-making — especially from these famous black sheep. For example, did you know that Michael Douglas' son Cameron's life imitated his dad's art when he became a meth dealer — remember "Traffic"? And it actually gets worse from there. 

From airing the family's dirty laundry in the tabloids to getting busted with drugs to committing crimes as serious as murder, the offspring of the stars have found every possible way to become a living nightmare for their parents' press agents. 

This one is a biggie, and not just because "The Matrix" star Laurence Fishburne is such a huge celebrity, but because his daughter, Montana Fishburne's, rebellion wasn't the usual rich kid Hollywood Boulevard DUI. In 2010, she did a straight-up adult video in an apparent attempt — in her own words — to jumpstart her career à la Kim Kardashian.

But it didn't exactly work out. According to Fox News, a regretful Montana cautioned other women against the adult film industry, saying she didn't get the money she was offered or the fame that she was after. "I don't encourage people to go into the porn industry," she said. "You may end up having a really sucky life." 

Laurence's friends even tried unsuccessfully to block the release of the video, hiring a lawyer to offer distributor Vivid Entertainment $1 million for all the copies, but the videos had already been "shipped out," according to TMZ. As if that wasn't enough of public a slap in the face, Montana doubled-down that year by allegedly assaulting her boyfriend's ex, all of which reportedly resulted in Laurence shunning her from his life. In 2017, Montana not only got busted for DUI but also reportedly urinated right in front of the cop during her arrest — which was all caught on dashcam. Something tells us Laurence didn't love that, either.

In 2015, Kate Hudson's lesser known brother, Oliver Hudson, posted a since-deleted photo of himself, Kate, and their biological father, Bill Hudson, to Instagram. It was Father's Day, and Oliver chose the caption "Happy abandonment day ... " That did not go over well. Bill responded with the subtle, "Oliver's Instagram post was a malicious, vicious, premeditated attack. He is dead to me now. As is Kate. I am mourning their loss even though they are still walking this earth."

It sounds dramatic, but Oliver's post had reignited the long-time feud that kept Bill from speaking to his children for years. That rift is well documented. Bill allegedly declined his custodial rights to the siblings when Kate was 13, focusing on his new family. According to Bill, Kate and Oliver never forgave him for that.

Despite Bill's harsh condemnation of the admittedly shady Instagram post, Oliver claimed on "Watch What Happens Live" (via the Daily Mail) that the incident "was a good thing" because it "started a dialogue" between he and his dad after 12 years of silence. We're not sure how that worked, but we doubt family therapists will be suggesting a highly public insult fest as a good method of conflict resolution anytime soon.

Lots of celebrity kids fall into the party lifestyle. There are countless stories of DUIs and drug possession charges, but occasionally, that party turns dark. Such was the case when legendary singer Rod Stewart's son, Sean Stewart, allegedly committed a drunken assault on a man who confronted him about spitting on his car window. After punching the man several times, Sean allegedly "kicked him until he was unconscious," according to The Telegraph. Sean was sentenced to three months in jail for the vicious attack, but it wouldn't be the last time his anger would embarrass the family.

In 2007, just one week before Rod was set to marry model Penny Lancaster, Sean found himself on the receiving end of more assault charges when he allegedly "threw punches, bricks, rocks and a mailbox at [attendees] when he was denied entry to a private party," according to the Daily Mail. Not surprisingly, Sean did not attend his dad's wedding, although he claimed, "I really wish I could go, but I have to work." Sure, okay.

Rod has reportedly been very patient with his boy, claiming that "Sean is on medication, but he's the sort of kid who couldn't sit still. He has attention deficit disorder." Sean's apparently sober now and moving forward with his life, so let's just hope for the sake of innocent mailboxes and random partiers, that he can stick with it.

Michael Douglas admits that some of his son Cameron's faults are a direct result of his failures as a father. That probably made it that much more difficult for Michael to watch his son go to federal prison. Even though drug addiction is common, nobody expects their kid to get caught up in dealing quantities of meth so large that they're locked up for years. That's what Cameron pleaded guilty to in 2010, earning him a five-year sentence. He got additional time tacked on for smuggling drugs into prison. 

In another stroke of bad luck, Michael was just starting treatments for throat cancer as Cameron's sentence began, and yet, the actor found a way to make a positive out of his son's situation. During his 2013 Emmy acceptance speech (via Page Six), Michael chose to bring attention to what he now views as a flawed justice system. "At first I was certainly disappointed with my son, but I've reached a point now where I'm disappointed with the system," he said. "...If you happen to have a slip, they punish you. In my son's case, he has spent almost two years in solitary confinement."

Fortunately, as of this writing, Cameron is out of prison, has seemingly remained sober, and has a family of his own now.

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson have two sons, but only one of them is a rapper who goes by the name Chet Haze (aka Chet Hanx). In reality, he's Chester Marlon Hanks, son of one of the most recognizable celebrities in the world, and yet, that hasn't stopped him from doing the following: threatening Howard Stern with physical violence; dropping n-bombs repeatedly on Instagram; getting his parents sued for a car accident he allegedly caused; and getting addicted to cocaine and going to rehab. According to Chet, that last one was the reason for all of the other stuff, which he revealed in a series of Instagram videos after completing his stint in treatment.

In pure Tom Hanks fashion, he approached his black-sheep son with the same gregarious nature with which he's built his entire career. He told Entertainment Tonight, "As a parent, you love your kids unconditionally. You support them every step of the way. You got to applaud the bravery and honesty when it actually comes out of your own house." That's a whole lot better than what our parents would have done, which probably would have included military school.

The good news? As of this writing, Chet has been on the straight-and-narrow. He's sober and following in his parents' footsteps pursuing an acting career. 

Rosie O'Donnell's daughter, Chelsea, has thrown so much shade at her mom in the press that it would make Donald Trump's hair spin. During an interview with the Daily Mail, Chelsea claimed Rosie smokes weed constantly, gorges on junk food, and is inattentive to her kids. Chelsea also claimed that she was "pretty much raised by nannies." And that's not all. 

Chelsea said she was heartbroken after being shipped off to two boarding schools, which resulted in four years of estrangement from her mother. After Chelsea finally returned to Rosie's home at 17, they couldn't last a year living together before, according to Chelsea, Rosie kicked her out of the house. Rosie claimed Chelsea went missing and even involved the police, but Chelsea tells a different story. "[Rosie] had two of my bags packed with clothes. Literally 10 minutes after the police had dropped me off at the house, I got in a car and went to a friend's house." Yeesh.

It's a lot, we know, and at the heart of everything is Chelsea's alleged mental health issues. She hasn't denied struggling with depression and anxiety, but she felt it was unfair that her mother made her issues public. As for Rosie's take on the entire ordeal? "My teenagers are a nightmare, they're horrible," she once quipped to a crowd (per People). Yep, that's helpful. Way to open the door to healing, Rosie.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani made a name for himself as a tough-as-nails prosecutor who famously targeted the Mob's money in an attempt to take down the five major Mafia families who controlled criminal activity in the city. His reputation for law and order ushered him into the mayor's seat, where his controversial and hardline approach to policing more minor crimes did result in lower crime rates across the city. With that framework in mind, imagine how he felt when his 20-year-old daughter, Caroline, was arrested for shoplifting about $100 worth of cosmetics from Sephora. 

For her crime, Caroline received the penalty of one day of community service. According to the Daily News, she allegedly had to "mop floors and clean toilets at the Sanitation Department's Manhattan District 3 garage at Pier 36 on the Hudson River." Rudy, who is rarely at a loss for words no matter what the subject, declined to comment on his daughter's offense, which is perhaps the loudest statement of embarrassment he could have made.

Though he's since become a successful entrepreneur, Marcus Jordan, the son of basketball legend Michael Jordan, hit a rough patch starting in the late 2000s. First, the son of His Airness allegedly cost his college, the University of Central Florida, a contract with Adidas when he refused to wear anything but Nike Air Jordans while playing on the school's basketball team in 2009.

Okay, so maybe that wasn't exactly disgraceful to the family, since he was attempting to honor his dad in spite of the impact that had on his teammates, but there's really no arguing that the family probably wasn't thrilled a few months later when Marcus was arrested in Omaha, Neb. and charged with "resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and obstructing" after allegedly getting into a drunken argument with two women outside of a hotel, (per TMZ). 

And, although it's small potatoes in comparison to some messes that celeb kids have found themselves in, Marcus gained some controversy when he began dating Larsa Pippen, the ex-wife of Michael Jordan's longtime teammate, Scottie Pippen. While Larsa claimed that Michael Jordan was supportive of the relationship, Michael Jordan himself seems to contradict her statements.

David Hasselhoff caused the first huge embarrassment for his family in 2007 when a video of him shirtless and drunkenly eating a burger on the bathroom floor was leaked online. Reflecting on the viral gaffe years later, his daughter, Hayley Hasselhoff (above right), told the Mirror that they never found out who released that footage. "Unfortunately because our life is so public it was put out there. It was never supposed to be shown to anyone but our family."

Hayley made her own headlines in 2017 when she climbed behind the wheel of her Mercedes-Benz and subsequently fell asleep while driving on the 101 freeway in Los Angeles. According to TMZ, police found her "passed out in the driver's seat with her foot on the brake." After failing a sobriety test, she was arrested for DUI. As for any statement from the Hasselhoff's regarding Hayley's 2017 charge? Crickets.

You'd think you'd have to go a long way to disgrace Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, but his son, Marston Hefner, found a way to do just that by allegedly assaulting his then-girlfriend, Playmate Claire Sinclair. TMZ reported that Marston allegedly "punched" Sinclair and "kicked her in the stomach" during an argument. Police were called, and Marston was booked on misdemeanor domestic violence.

Claire got a restraining order, and told TMZ (via HuffPost) that she would drop the charges "if [Marston] keeps his word to give a public apology for physically abusing me on several occasions, and seeks psychiatric help for his anger issues." The state of California went ahead and prosecuted Marston, who pleaded no contest and was "sentenced to a 52-week domestic violence program," according to TMZ.  

Compounding this whole ugly scenario was the curiously tone-deaf statement released by Hugh shortly after the alleged assault occurred. "If they care about each other, they'll patch it up," he said, according to the Los Angeles Times. 

Marlon Brando's wild child and eldest of nine known children, Christian Brando, easily takes the cake in the disgrace department. On May 16, 1990, Christian shot and killed his sister Cheyenne's boyfriend, Dag Drollet, in Marlon's Hollywood Hills mansion. Christian was allegedly defending his sister, who reportedly called him for help, claiming Drollet hit her. The details are murky, but a struggle supposedly ensued and Christian allegedly accidentally shot Drollet. However, according to the Daily Mail, Drollet "was shot in the back of the head, while holding a packet of cigarettes and a TV remote." That's an unusual fighting stance, huh?

Marlon pulled out all the stops for Christian's defense. According to Entertainment Weekly, Marlon "hired private investigators, ballistics and pathology experts, and at least nine lawyers." Marlon even took the stand, blaming himself for his son's actions. This hail Mary attempt to save Christian yielded a guilty plea to a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, for which Christian served only 10 years in prison. 

The whole spectacle dragged Marlon — already disgraced from Hollywood and self-exiled to his Polynesian island — back into a spotlight from which he'd willfully retreated. Ultimately, Christian Brando died in January 2008 at age 49.

Nicolas Cage is known for his eccentricities, both on- and off-screen. In his personal life, he's been through some wild antics (like the time Dog the Bounty Hunter bailed him out of jail), but his eldest son, Weston Cage, is giving him a run for his money. Weston has performed in a black metal band, has been married three times to date, and has had multiple run-ins with the law. In 2011, for example, both he and his then-wife Nikki Williams were arrested on felony domestic violence charges, per TMZ. Then, in 2017, he was charged with DUI and two counts of hit and run after hitting a car, fleeing the scene, and dodging cops until he smashed into a tree, per TMZ. There was also the bizarre time in 2011 when he got into a violent confrontation with his former high school wrestling coach, Kevin Villegas. Villegas told TMZ that Nicolas Cage had hired him to find Weston and when he did, the actor's son tried to assault him. Villegas then pinned him down and punched him in the head over a dozen times — right in the middle of a Hollywood street.

While Nicolas Cage has remained supportive of his son (even giving him a $7,300 monthly allowance), Weston appeared to trash talk his dad in a 2014 interview with Noisey. "People have this preconceived notion that I grew up with a life of many privileges, but they don't know how dark it can be in a house like that," he mused.

Ryan O'Neal's kids haven't always had it easy. Of his four children, Tatum, Redmond, and Griffin O'Neal have all struggled with addiction and repeated run-ins with the law. However, it's Griffin who received the harshest criticism from his late father. In fact, the pair cut all ties following a violent altercation at Ryan's home in 2007. As People reported, Ryan was arrested for allegedly assaulting his son. While O'Neal's manager, Neil Hassman, said he was simply defending himself from Griffin, the actor's eldest son disputed those claims and waged a war of words. In 2009, he told CNN's Larry King that his dad had tried to shoot him in the face and had stabbed him with a fireplace poker before hitting his then-wife in the face. "I've had to let go of him as being my dad, not that he was ever really a dad," he slammed.

Not that Griffin was an angel. In 1986, he was indicted on six criminal counts, including boat manslaughter, after Francis Ford Coppola's son, Gian-Carlo Coppola, died in a freak accident on a boat he was driving. He was eventually convicted of negligence and was sentenced to 18 months probation. Since then, he's been convicted of DUI in both 2007 and 2011 and been arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic violence in 2011. When Ryan died in 2023, their feud was still going strong, as Griffin claimed he wasn't invited to his dad's funeral.

Hulk Hogan's son, Nick Hogan, pursued a career as a race car driver in his teenage years, but that passion for speed proved deadly. In 2007, he was street racing in Clearwater, Florida with his friend, John Graziano, in the passenger seat when he lost control of the car. He smashed into a tree, and while he walked away unscathed, Graziano suffered severe (lifelong) brain damage, per The Ledger. The reality TV star was sent to prison for five months for reckless driving while Graziano spent two years in the hospital. He wasn't discharged until 2009, and the following year, Hulk Hogan stepped up for his son, privately settling a lawsuit with Graziano's family. That year, Nick told "GMA" he thinks about the accident and prays for his friend constantly. "It's hard to move on every day and be positive when there's something that's so horribly devastating," he said. "There's days when I can't even get out of bed." However, according to Graziano's family, Hulk's son was lying. "Nick has done nothing to show remorse," they claimed. "We haven't heard a word from him."

As if proving their point, Nick (shockingly) didn't learn from his mistakes. In 2023, he was arrested for DUI in Clearwater. Graziano's mother slammed his actions, telling TMZ it shows a "total lack of respect for what you did to another person's life and you're still driving reckless." To add literal insult to injury, a copy of the jailhouse phone calls between Nick and his father were released (via CNN), and they both seemed to deflect responsibility away from Nick.

Like mother, like son? NeNe Leakes has a lengthy criminal past, and it seems Bryson Bryant is following in her footsteps, as the reality star's eldest son has built up quite a rap sheet over the past decade. He first made headlines in 2010 while visiting a friend in prison. Officers arrested him on an outstanding warrant over a traffic violation and found weed in his pocket. An official told the Daily News, "He was charged with possession of less than an ounce of marijuana." Leakes appeared to make light of the situation, saying in a statement, "My son is not the first young adult to experiment with marijuana, and he certainly won't be the last."

Well, she hasn't had much to say about his subsequent arrests. In 2011, Bryant was charged with shoplifting, plus a parole violation. Then, in 2013, he was charged with DUI and found guilty of reckless driving on two separate occasions, per Radar. The drama continued in 2014 when he broke the terms of his probation, resulting in a three-month jail sentence and court-ordered rehab. In 2015, he was arrested again, this time as part of a group allegedly forging Taco Bell payroll checks (per OK!). Most recently, Bryant was thrown into Gwinnett County Jail in 2023 on a long list of charges, including violating his probation, possessing Fentanyl, and giving police a fake name (his younger brother's), per People. Weeks later, he was still behind bars on a $6,100 bond, per People.

Warren Buffett may be a billionaire, but he sure doesn't act like one. He still lives in the five-bedroom home he purchased in Omaha, Nebraska in 1958, drives a 2014 Cadillac XTS, and has vowed to donate over 99% of his fortune to charitable causes. Indeed, his three children — Howard, Susie Buffett, and Peter Buffett — won't be cashing in on an inheritance after his death. As the businessman famously told Fortune in 1986, he was only willing to give them "enough money so that they would feel they could do anything, but not so much that they could do nothing." As for his grandchildren, they were promised even less: a college education.

Warren kept true to his word, but as Nicole Buffett (Peter's adopted daughter) learned the hard way, the businessman has no qualms about taking everything away. While he reportedly spent six figures on her tuition, their previously close relationship came to an abrupt end after Nicole appeared in the 2006 documentary "The One Percent." While she said she was grateful to have her schooling paid for, she also appeared to criticize Warren, saying, per Marie Claire, "Money is the spoke in my grandfather's wheel of life." She tried to justify her choice of words but it was too late. As she told the mag, he sent her a letter disowning her in which he proclaimed, "I have not emotionally or legally adopted you as a grandchild." And he meant it — they haven't talked since.

Jackie Chan is beloved in China, and in 2009, he was named an anti-drug ambassador by Chinese authorities ... which made his son's 2014 arrest on drug charges all the more embarrassing. Jaycee Chan, Taiwanese actor Kai Ko, and two others were arrested in Jaycee's Beijing apartment after Jaycee and Ko tested positive for marijuana (which they admitted smoking). Police also seized about 3.5 ounces of weed and, according to the CBC, accused Ko of consuming drugs, the two anonymous individuals of selling drugs, and Chan of giving people a place to use said drugs. Jaycee was formally arrested and charged that September and faced three years behind bars, per the CBC. Ultimately, he spent six months in jail, per The Telegraph.

As for Jackie, he addressed the controversy on his website. "I was absolutely enraged," he wrote in the since-deleted post, per TMZ. "As a public figure, I feel very ashamed; As his dad, I'm very sad and disappointed." He then encouraged others to learn from his son's mistakes while telling Jaycee he would help him move forward. He also took some of the blame for the incident, writing, "I didn't teach him well."

Nicole Richie is owning her past. In a 2016 essay for Lena Dunham's "Lenny" newsletter, she told fans, per People, "I am not going to apologize for being me so you can get your triumphant ending." Even so, the House of Harlow designer and loving mama of two has come a long way from her headline-making youth. Back then, she was known as a wild child and indeed, in 2003, she was arrested for the first time. Nicole was charged with driving with a suspended license (a misdemeanor) and heroin possession (a felony) after cops pulled her over on an L.A. highway, per EW. She pleaded guilty to both charges, was sentenced to probation, and ordered to enter rehab.

In 2006, it happened again. This time, she was stopped by officers after driving the wrong way on another L.A. highway. She was arrested and charged with DUI and admitted to taking Vicodin and smoking marijuana, per Reuters. She pleaded guilty and served 82 minutes in jail.

There was little that dad Lionel Richie could do but look on in fear. "That's a fairly cataclysmic thing for any father to have to watch his beautiful, young daughter go through," he told Piers Morgan in 2015, per the Daily Mail. So when she reached out to him for help, he jumped at the chance. Lionel immediately canceled his tour and told Nicole, "Me and your mother are checking into rehab with you."

Prince Harry hasn't just strained his relationship with his family, he's annihilated it. Since leaving Buckingham Palace behind, he and Megahn Markle haven't shied away from criticizing the royals, ripping Prince Harry's bond with his brother and father to shreds. First, there was the infamous Oprah interview. Among the numerous revelations, Harry alleged that his father was the bad guy, as he had stopped talking to his son. Then, in the "Harry & Meghan" Netflix doc, he accused King Charles' team of leaking info about his departure from royal life to the press. As he told viewers, he was ready to move on — for good. "I've had to make peace with the fact that we're probably never gonna get genuine accountability or a genuine apology," he said, per Us Weekly. "My wife and I, we're moving on."

To top things off, Harry released his headline-making memoir, "Spare," in which he again went after his father, as well as Prince William, Kate Middleton, and Queen Camilla. According to insiders, it was Prince Harry's attacks on Queen Camilla (whom he referred to as "wicked stepmother") that pushed Charles over the edge. Sources told the Mirror that it was the reason Harry and Meghan were kicked out of Frogmore Cottage, which Queen Elizabeth had given them. "It was the last straw," said the source. "Harry was well aware how Camilla would be a red line for his father and he crossed with flagrant disregard anyway."

Charlie Sheen is no stranger to controversy. In addition to his decades-long battle with addiction, the actor's legal troubles have been well-documented, starting back in the mid-1990s. His first arrest came in 1996 for allegedly assaulting an unnamed 24-year-old woman in his home. He was arrested again in 2009, this time following a domestic violence dispute with then-wife Brooke Mueller, who alleged that he tried to kill her. Sheen pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault before completely spiraling out of control in 2011. That year, Sheen was fired from "Two and a Half Men" and went on a number of rampages against show creator Chuck Lorre while also suing him and the studio for wrongful termination. It was his "tiger blood" era and his family was left feeling helpless. As dad Martin Sheen told The Guardian in 2011, his son's addiction was a disease and all the family could do was be supportive. "We lift him up and we pray for him and be present to him," he shared.

Unfortunately, it would take several more years for Charlie to turn things around. In 2014, he was sued by dental technician Margarita Palestino, who claimed he physically attacked her during an appointment. In 2016, Denise Richards sued him for allegedly failing to pay child support, evicting her and their daughters from their home, and sending threatening texts to daughter Lola, per People. Charlie has since gotten clean (as of 2023, he was six years sober) and returned to work.

The Osbournes have each faced their share of demons and controversies, but even so, Kelly Osbourne's wild child antics couldn't have been easy for parents Sharon and Ozzy to watch, particularly when she was arrested in 2009. The drama began in 2008 when Kelly allegedly slapped gossip columnist Zoe Griffin in a London nightclub. Why? Because Griffin is said to have insulted Kelly's then-fiancé, Luke Worrall. It wasn't until months later, though, that the reality TV star voluntarily went to a local police station where she was booked on common assault charges, per the Daily Mail.

However, Kelly's most controversial moment undoubtedly came in 2015 while she was a guest co-host on "The View." The panel was debating Donald Trump's stance on immigration when she boldly asked, "If you kick every Latino out of this country, then who is going to be cleaning your toilets, Donald Trump?" Kelly immediately tried to backtrack, but it was too late. Indeed, the clip continues to go viral nearly a decade later. While her parents have never weighed in on the headline-making remark, Kelly herself has said she still regrets it. "It's the most cringe moment of my entire life," she told Rolling Stone in 2024. "It hurt a lot of people and that, to me, is by far what makes it the worst thing I've ever done."