Stars Who Can't Stand Their In-Laws

Nothing makes the news quite like a Hollywood family feud, and lord knows we've seen a few of them. But it's not just Hollywood that makes headlines for familial hostility around the Thanksgiving table. The royals have also sold a few newspapers for messy family drama over the years, especially when it comes to in-laws. The issue is so ubiquitous that an advice seeker wrote into the Boston Globe and charmingly coined the phrase "drama-in-law" when seeking help for a toxic family situation. Curious what the advice was? The top tips were to "disengage" and seek counsel outside of the family. Not a bad idea.

Drama with in-laws continues to spawn content, both for celebrities and ordinary folk alike. The popular Reddit thread "Am I the A**hole" is chock-full of questions on how to deal with in-laws and relatives through relationships. Some of the major hits include: "AITA for banning my fiancé's mom from [our] home unless she gives me a public apology?" Or how about this one: ​​"AITA for not wanting to go to my brother-in-laws wedding?" Clearly, in-law drama is a huge field for questions and answers. We wonder what Meghan Markle would write on there if she asked for advice! Even better would be the queen's response. 

Clearly, drama and animosity with in-laws is a great equalizer, considering countless celebs have had bumpy rides with their significant others' families. Some get resolved, some don't, but one thing's for sure: it's a common situation! 

Fitting that she's on the top of the list, isn't it? Meghan Markle has had, perhaps, one of the most public feuds with her in-laws in the past years. Not many of us can say we got Oprah Winfrey involved in our drama-in-law situation ... Oprah and the entire world.

But any beef Meghan has with Prince Harry's family does seem legitimate. A piece written for the Independent was aptly called "All the royal family had to do was stand up for Meghan — they may now regret not doing so." While no one was toppling tables during teatime, Meghan did tell Oprah (via ET) that her sister-in-law Kate Middleton made her cry ahead of her wedding, and according to Harper's Bazaar, Kensington Palace ignored Meghan's request to correct the record when it was reported that she was the one who made Kate cry. Express pointed out that the palace did, in fact, stand up for Meghan on occasion. For example, when she got blamed for Harry's absence at the 2018 "traditional Boxing Day pheasant shoot," the palace responded with: "This is completely untrue."

The palace's responses don't seem nearly as dazzling or comprehensive as the tabloid reports, so it seems slightly unfair to count these terse statements as legitimate defense. Vanity Fair called Kensington Palace's defense of Meghan nothing more than "limp official responses." No wonder Meghan and Harry opted out of the whole debacle and began a new life in California with their children.

In-law drama rocked even the NBA, with the late Kobe Bryant and his wife, Vanessa Bryant, having their fair share of struggles with their parents. Kobe's father, Joe Bryant, who was a former professional basketball player, took issue with his son's relationship.

As the Orlando Sentinel reported, Joe was upset that Kobe was marrying a different race, as Vanessa is Latinx. The outlet also reported that Joe was uncomfortable with his son's "selfless devotion to her." One such example was the fact that Kobe and Vanessa didn't have a prenup, the Los Angeles Times notes, when they got married in 2001. In light of all of this conflict, it should come as no surprise that Kobe's parents did not attend their wedding.

Joe viewed it as finished business. "Once he decided to get married, it's his life now," he said, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Parents and son did seek to mend the relationship, but the "tense dynamic" between the Bryants and Kobe and Vanessa was never really smoothed over. ​"Kobe attempted some reconciliations, but then he had his own run-ins and disagreements with them," a source told The Sun.

There was also ongoing drama from Vanessa's mom, Sofia Laine, who filed a lawsuit against her daughter over unpaid childcare, per Us Weekly. Laine also claimed that Kobe promised to look after her financially, which Vanessa disputed. The case was closed in August 2021, after Kobe's death, with no details made public. Clearly, there was drama from both sides.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's marriage and subsequent split did not go down well with Brad's parents, Bill and Jane Pitt. Even from the get-go, there wasn't much of a bond between the Pitt parents and Jolie. "Jane tried so hard to bond with Angelina and welcome her into the family but nothing ever seemed to work," a source told Radar Online. To make matters worse, Brad's mom allegedly got along with his ex, Jennifer Aniston, so much better that she stayed in contact with Aniston after Jolie and Pitt separated in 2016. "Jane has even reached out to Jennifer Aniston for advice — she's still close to her and at least now she doesn't have to hide it," the source added.

When the contentious Brangelina separation began dominating the headlines, the Pitt parents allegedly became "absolutely furious" over negative reports about their son, such as those referencing a "child abuse investigation," per TMZ. Pitt was subsequently cleared of the accusations.

As for Jolie, she's had a contentious relationship with her father, Jon Voight, and was angry when Voight expressed sympathy for Pitt. When asked by the media what he thought about the divorce, Voight said that Pitt "has had some difficulties with alcohol." Voight added, "I hope that he takes care of things and I pray for the guy," per The U.S. Sun. Jolie felt the sympathy was "undermining" her stance in the child custody proceedings, a source told OK!. It's a tricky situation, for sure.

Kanye West and Kris Jenner went through some drama of their own during his relationship with Kim Kardashian. In 2020, when Kanye was launching his presidential campaign, he posted a series of tweets that referenced tension between himself and his mother-in-law.

When he claimed that Kim and Kris came to him with medical assistance, Kanye tweeted: "They tried to fly in with 2 doctors to 51/50 me. I been trying to get divorced since Kim met with Meek at the [Waldorf] for 'prison reform.' I got 200 more to go. This my lady tweet of the night ... Kris Jong-Un," he wrote (via Heavy), referencing Kim Jong-un, the Supreme Leader of North Korea.

When his then-wife and mother-in-law made a statement, Kanye called it "White supremacy," and he later blamed Kris for Kim's 2007 "Playboy" shoot, where Kris iconically said, "You're doing amazing, sweetie," per The Sun. In response to this memory, Kanye tweeted, "I will live for my children. Kris I'm in Cody if [you're] not planning another one of your children's playboy shoots," (via Heavy). Kanye was referencing the city Cody in Wyoming, near where he owns a ranch.

Despite this challenging time, it seems possible that Kris and Kanye have patched things up. In 2021, Kris shared a photo of the two of them on her Instagram stories (via USA Today), and simply wrote, "Happy birthday #kanyewest!!" Considering the grandkids and the shared memories, maybe she was able to see past it.

Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, the couple everyone loved to hate in the late 2000s, have not had an easy time with in-laws. Heidi had conflict with her mother over her plastic surgery, and she spoke about it on the "Call Me Daddy" podcast in August 2021. "If you can't rile behind me and support me, don't film with me," Heidi recalled saying to her mom at the time. "And I didn't talk to her for two years after that." They did reconcile, however.

Then there's the drama from Spencer's sister, Stephanie Pratt. When the gang reunited for the reboot, "The Hills: New Beginnings," everyone was optimistic about a reconciliation. Stephanie opened up about how her friendship with Lauren Conrad made Spencer feel betrayed, and she told Vogue in March 2019, "​​If this new show hadn't happened, it would have been 10, 11, 20 more years of not seeing or speaking to my brother."

But the tension between Stephanie and Speidi revved up again. Stephanie blamed Heidi for the fallout and said on her podcast, "HillsCast," in 2019, "I'm not going to pretend that Spencer and Heidi are good people ... They are the most toxic people I've ever met." However, she saved her harshest vitriol for Heidi, saying, "If it weren't for Heidi, I would have an epic relationship with my brother." She also called Heidi "entitled," "evil," and accused her of "playing [the Pratt] family for money." She added, "No one knows the real Heidi." Dang!

"Teen Mom OG" star Bristol Palin and Dakota Meyer have had a bumpy ride. The duo almost tied the knot in May 2015 but canceled the nuptials right before their wedding day, according to People. Their daughter, Sailor, was born after their split, and Bristol's mom, former Alaskan governor Sarah Palin, blasted Dakota when he filed for joint custody in the weeks following the birth. She told ET that he had "wanted nothing to do with either Bristol's pregnancy or the baby" at first and accused him of trying "to 'save face.'" 

Then, in June 2016, Bristol and Dakota announced that they had secretly wed, per ET. The news was a positive thing to Sarah, who spoke about their marriage to Inside Edition. "Bristol and Dakota and their little baby girl Sailor — it's all good," she said. She also revealed that Dakota had quickly gotten involved in the family's fishing business. "Dakota marries into the family and right off the bat we put him to work," she quipped.

Bristol and Dakota welcomed another daughter named Atlee in 2017, but in 2018, the couple filed for divorce. On "Teen Mom OG," there was a scene where Bristol discovered that Dakota had moved all of her things out of their bedroom into a spare room. Sarah was with her daughter, per Newsweek, and was just as devastated by Dakota's actions as Bristol was. She said it was "a symbolic thing" and was on the verge of tears during the episode.

Candy Spelling and Tori Spelling have had a rocky road in the world of mother-daughter relationships, and a lot of it has centered around Tori's marriage to actor Dean McDermott. Allegedly, Candy has never liked her daughter's husband. "Dean doesn't get along with Candy and she's never really approved of him," an insider told Us Weekly in November 2021.

It's been a running theme for years. "She can't stand him," a source told Us Weekly in 2018 of Candy's feelings about Dean, and in 2014, a rep for Candy told Access that both Tori and Dean often leave her calls unanswered when she wants to see her grandchildren. Clearly, it's not a picture of in-law closeness.

Part of the problem is that Candy and Tori have had an acrimonious relationship over the years that has nothing to do with Dean. Tori spoke about the idolization of her late father, producer Aaron Spelling, and how it caused a rift with her mom. "I was very much a daddy's girl," she told Access Hollywood Live, (via Hollywood Life). "And as an adult, I can go back and look at the relationship and see that he kind of always positioned [Candy] as, like, he was good cop, she was bad cop. And he kind of created a little bit of that dynamic. It wasn't just all her." But Tori was optimistic. "I still want that mother-daughter relationship that I hope it can be," she added. Certainly, it's a tough situation for the whole family.

There's no denying that Camilla Parker-Bowles was an unexpected element in the marriage between Princess Diana and Prince Charles. Since people tend to side with Diana, Camilla has often been viewed as the villain in the love triangle, so much so that after Netflix's "The Crown" portrayed Camilla and Charles' affair, the couple had to turn off comments on their Twitter account, per Page Six. People were getting vicious in their defense of Diana over 20 years later. It's also worth noting that "The Crown" is a fictionalized portrayal of the royal family, so there's that.

Camilla as the contentious character is nothing new. Queen Elizabeth didn't meet her son's love interest until 2000 at a birthday party for the former king of Greece, Constantine II, according to the BBC. This was a big move for the queen, who reportedly skipped Charles' 50th birthday precisely because Camilla would be there.

While the queen slowly warmed to Camilla, when Camilla and Charles married in April 2005, the queen did not attend the nuptials, per the Independent. She did, however, go to the reception and is present in official portraits from that day. Why was the queen giving Camilla the cold shoulder? Even after Diana's death, Camilla's relationship with Charles presented complications "for the monarchy," the BBC notes, since he is heir to the throne and Camilla is divorced. But the two women seem amicable now and have been photographed at events together, so they obviously patched things up.

Ain't no surprise that our favorite bounty hunter, Duane Chapman, might have some ins and out with in-laws. The "Dog the Bounty Hunter" star has been married six times and has 12 children, The Sun notes, so any family that big is bound to have some ups and downs.

A recent area of conflict came from Duane's marriage to Francie Frane, whom he wed in September 2021, according to TMZ, after his previous wife, Beth Chapman, died in June 2019. Two of his daughters had a problem with the marriage. Bonnie Chapman, daughter to Duane and Beth, as well as Cecily Chapman, Beth's daughter from a previous marriage, whom Duane adopted, both claimed that they were not invited to the wedding. "When my mom passed away, my dad pretty much neglected us," Cecily told Inside Edition in September 2021.

Part of the conflict allegedly stems from the fact that Bonnie has continued to work for UnleashedTV, which is the same network that previously fired Duane, per TMZ. In fact, the outlet reports that Francie jumped in at one point and sent Bonnie a text which read: "[L]et's not beat around the bush, You & Cecily both know You haven't been invited to the wedding because [you're] living under the same roof with people who stabbed (him), robbed, lied, manipulated, smeared his name and tried to ruin his career," adding that her job is to "protect" Duane. So Francie's certainly not keeping out of the drama.

MTV personality Jenelle Evans is best known for her time on "Teen Mom 2" but was fired from the franchise because of her husband, David Eason. While David himself was let go by MTV earlier because of homophobic content on his social media, Jenelle was fired in May 2019 after David killed her dog, Nugget, according to Us Weekly, for apparently nipping their daughter. Needless to say, audiences weren't interested in following her or David's stories after these events.

But Jenelle isn't the only member of her family who was popular on "Teen Mom." Her mother, Barbara Evans, was a major fixture of the show because she had primary custody of Jenelle's oldest son, Jace, according to The Sun. Over the years, Jenelle and Barbara have been at odds with each other about custody of Jace, whom Jenelle put into Barbara's care in 2010.

However, it's not just Jenelle's children Barbara is concerned about. The Evans matriarch has not been a fan of David since the beginning and refused to attend his and Jenelle's wedding. "David has alienated her from me," Barbara said during a 2017 episode of "Teen Mom 2" (via PopCulture). "She has chosen David over her own family and that's just how it is." Barbara stressed again, "I'm not getting along with David. I will not." Since then, David's behavior has just earned him more negative headlines, so it's likely Barbara hasn't warmed to him.

Tristan Thompson and Khloé Kardashian sparked a romance in 2016 and welcomed a daughter, True Thompson. However, their relationship has been plagued with cheating scandals. Reports surfaced in 2018 that Tristan cheated on Khloé while she was pregnant, according to People, but the pair decided to reunite and try again. Unfortunately, things got messy once more in 2019 when Kylie Jenner's best friend, Jordyn Woods, got embroiled in a cheating scandal with Tristan, and she later admitted that they kissed in a "Red Table Talk" interview. The blow-up also meant that Kylie and Jordyn's friendship came to an end.

When Khloé and Tristan decided to reconcile, a paternity test revealed that Tristan had a child in December 2021 with Maralee Nicholls, according to ET. This blow came just as Khloé and Tristan were planning on moving in together. He had even put his house in Encino, California, on the market but had to backpedal once his infidelity was aired by the media.

In light of how many times it's happened, the Kardashian family has obviously rallied around Khloé and frozen Tristan out. "Khloé has been spending time with her sisters and family, working out, eating healthy, and focusing on her mind, body and soul," an insider told ET. "She's getting back on her A-game." Right on, girl. If there's one thing we know for sure about the Kardashian/Jenner clan, it's that they stick together.