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30 Times Celebrities Made Questionable Parenting Decisions

At times, celebrities might seem perfect but that's all part of the Hollywood illusion. In reality, celebrities are often anything but perfect. Like all of us, they make mistakes, even when it comes to something like parenting.

Yep, all the money in the world cannot buy parenting skills. It can buy a nanny, however, but that's beside the point. Some celebrities make the small mistakes, while others have made some really big ones. But whatever the case may be, these instances show how flawed celebrities can really be.

Here are 30 times celebrities made questionable parenting decisions. Let's hope they've learned from these mistakes!

Alec Baldwin

Alec Baldwin

Famed actors Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin had been married for almost 8 years before getting divorced in 2002. They shared one child together: Ireland Baldwin. But after the divorce, Alec's relationship with his daughter had become strained and it would only get worse from there. Back in 2006, Alec Baldwin got some bad press that has forever tarnished his reputation in the public's eye.

In a voicemail, yelling at his daughter, he calls Kim Basinger "thoughtless," but worse yet, he calls his daughter a "rude, thoughtless little pig" and told her "You don't have the brains or the decency as a human being." Of all the ways to get through to your daughter, we're thinking this one was not so effective. Referring to your daughter as a farm animal seems like a funny way of showing how much you love them.

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Kate Gosselin

Kate Gosselin

In the 2000s, Kate Gosselin was one of the hottest television personalities thanks to the hit reality tv show "Jon & Kate Plus 8" in which they documented the raising of their sextuplets and twins. But exploiting their own children on television isn't what they are in trouble for in case you were wondering.

Kate Gosselin may seem like the perfect mom - just trying to do her best, but the truth is quite the opposite. Apparently, she's not been such a good mom to her son Collin, whom she has allegedly abused multiple times. In 2007, she spanked him for spilling a bag of beans and knocking over some high chairs, then in 2018, she zip-tied him to a chair in the basement – all before sending him off to a "special needs" treatment center, which she mentioned publicly. What a mess!

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Britney Spears

Britney Spears

Britney Spears was out of the spotlight for a while but has recently been thrust back into celebrity after revealing that hasn't had any legal over her fortune or her life for the last 13 years. This followed after a mental breakdown in 2008.

During the lowest point of Britney Spears career, while allegedly abusing drugs and alcohol, Spears was taking care or rather not taking care of her kids. One incident in which she placed her children in danger was in 2006, when she was driving with her 5-month-old son in her lap instead of putting him in a car seat.

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Kris Jenner

Kris Jenner

Kris Jenner is a true entrepreneur, working as a businesswoman, producer, manager and TV personality. It might seem like she has everything under control but in truth, she hasn't quite mastered parenting.

And aside from the fact that she's turned her entire family into a business, she's made quite a few mistakes in many different aspects of their children's lives. However, one of the worst parenting fails would have to be Kris telling a friend that her daughter Khloe needed to get a nose job – when Khloe hadn't said a thing about it. Whatever happen to telling your children they are beautiful no matter what? Apparently, Kris didn't get the memo.

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Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are two actors who have been in Hollywood for years and given how much we know about all the controversies and backward dealings, it stands to reason that it can't have much of a positive effect on your mental development – especially if you’re a child. So why do Jada and Will want their children in that dumpster fire?

Both Will and Jada have been selling out their kids to showbusiness. Giving them perhaps a little too much freedom for being so young. These children are having to deal with the business and all the scrutiny from the public. They'll never have a normal life and that's going to have a profound affect on their development. Plus, whoever would let Jaden do The Karate Kid remake ought to be ashamed of themselves, honestly.

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Jenelle Evans

Jenelle Evans

Jenelle Evans of MTV reality shows 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom 2 was on-air for almost ten years. However, she was fired in 2019 when her husband David Eason shot and killed the family dog.

With a history of violence, clearly Jenelle Evans married the wrong man. After murdering the family dog, the couple lost custody of Ensley and Evans' son Kaiser. They gained custody back but in 2020, yet again, Eason murdered another animal in front of the kids, this time – a goat named Elvis. Although Evans claimed she filed for divorce in 2019, so far that has not been finalized.

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Courtney Love

Courtney Love

Courtney Love, singer, actress and widow of Kurt Cobain, was doomed from the very start as a parent. In a 1992 article in Vanity Fair, she allegedly used heroin while pregnant daughter Francis Bean.

While at first, she claimed that the report was a lie - in 2008, in Elle Magazine, Love had said that her daughter was aware she had done drugs in the first trimester of her pregnancy. But hey, maybe she didn't lie? Maybe it wasn't heroin, per se, but rather some other drugs!

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Charlie Sheen

Charlie Sheen

Charlie Sheen has had a huge struggle with drug addiction over the course of his career. And while that's certainly his business, it has definitely affected his parenting abilities.

Back in 2011, Charlie Sheen lost custody of his twins, who were left with mother Brooke Mueller after he allegedly said "I will cut your head off, put it in a box and send it to your mom" to her. Mueller herself has struggled with addiction, so let's hope these two parents can stay sober for the sake of their kids.

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Val Kilmer

Val Kilmer

Val Kilmer had a successful career in the '90s as Doc Holliday in Tombstone, Batman in Batman Forever, and plenty of other roles. But parenting wasn't a strong suit, and apparently, he hasn't even been there for his child financially speaking.

Val Kilmer owed British actress Joanne Whalley a sum of $27,500 a month for child support that he was not paying. That's when Joanne Whalley took him to court, which forced him to sell his ranch in New Mexico.

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Skeet Ulrich

Skeet Ulrich

Skeet Ulrich is another deadbeat dad behind on child support payments. Sure, maybe being discount Johnny Depp doesn't have much financial reward, but you have to take care of your kids first and foremost, which means get a regular job if you have to.

The Scream star stopped paying child support in 2013, which made him fall behind on payments for several months. He got slapped with a contempt of court charge and was forced to pay a total of $284,861.84 in child support. Oof.

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Kate Moss

Kate Moss

Kate Moss has been one of the most prolific models of the past 25 years. And has also made a name for herself as a businesswoman and fashion expert. However, parenting has been an area of struggle for this supermodel.

Kate Moss has been struggling with cocaine addiction for much of her life and has exposed her child to other cocaine addicts. But at her lowest, she's been busted for possession and missed out on her daughter's third birthday because she was in rehab back in 2005.

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Halle Berry

Halle Berry

Oscar-winner Halle Berry may be a talented actress but she won't be winning any parenting awards for this moment.

While out shopping, Halle Berry actually lost her daughter. She panicked as any parent would, but her daughter turned up on her own. We're betting she won't make that mistake again, and we'll be keeping a better eye on her family.

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Mama June

Mama June

Mama June has certainly made more than a few mistakes as a nightmare pageant mom. However, after this was revealed, she went radio silent for a while – thankfully…

She dated and was raising her daughter with a man convicted of child molestation. And who was the child? It was Mama June's own daughter. "Messed up" doesn't even begin to describe that.

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Emily Mortimer

Emily Mortimer

Emily Mortimer is that one British actress  in stuff from time to time, and you are like, "Hmm...she's familiar." Well, her most notable role in the past 10 years was on the HBO show Newsroom.

But anyway, she hasn't been setting a good example for her son as a chainsmoker.  She even recalls taking out a pack of cigarettes at a YMCA with parents looking at her absolutely mortified.

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Eddie Murphy

Eddie Murphy

Eddie Murphy may be a great comedian, but he's not always such a great dad – especially in terms of caring for an infant. Apparently, the man won't change diapers.

It's a thankless job, but someone has to do it, and it's not written anywhere that mom has to be the one. Eddie Murphy had his girlfriend Paige Butcher on diaper duty, exclusively. Someone needs to inform Mr. Murphy that nobody wants to change diapers. Get over it!

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Woody Allen

Woody Allen

Pretty much everyone knows about Woody, but for a list like this, it would be criminal not to have him on it. Woody Allen married his own stepdaughter and people are still talking about it.

A difference of 35 years in age, Woody Allen groomed his stepdaughter to the disgust of everyone around them and the general public. And somehow this man is still working in Hollywood!

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Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt is considered one of the most attractive celebrities in Hollywood, even as he pushes 60. However, good looks don't make you the perfect parent.

What does Brad do to get his kids up in the morning? Make them a scrumptious breakfast? No, he gives them soda - Coca-Cola to be exact. Undoubtedly for the sugar and caffeine boost.

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Alicia Silverstone

Alicia Silverstone

One of Alicia Silverstone's most notable roles would have to be the '90s film Clueless, as well as the notorious Batman and Robin in which she played Batwoman. But as bad as that was, her most cringe-worthy role would have to be as a mom.

In a shocking video that has left us with a painful memory that we'll never forget, Silverstone revealed how she fed her baby: mouth-to-mouth, like a bird. The video is so disgusting, we don't recommend you watch it, because you'll never want to watch Clueless again.

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Pink

Pink

Pink has a reputation for having zero youknowhats to give, dropping the curses like its nobody's business. Unfortunately, her daughter is taking after at such a young age.

Pink admitted on Ellen to using coarse language in front of her daughter and that her daughter now uses such language as well. Pink called her daughter an "adorable little sailor." Well, isn't that just cute?

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Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian didn't learn much from her mother in terms of parenting, so we can't really put all the blame on her for making mistakes. But she has made them!

Putting her fake tan first, she didn't wipe away her spray tan when breastfeeding, exposing her baby to those awful chemicals and giving her baby an glowing orange face.

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Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan is one of the most famous wrestlers of all time, as well as an actor and TV personality. But he's not such a great guy in real life, and especially a dad.

In a double-whammy betrayal of both his daughter and his wife, Hogan had an affair with his daughter's best friend. Not only is that totally gross - but how could a dad do that to his family?

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Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson

We don't like to speak ill of the dead, usually, but there is no doubting that Michael Jackson was one weird dude. While he has don't plenty of questionable things, one moment in particular famously put his parenting into question.

You may recall the incident where Michael Jackson dangled his baby over the balcony in front of a crowd taking pictures. This moment just cemented how unstable the man really was.

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Joe Jackson

Joe Jackson

Of course, Michael Jackson didn't have the best dad, so it's no surprise how messed up he turned out. Joe Jackson was both physically and emotionally abusive towards Michael.

And despite what we know, Joe Jackson doesn't blame himself for his son's death. No, in fact, he blames just about everyone else including Michael's mother.

Georges Biard/CC BY-SA 3.0/Wikipedia

Michael and Dina Lohan

Michael and Dina Lohan

We are going to go out on a limb and say that Michael and Dina Lohan are largely responsible for how Lindsey Lohan turned out. The two have become the perfect example of celebrity parenting gone wrong.

Doing anything and everything to exploit her daughter and make a profit, Dina Lohan hasn't done her daughter any favors. On top of that, Michael has been struggling with drunks and even went to prison for drunk driving.

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Jude Law

Jude Law

Jude Law plays a lot of jerks on -screen and his real-life persona is not much different. The man broke-up his own family and blames his wife for it. Not everyone has accountability it seems.

He cheated on his fiancé Sienna-Miller with his children's nanny. He alleged that Miller was not there for him when he needed her to be, and that it was her fault that the affair happened. Oh gosh, and to think that we thought people were capable of making their own choices!

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Allen Iverson

Allen Iverson

If there was ever a person to judge a bad parent, it would have to be, well – a judge. Allen Iverson hit rock bottom as a dad when an Atlanta court judge told Iverson, straight up, that he was a bad parent.

The NBA star was in trouble for leaving his children alone without supervision, or with strange men that the mother herself, did not know. Tawanna Iverson gained legal and physical custody of Allen's children as a result.

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Edward Furlong

Edward Furlong

Edward Furlong, future leader of the resistance, well- at least in Terminator 2, is not a leading example of parenting, as revealed in a divorce trial. The actor had been married to actress Rachael Bella.

At the trial, it was revealed that their infant child had tested positive for cocaine, while under Furlong's care. After the divorce, Bella got a protective order against Furlong, which he violated. Get it together John Connor!

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David Hasselhoff

David Hasselhoff

David Hasselhoff made a big name for himself in the '80s with his roles on The Young and The Restless and Knight Rider. But now, his career is basically over.

David Hasselhoff hit the lowest point of his career when his own daughter filmed him drunk off his you-know-what, eating a cheeseburger on the floor. The video leaked for all the media to enjoy and share with us.

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Laurence Fishburne

Laurence Fishburne

Laurence Fishburne may be a talented actor with a number of memorable roles under his belt, probably none more so than his role as Morpheus in The Matrix - but this prestigious actor hasn't been the most supportive father.

Laurence Fishburne has actually disowned his daughter Montana after she pursued a career in the adult film industry. The two have not had a relationship since, even as Montana struggles with substance abuse.

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Robert Downey Sr.

Robert Downey Sr.

Robert Downey Sr., the father of Iron Man, was not such a great role model for his son, turning him into a drug addict at an early age. Filmmaker Robert Downey Sr. gave his son marijuana at the age of six years old as a way of bonding.

Robert Downey Jr. would grow up with a drug and alcohol addiction, which he struggled with for years during his early Hollywood career. The abuse would destroy his career for a time, but after rehabilitation, Robert Downey Jr. made a huge comeback as Iron Man and has managed to stay sober.

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