Ashley Judd: I Pity My "Poor Mother" Naomi After Memoir Fallout
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She can't exactly yank it off the shelves, but Ashley Judd is shame-spiraling a little bit now that folks have read her shocking new memoir All That Is Bitter and Sweet -- which paints her country singer mom Naomi in a rather bad light.
Response to the book has "been a little bewildering to me," Judd, 42, told E! News in NYC Wednesday. "My poor mother, who's incredibly witty and so quick with a quip, she's probably regretting she said 'We put the fun in dysfunctional.'"
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In her tell-all, the Double Jeopardy actress slams her mom, 65, for bringing "mayhem and uncertainty" into her childhood: pot was always in the house, and her mom's live-in boyfriend was an "abusive full-blown heroin addict with a criminal record."
"She and my sister [Wynonna] have been quoted as saying that our family put the 'fun' in dysfunction," Ashley wrote. "I wondered: 'Who, exactly, was having all the fun? What was I missing?'"
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Judd also revealed sexual abuse at the hands of an old man from the neighborhood. But, she told E!, she's disappointed in how the press has reacted to the book.
"They put disproportionate emphasis on the fact that we had a family system that didn't work very well and the kinds of the things that happen in those family systems happen to all of us," she explained.
During one press interview (reportedly with CNN), in fact, Judd wanted to "quit...I had the ridiculous assumption that the interview I was doing with a very serious news outlet was going to be a news interview...and it wasn't. It was just really disappointing. I was like 'I'm done. I'm going to go home and take a nap.' And I called one of my mentors, and he said 'Can you just hold your nose during the smelly questions and get through it and think of the people you committed your life to?'"
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The most important fact, she says? "I'm a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. Well, so what? I'd say about 80 percent of the people in the U.S., according to statistics, have. I remind myself that my story is a surrogate story so that people will buy the book."
Tell Us What You Think
8I love Ashley, she is a great movie actress, but I could already tell by the book Naomi wrote " Love can build a bridge" that Ashley was neglected by her, she left her 90% with someone while she was off with Wynonna. You could read between the lines of that book that Naomi was using. I was anxious to read Ashleys book, just to read her story, but was really disappointed in the book, it was boring, too much about her ministry in the world, I thought it would be more about her family, but if she wasn't with them, how could she write about them, I quit reading 3/4 thru , but I will still see her movies and love her, I like her better than mom and sis, their music is great, but she is a master at acting, the fact she was molested, sad but its true, most girls are when little.I put the idea out there that we cut off what cannot reproduce of all men.Then little girls will be safe.
Ashley has the classic "Coal Miners Daughter" looks that have made her a hillbilly Queen actress. Her family may have problems with her looks, education, made it past the fifth grade, and of course her money. Did any of the Judd women ever have a Daddy? Who really cares. They will all be back 'Chopin Cotton', and running white lightning in another generation.
Love Ashley Judd and love the fact she's being honest! If anyone should be ashamed it should be her mother for not PROTECTING her children. The most import. role anyone can have is to be a parent and to be a role model for them and to protect their children! I guess fame was more import. I love Ashley Judd - and keep plugging your book, so you can protect other children and make them aware and most import. the shame is not on the child but the molester. At the very same time, how very sad for Ashley Judd - I heard her sis. had been molested as well. I think it took alot of courage to write this and I myself grew up in a similar situation. Praise God for someone standing up for their principles. I know I've had to reevaluate the way things went down when when I was growing up - and I made sure that our son did not have the same upbringing with a unsafe home environ- ment with no marijuana in our house or any abusive individuals around. Even though I smoked it when I was younger. Our son is 25 now and I can say "He turned out really well and is a good person and had a beautiful childhood (like I would have wanted for myself). When it's all said and done that's whats important and I'm proud I made the right decisions. Beauty for Ashes. Good Luck Ashley
Ashley Judd will probably miss the beginning of the 2011 Miss Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach will be crowned during a Thursday block party in downtown Long Beach as part of the "Thursday Thunder on Pine." But before she gets there, she must qualify for the finals. And three prelimary pagents, free open to the pubic to attend, are being held in Hermosa Beach and Long Beach. The dates and venues are: â?¢ March 23 â?? Sharkeez, Hermosa Beach â?¢ April 1 â?? Mai Tai Bar, Long Beach Pike â?¢ April 7 â?? Cafe Sevilla, Long Beach Pine Ave Maybe she will check it out and hopefully the rest of the world will get what she is saying-
Ashley Judd-Franchitti is doing a great job, we are all living in a world that is full of abusers and she is surrounded by the very best of them in the auto-racing world. Ashley articulates her experience with poise and grace and sometimes the truth hurts but light always dispells darkness. Since her husband Dario Franchitti and he is the current champion driver for the Izod-Indy car series and she understands the obvious- Every year across our state in Florida we are losing our Native children by the hundreds because of speed and reckless driving and we don't even have public school drivers education in the racing capital of the U.S.A. The Speed and racing lobby is in full force here in Florida and in all racing locations, like Daytona Beach and St. Petersburgh, with all of its Children's Charities, Fallen Officer' s Foundations and Festivals of Speed to support and sustain the activities and businesses that are currently marketing speed to our youngsters. Meanwhile, our children are being bumped off our roadways and highways in record numbers on racing weekends and Holidays as the young. Inexperienced and uneducated drivers, imitate their favorite racing "heroes". Ashley Judd-Franchitti is doing a fantastic job of exposing the legitimizing of businesses of childrenâ??s exploitation and illegitimate child labor in our civilized world today. This weekend at the Long Beach grand prix in Long beach CA, a trained eye can see how exploitation occurs every day in America. The party (meat-market) starts at the pubclub in Long Beach Pier tonight. As you can see at the pub-club on Pine in Long Beach, the 2011 Long Beach Grand Prix and the auto-sport Spring break Beach Party is in full form and some of these beautiful girls may eventually become just another statistic...as they are being exploited and objectified for volunteer work at the pleasure of a few; many of these girls will be left behind like so many others in the world of exploiters and child-woman enterprise, in he dust of the race-car expidition.
As a child of an alcoholic mother I have learned that no one had a perfect childhood. It seems that all media outlets are taking pages from TMC and just looking for anything sensational or a way to put a spin on any story to get attention. I too admire Ashley and think she is a great actress.
A lot of celbs write life stories and it is great for her to write hers. And while she may have said some things her family disapprove of, at the end of the day it is Ashley story to tell from her point of view. Besides her Mom and sister have been on Orpah talking about their personal lives and have had books written about them too, so why shouldn't Ashley get to tell her story?
THAT MOVIE LOVE CAN BUILD A BRIDGE IS BASED ON THEIR LIVES..ASHLEY WASN'T REALLY INTERESTED IN THE SPOT LIGHT WITH HER MOTHER OR SISTER I KINDA DON'T BLAME HER..SHE DID HER OWN THING AND THAT IS WHY SHE IS A ACTRESS AND I RESPECT HER FOR THAT I LOVE THE MOVIES THAT SHE WAS IN....I LOVE ASHLEY JUDD IT'S A SHAME SHE DON'T DO MUCH MOVIES ANYMORE..