Carol Burnett is seeking temporary legal guardianship of her 13-year-old grandson, Dylan, as her daughter Erin Hamilton struggles with substance abuse.
“Due to addiction issues and other circumstances that my daughter Erin has been struggling with, impacting her immediate family dynamic, my husband [Brian Miller] and I have petitioned the court to be appointed legal guardian of my 14-year-old grandson,” the legendary comedic actress, 87, said in a statement to Us Weekly on Thursday, August 20, ahead of Dylan’s 14th birthday in September. “Guardianship will be for oversight purposes concerning his health, education and welfare and not intended to deny him nor the parents proper visitation with one another. We look forward to recovery being the next stepping stone towards normalization and ask for privacy at this time to allow that process to occur.”
Burnett said in court documents obtained by Us that “throughout her adult life, and since Dylan’s birth,” Hamilton, 52, “has suffered from severe substance abuse and addiction issues.”
“In the past 19 years, Erin has been in and out of rehabilitation centers and has been institutionalized a total of eight times for a minimum of 30 days each time,” she added.
The Carol Burnett Show alum said Hamilton threatened to take her own life in July, forcing her family to call the Los Angeles Police Department to complete a wellness check. She was subsequently placed on a 5150 psychiatric hold and received treatment at both Olive View-UCLA Medical Center and Chino Hills Hospital.
Burnett stated that the teen’s father, Kurt West, is also unable to provide for him as he recently checked into rehab.
“Dylan’s living environment has long been unstable, unpredictable and unhealthy for a child,” she said in the documents. “This culminated in a Department of Children and Family Services (‘DCFS’) investigation and juvenile dependency proceedings in 2018 and 2019.”
The Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient noted that she found a boarding school for her grandson where he has excelled and maintained good grades. She also said that she and Miller — who is not Dylan’s biological grandfather but “loves him like his grandson” — have “financially supported [Dylan] for the entirety of his life,” including paying for his medical and dental insurance, educational needs and basic living expenses.
Burnett shared Erin, who is a singer, with her ex-husband Joe Hamilton. She and the late TV producer, who were married from 1963 to 1984, were also the parents of daughters Carrie Hamilton and Jody Hamilton. Carrie died at the age of 38 in 2002 after battling pneumonia, lung cancer and brain cancer.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
