All families have their problems – but the world’s richest and most famous ones can take it to the next level.
With colossal fortunes and prominent family legacies at stake, is it any wonder that billionaires and ultra-wealthy celebrities routinely find themselves embroiled in family feuds – sometimes so bitter that they find themselves disowned by their closest relatives?
Here are five mega-rich and high-profile individuals who have had parents, children and siblings sever ties with them.
1. Elon Musk
Tech mogul Elon Musk sold several billion dollars in Tesla shares following his expensive purchase of social media firm Twitter. Photo: Getty Images
Twitter’s new CEO and the richest man in the world has made a name for himself as a defender of free – often controversial and at times hateful – speech. The 51-year-old has criticised selecting one’s own pronouns, calling them “an aesthetic nightmare” on Twitter, and recently threw his support behind Ron DeSantis, an American politician known for his anti-LGBTQ+ policies.
Elon Musk with his ex-girlfriend Justine Wilson and their kids. Photo: @elonmusk/Instagram
It appears that was all too painful for Musk’s 18-year-old daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, who is transgender. In June, she filed in court to legally change her gender, as well as her last name from Musk to Wilson, stating that she no longer wished to be associated with her ultra-wealthy father in any way. Musk responded to the sad news by telling the Financial Times, “Can’t win them all.”
2. Woody Allen
US director Woody Allen holds a press conference in July 2019, in the northern Spanish Basque city of San Sebastian. Photo: AFP
The son of actress Mia Farrow and director Woody Allen, Ronan Farrow has made a modest name for himself as a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist. But Ronan, 34, is equally well-known for his outspoken repudiation of his father after allegations that Allen sexually abused his adoptive daughter, Dylan, when she was seven years old.
Ronan Farrow has openly criticised his father, Woody Allen. Photo: @ronanfarrow/Instagram
The two have been estranged for more than 25 years, with Ronan openly criticising Hollywood insiders for their refusal to hold Allen accountable.
3. Anna Sorokin
Anna Sorokin went under the pseudonym Anna Delvey. Photo: @benrayner/Instagram
Everyone’s favourite fake heiress has more than her fair share of family problems, too. After swindling millions from New York City’s wealthiest elites and hotels, Sorokin was convicted of grand larceny and sentenced to jail time in 2019.
Anna Delvey took the opportunity to wear designer looks in the courtroom. Photo: @annadelveycourtlooks/Instagram
Her father told British media that he had disowned her, describing her as having a “selfish personality”. Sorokin’s story inspired the hit Netflix miniseries Inventing Anna, for which the former con artist reportedly sold her life rights to for a six-figure sum. Today, 31-year-old Sorokin – played by Julia Garner in the series – is something of a public figure, and likely to have much more money in the bank than before she was jailed.
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4. Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore attending Netflix’s Santa Clarita Diet season two premiere at The Dome at Arclight Hollywood in Hollywood, California, in March 2018. Photo: Getty Images
Drew Barrymore, 47, comes from a long line of distinguished Hollywood performers, including her grandfather, John Barrymore, who was widely considered one of the greatest actors of his time.
American child actress Drew Barrymore on the set of Clive Donner’s 1986 television movie Babes in Toyland. Photo: Corbis
Her family name opened doors for her early on, including as the star of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, but it also gained her access to nightclubs, drugs and alcohol. After struggling with addiction and attempting suicide, Barrymore took the unusual step of emancipating herself from her parents at the age of 14.
5. Brody Jenner
Brody Jenner is the son of Caitlyn Jenner and Linda Thompson. Photo: @brodyjenner/Instagram
Brody Jenner, 39, grew up in a blended family with half-sisters Kylie and Kendall and stepmum Kris, who was married to Brody’s other parent, Caitlyn Jenner, for 22 years. In later years, however, Brody went on record to say that he no longer wanted to associate with his mega-famous, uber-wealthy siblings, telling Cosmopolitan that he was “sick of the Kardashians’ drama” and prefers to keep his distance from the reality TV lifestyle.
The Kardashian-Jenners pose for a family portrait in 1993 in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Getty Images
The feeling appears to be mutual; according to the Evening Standard, Kylie and Kendall didn’t attend – or even RSVP – to his 2016 wedding. In recent years, the half-siblings have appeared to make up somewhat, but by most accounts, still maintain a cordial distance from one another.
