Britney Spears, Michael Jackson and Angelina Jolie: celebrities who had troubled relationships with their parents Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Photo/Ric Francis, Archive/REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson Suri's break with Tom Cruise's surname reignited a recurring theme in the world of celebrities: difficult relationships between parents and children. From Britney Spears, who fought a long legal battle against her father, to Michael Jackson, who suffered abuse during his childhood, several artists turned family conflicts into defining chapters of their careers. ?? “Daddy issues” is an expression in English to describe the emotional challenges arising from a difficult relationship with the father. Remember celebrities who had family problems: Britney Spears Jamie Spears and Britney Spears AP Photo In 2021, Britney Spears won the end of the guardianship exercised by her father, Jamie Spears, after 13 years. During this period, he had control over aspects of the singer's personal and professional life, including decisions related to her career, contracts and assets. Jamie assumed guardianship in 2008 by court decision, after the artist was hospitalized amid concerns about her mental health. The case gave rise to the #FreeBritney movement, which gained worldwide repercussion and pushed for the measure to be ended. American court orders suspension of Britney Spears' guardianship by her father Michael Jackson Joe Jackson accompanies his son, Michal Jackson, in court, in May 2005 AP Photo/Ric Francis, Archive Michael Jackson had a relationship marked by physical and psychological abuse with his father, Joe Jackson. In adult life, the king of pop revealed that he grew up afraid of his father and that he was regularly beaten with a belt. In a famous 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Michael cried as he recalled the beatings, but also said he forgave him. Joe acknowledged the accusations, but stopped short of apologizing. According to him, his methods made his children successful and kept them out of jail. "I'm glad I was tough, because look what I accomplished. I raised children that everyone loves all over the world," he told CNN in 2013. Macaulay Culkin Macaulay Culkin Reproduction/Social media Macaulay Culkin achieved his emancipation at just 14 years old. Known for hits such as the films in the "Home Alone" franchise, the actor stated that his father, Kit Culkin, did not manage his fortune well (valued, at the time, at US$17 million). The conflicts, however, went beyond financial issues. In an interview with the podcast "WTF with Marc Maron", Culkin stated that he suffered physical and psychological abuse during his childhood. The actor said that his father was violent and that he still carries marks from that period. Xuxa Luiz Floriano Meneghel, Xuxa's father, with his granddaughter Sasha. Reproduction/Facebook Xuxa spent years away from her father, Floriano Meneghel. His infidelity caused great hurt for the presenter, who decided to distance herself. In the last Xou da Xuxa program, in 1992, director Marlene Mattos surprised her by putting the presenter's father on stage live. Without speaking to him for years, Xuxa felt deeply invaded and embarrassed by the situation on national television. Years later, the presenter overcame her traumas and reconciled with her father before his death in 2017. Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie and Jon Voight REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP The disagreements between Angelina Jolie and her father, Jon Voight, have been going on since the actress was a teenager. In 2002, Voight declared that his daughter had serious mental problems, which caused a public crisis in the relationship between the two. They had episodes of reconciliation, especially after the birth of their grandchildren. According to the American press, currently, due to political and religious differences, father and daughter only maintain sporadic contact. Fiuk Fábio Jr. singing with Cleo and Fiuk on the stage of Fantástico Laura Rocha/g1 Despite having worked together on some projects, Fiuk and Fábio Jr. have been apart since 2023. Family differences and indirect exchanges on social media have strained the relationship between father and son. In 2025, Fiuk released the rap “Celebridade”, in which he vents about his childhood and criticizes his father. In the song, the singer even calls Fábio Jr. a “narcissist”. Drew Barrymore John Drew Barrymore and Drew Barrymore Disclosure/Reproduction/Instagram Just like Macaulay Culkin, Drew Barrymore achieved her emancipation at the age of 14. The actress, who began acting at the age of seven in "E.T. – The Extra-Terrestrial", has always spoken openly about her problems with alcohol and drugs in her childhood, as well as her troubled relationship with her parents. In an interview with New York Magazine, Drew stated that his first memory of his father, John Drew Barrymore, is linked to an episode of violence. According to her, when she was three years old, she was thrown against a wall. The actress also reported that her father committed other attacks, such as putting his hand in a candle flame and saying that the pain was just a figment of his imagination. Brad Pitt's children Angelina Jolie poses with her children and Brad Pitt (detail) Associated Press/VALERIE MACON / AFP Brad Pitt's relationship with some of his children from his marriage to Angelina Jolie is marked by estrangements. According to the American press, five of the former couple's six children no longer use the actor's surname. Shiloh, Maddox and Zahara filed legal requests to remove the Pitt surname, while Vivienne and Knox chose not to use it in artistic credits. Pax is the only one who continues to use his paternal surname. Shiloh was the first to formally make this decision. When asking for her surname to be removed in court, she stated that it had been motivated by “painful events”. After her, the brothers followed the same path.