Child stars sure do come with a lot of baggage: child labor laws, on-set tutors — and stage moms! Check out some of the most notorious child star stage moms, a few who definitely would never have qualified for Mother of the Year!
Kathleen Avanzino Richards Catain Fenton
Former child stars and current “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” stars Kim and Kyle Richards talk about their late mother often on their reality show. But their fond memories differ from the scathing portrayal of Kathleen Dugan Avanzino Richards Catain Fenton (yes, she was married four times!) as a gold digging stage mom, as detailed in Jerry Oppenheimer’s book, “House of Hilton.” Oppenheimer’s basic gist was that Kathleen was a domineering force who pushed her daughters into show biz at a young age (Kim was only four months old when she starred in her first commercial for Pampers) and later taught her daughters to marry rich and have a lot of babies. One daughter clearly got the message: Kathleen’s oldest daughter is Kathy Hilton, wife of hotel magnate Rick and mom of Paris, Nicky, Barron and Conrad.
Teri Shields
In the 1970s and 80s, Teri Shields had the reputation of being the ultimate stage mom. The mother of teen model and actress Brooke Shields, Teri was criticized for allowing her young daughter to play a child prostitute in the movie “Pretty Baby” (12- year old Brooke’s role included a nude scene) and star in sexy Calvin Klein commercials. In 1978, Teri Shields told People, “The press has referred to me as a stage mother, a frustrated actress living through Brooke and even a one-woman film-wrecking crew. They can say what they want about me. But Brooke can’t fight back. That’s why I’m here. I’m not a stage mother. I’m Brooke’s mother.”The fiercely protective side of Teri Shields didn’t go unnoticed by other moms of child stars. Caroline Stellar, the mom of troubled former teen heartthrob Leif Garrett, said it best on VH1’s “Behind the Music”: “Brooke Shields’ mom, I take my hat off to you. Because nobody messed with her kid. But they messed with mine.”
Dina Lohan
Lindsay Lohan’s mother has been her manager since her career started in the early 1990s. But “momager” Dina Lohan has been slammed for capitalizing on her daughter’s fame, even going so far as to bring an “Entertainment Tonight” camera crew to a rehab facility that Lindsay was checked in to! Lohan’s stage presence continued with younger daughter, Ali, who somehow managed to land a reality show thanks to her savvy mom. But Lohan’s stage momager days may be numbered. Rumor has it that Lilo may be looking to fire her.
Lynne Spears
Although she’s been pegged as one, the mother of pop star Britney Spears will have none of that stage mom talk. In her 2008 book, “Through the Storm,” Mama Spears rejected the notion that she pushed Britney into show business and wrote that her daughter was always a driven songbird. In 2008, Lynne Spears told The Daily Mail that she did not orchestrate Brit’s career or push her into singing and dancing lessons. “I was never a stage mom and never Britney’s manager,” Spears said. “Jamie [Britney’s father] and I both said that we never wanted to be her managers; we just wanted to be parents. I was never in the driver’s seat as far as Britney’s career goes.”
Lillian Coogan
Decades before he played Uncle Fester on “The Adams Family,” this beloved 1920’s child actor was known for his work in Charlie Chaplin’s “The Kid” and “Oliver Twist.” But the big bucks that the heavily merchandised child star was bringing in weren’t going into his bank account. Coogan’s mother and stepfather famously spent his earnings on their own lavish lifestyle. According to Life, Coogan’s mother once said, “No promises were ever made to give Jackie anything,” while his stepdad added, “Every dollar a kid earns before he is 21 belongs to his parents. Jackie will not get a cent of his earnings.” In 1938 Coogan sued his shady parents and in 1939 the California Child Actor’s Bill (also known as The Coogan Law) was enacted, which safeguards a child actor’s earnings until adulthood.
Deborah Malone
The precocious young star of “Stepmom” and “Ellen Foster” found herself in the position of supporting her mother and baby sister at the height of her child stardom. Jena Malone’s mom, Debbie, quit her temp job to be on the set with her daughter and defended the decision to live off of Jena’s earnings. According to “LA Weekly,” Debbie Malone said, “We had a partnership. The child cannot work without the parent, and the money would not be there without the child. Take one away and the whole system falls apart.” But by age 15, Malone became emancipated from her mother and filed a restraining order against her. (According to People they eventually reconciled.) “She wanted so much to be part of my business life, and I just kind of wanted her to be my mom, but it was hard for her to see where the line ended and where the line began,” Jena said. “Without knowing it, I think she gave up her right as a mother.”
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