Joan Crawford became one of the most prominent and well-paid actors in classical Hollywood. Besides her films, fans also were aware of her long-time feud with Bette Davis. However, she did not only have strained relationships with other stars.
Joan Crawford had several children during her lifetime, and one of them wrote a book about her. The book painted a darker picture of the famed actor. Additionally, she disinherited two of her kids from her will before her death.
Christina Crawford wrote a book about her mother
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Joan Crawford adopted five children. The eldest one, Christina Crawford, published a memoir about her mom in 1978 titled Mommie Dearest. The book tells a story of an actor who misused alcohol and had frequent fits of rage.
The memoir came out a year after Joan Crawford’s death, and it got a film adaptation. The movie came out in 1981, and many people found the performance to be over-the-top. The story highlighted the strained relationship between the mother and daughter.
The public had known that things were not alright between Christina Crawford and Joan Crawford. However, Christina Crawford accused her mom of being abusive. She claimed that the star once woke her up for using wire hangers and then hit her with one.
Other accusations include starvation and the shredding of Christina Crawford’s favorite dress. There were debates about the validity of the claims, but Christopher Crawford backed her up. Closer Weekly reports that other family members denied it all. Joan Crawford’s twin daughters, Cindy Crawford and Cathy Crawford, did not experience abuse and loved their mother.
Why did Joan Crawford remove 2 kids from her will?
When Joan Crawford died in 1977, she had plenty of assets to give to her family. She left most of her $2 million fortune with Cathy and Cindy. The rest of her money went toward some of her friends as well as a few charities.
However, neither Christina Crawford nor her brother Christopher Crawford received anything from their mother. As it turned out, Joan Crawford removed the two from her will “for reasons they knew.” However, the reasons for disowning her children are not clear.
Joan Crawford’s relationship with Christina Crawford noticeably began to decline in the late ’60s. She replaced her daughter in a soap opera called The Secret Storm. Joan Crawford also apparently was aware that Christina Crawford was writing Mommy Dearest before she died. Some wonder if the memoir was the final straw.
However, author William Schoell offers a different explanation. Before Joan Crawford’s death, she paid Christina Crawford’s rent when the latter struggled with her acting career. Joan Crawford might have cut her child out since she had already given her daughter enough.
Of course, Christopher Crawford had a difficult relationship with his mom as well. People do not know what could have caused Joan Crawford to remove him from her will.
What happened after the reading of Joan Crawford’s will?
Christina Crawford and Christopher Crawford did not let the omission slide. The two of them contested the will and managed to win. The court awarded the pair $27,500 each, and Christina Crawford continued to stand by her claims.
Meanwhile, Cathy Crawford and Cindy Crawford kept refuting the allegations of abuse. Christina Crawford acknowledged her sisters have a different view of their mom. The twins experienced Joan Crawford’s parenting differently, and Christina Crawford accepted it.
Nevertheless, Christina Crawford and her two siblings ended up in a feud. The feud continued well into their adult years. At some point, Cathy Crawford filed a defamation lawsuit against her older sister.
The case revolved around Christina Crawford’s claims about Joan Crawford lying about Cathy Crawford and Cindy Crawford being twins. Cathy Crawford eventually won the lawsuit, but details of the settlement are unknown.
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