Tragic Details About Wynonna Judd's Life
The following article contains references to sexual abuse, disordered eating, addiction, and suicide.
Wynonna Judd is definitely one of the most famous country music singers of all time, thanks to a very impressive career that began over four decades ago in the early 1980s. That's when Judd rose to fame as one half of The Judds, the legendary musical duo she formed with her late mother, Naomi Judd, when she was just 18. The two would sing together at home with Wynonna playing the guitar. "I could sing in front of 10,000 people, as long as I had my guitar," Wynonna later told PBS, adding, "It was my purpose for anything and anybody."
The Judds went on to sell millions of records and win several Grammy Awards before they were eventually inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Wynonna went solo when her mother retired, which only solidified her status as a country music icon. She even did some TV, including the 2020 Hallmark movie, "A Nashville Christmas Carol," as well as reality shows like "The Voice," where she served as a mentor in 2023.
With all that under her belt, it makes sense that she'd tell People in 2023 that she no longer feels that she has to prove herself. "I just want to enjoy myself and enjoy it with the fans because they're my family," she said. While Wynonna has clearly had a super successful career, her personal life, on the other hand, has unfortunately been full of trauma and tragedies.
She had a rough childhood
You could say that Wynonna Judd has had to deal with trauma since she was in the womb, considering that her biological father, Charles Jordan, abandoned her before she was even born. Her mother, Naomi Judd, revealed on the "Country Music Success Stories" podcast that she had been date raped. She added, "I called him to tell him to say I thought I was pregnant, he said, 'Well, tough luck kiddo,' and he hung up the phone and we never heard from him." To make matters worse, Wynonna didn't know about Jordan until she was 30 years old, and he died before she could meet him.
Wynonna, whose real name is Christina Claire Ciminella, actually thought the man her mother married afterward, Michael Ciminella, was her real father. It doesn't sound like he was much better though, because as Naomi said, "I had to marry the town jerk to have a roof and a name." That marriage didn't last — a few years after Wynonna's half-sister, actor Ashley Judd, was born, Naomi divorced Ciminella and raised her daughters mostly on her own.
It was during that time that the Judds were close to being homeless. They moved to Kentucky where things were seemingly not much better. They had lived in poverty for a while, sometimes without electricity, plumbing, or heat — let alone entertainment. "We lived in Appalachia," Wynonna told NPR, adding "Nothing to do, no TV, no telephone."
Wynonna Judd was a victim of sexual abuse
Sadly, Wynonna Judd and the two women closest to her, her mother and sister, were all sexually abused. Ashley Judd wrote about her sexual assault in her 2011 memoir, "All That Is Bitter and Sweet." Ashley placed some of the responsibility on their mother, Naomi Judd, for being neglectful during her childhood. Wynonna, too, made mention of her own experience in her 2005 memoir, "Coming Home to Myself." In terms of her abuser, she told "The View" in 2011, "I haven't faced him yet. I'm a work in progress."
Later, Naomi shared on their OWN docu-series, "The Judds," that she had also been sexually abused as a child — in fact, it was her very first memory. "We all have three different realities of the same car ride of the nightmares we were in," Naomi explained.
While Wynonna had hoped that their stories would help others, she still seemingly had a hard time discussing her family's past sexual abuse on TV, particularly when it concerned her mother. "To see her talk about it in front of the cameras. It was so hard to watch. I wanted them to shut the cameras down," she said (via Daily Mail). She didn't want her mother to read Ashley's memoir right away either but knew that her sister had a right to share her truth.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
She had a very rocky relationship with her mother
Wynonna and Naomi Judd are probably just as notorious for their rocky relationship as they are for their music. For one, it couldn't have been easy for Wynonna to spend the majority of her late teens and 20s with her mother instead of people her own age. When asked by NPR what it was like touring with her mother, Wynonna joked, "It was my dream growing up, but I never expected to be on a bus with her for 10 years."
Naomi admitted on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" that she wasn't "as sympathetic as [she] could have been" regarding Wynonna's struggle with her weight. She also didn't tell Wynonna who her biological father was until she was an adult, which created resentment. In 2016, during a period of estrangement between the mother and daughter, Naomi told "Good Morning America," "I love [Wynonna] but there are just times we need a break from each other." Around that same time, Naomi told People, "Wynonna and I make each other so emotional it's not healthy." Nevertheless, both women made it clear that they still loved each other and that the ups and downs were part of their mother-daughter dynamic.
Wynonna Judd was forced to go solo when her mother got sick
Wynonna Judd may have had her struggles when she toured with her mother, Naomi Judd, but that doesn't mean that she didn't have a hard time going solo. It probably didn't help that she was basically thrust into it when, in 1991, Naomi retired due to a hepatitis C diagnosis. But it seemingly didn't hit Wynonna until after their farewell tour ended. "The next day, I woke up and [said], "Oh, my gosh. What do I do now?" she told PBS, adding, "It was devastating. I didn't know how I was going to make it."
It wasn't a smooth transition from duo to solo artist for Wynonna. "I didn't move from the microphone ... it's like standing naked in front of the church. I was terrified," she recalled on "Larry King Live." Additionally, the "Rock Bottom" singer felt a lot of pressure to be just as successful alone as she was with her mother.
Naomi told AARP that she felt intense "separation anxiety" from her daughter during that period too, considering they were so used to being together (via E! News). Wynonna proved that she had what it took to make it on her own and, fortunately, Naomi later went into remission.
The country singer has had bad luck with men
It's safe to say that Wynonna Judd hasn't had the best luck with men, considering that she's been married three times. Making matters more difficult was that her first two marriages came with a lot of scandal. The "Grandpa" singer first faced criticism after she unexpectedly got pregnant with Arch Kelley III in 1994, before they were married. She explained to The Baltimore Sun, "People wanted to see me get married first ... then live happily ever after ... But it didn't happen that way for me. And that's the only regret I have."
While she and Kelley ended up tying the knot when she was pregnant with their second child in 1996, they still didn't get that happily ever – they split two years later. In 2003, Judd then married her bodyguard, D. R. Roach, but that relationship went up in flames by 2007. While in rehab for an alcohol and drug addiction, Roach was arrested for aggravated sexual battery of a minor under the age of 13.
Following the news, Judd quickly divorced Roach, even saying on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "He was out of the house within the hour." She detailed how betrayed she felt, explaining, "It felt like a death." While Judd was devastated, she was able to write songs about her feelings since she decided to "lean into the pain" at the advice of her life coach.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
She was arrested for a DUI
In November 2003, Wynonna Judd was arrested for driving under the influence in Nashville. A Breathalyzer test revealed her blood alcohol level was double the legal limit. The "Tell Me Why" singer said on "Larry King Live" that her arrest was "a real low point" and happened a week before she wed her second husband. "I got caught. I made a bad choice and I did 200 hours of community service and it humbled me greatly," she said.
In addition to being ordered to perform community service, Judd had her license suspended for one year. While Judd found going to court for drunk driving mortifying, she learned a lot from working with others less fortunate than her. She explained, "I feel like it made me a better person. I feel like it made me accountable."
However, Judd denied that she had a drinking problem. She claimed that she had just made a mistake by overdoing it that one night because she was celebrating her upcoming wedding and her friend's birthday. Still, she released a statement after her arrest to CMT in which she wrote, "I know there is never a situation where drinking and driving is acceptable and I take full responsibility for my error in judgment."
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
She battled emotional eating
Back in 2005, the "Going Nowhere" songstress revealed to ABC News that she developed addiction to food when she was on tour with her mother because she found comfort in eating after their shows. She explained, "It healed me through that lonely time. So I maybe didn't understand that food was that ... destructive. I think it was more of a soothing thing."
As Wynonna Judd became more famous, her emotional eating increased. She explained that she remained in denial. "I didn't have a lot of mirrors around my house," she detailed. "I just kept, you know, getting clothes bigger." However, she was aware of having body-image issues, as she was often compared to her thin mother and sister. She dished on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "I'm standing there with mom and Ashley and I feel like I don't belong. I've never felt like I belonged."
Judd realized that she had to do something about her food addiction when she was told by her doctor that her cholesterol was dangerously high. However, it wasn't until she was hospitalized for blood clots and a car crash in 2010 that she told People that she became more resolved to live healthier. Judd sought treatment for her emotional eating. "My weight was a symptom and not the problem," she told the publication. "I used food to soothe and reward and I don't do that anymore."
If you need help with an eating disorder, or know someone who does, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).
Wynonna Judd got treatment for a money disorder
Because Wynonna Judd had grown up in poverty, it was hard for her to handle the level of success she amassed as an adult. "I literally went from the outhouse to the White House," she said on "Good Morning America," adding, "I traveled ... I rented jets. I loved the great rock star lifestyle." However, once Judd was on the verge of losing everything, she knew that she had to seek help. She did so by entering into a rehab that specifically targeted financial disorders.
She explained to Recovery Living Magazine, "It was supposed to be a financial workshop, sort of how to deal with money, and ended up being anything but." She continued, saying, "It was like, 'We have a lot of work to do before we talk about the money.'" Like her food addiction, it seemed that Judd's money problems stemmed from emotional issues, and she learned that she had to scale down her spending.
Her third husband was severely injured in front of her
Wynonna Judd finally found her happily ever after with her third husband, Michael "Cactus" Moser, whom she married in June 2012. Sadly though, Moser was severely injured in a motorcycle crash just two months after they tied the knot. Judd had been riding behind him on a separate bike and witnessed his Harley collide with a car. "I remember standing over Cactus, wondering whether he was alive or not," she recalled to Us Weekly, adding, "I noticed the leg was gone. I saw remnants of it, um, all over the highway."
Moser's leg had been severed in the crash and needed to be amputated above the knee at the hospital. Judd, of course, was by his side throughout his recovery, telling ET that she basically became his nurse. "When I said I do, I never dreamed I would go through as much as I did as soon as I did," she said. Judd made it clear, however, that the whole ordeal just made their relationship even stronger.
Judd released a statement after the crash, thanking her fans for their prayers and support. After the accident, the country crooner told Fox News that Moser had maintained a positive attitude through it all. "He just gets out of bed, hops to his leg and is ready to take on the world. He never complains," she said.
Wynnona Judd's daughter has been in and out of prison
It has to have been painful for Wynonna Judd to watch her daughter, Grace Kelley, be in and out of prison for drug-related charges over the past several years. Kelley was just 22 years old when, in 2017, she pleaded guilty to some serious charges, like manufacturing meth, as well as delivery, sale, and possession with intent. She served 30 days of her over 11-month sentence but was quickly rearrested after she broke her probation by leaving a court-mandated rehab. Because of that, Kelley was sentenced to a lengthy eight years in prison.
Kelley went on to get released early, with her mother suggesting that she had overcome her problems in a 2020 appearance on "The Pursuit! With John Rich." "She's healthier than I was at 23. How she got there — I would not go that way, but I was also sequestered," she said. However, Kelley was arrested again for a parole violation later that year.
According to court documents obtained by The Sun, Kelley had her sentence furloughed due to being pregnant. A former fellow inmate later told the publication, "She would call Wynonna all the time." After Kelley served her time, she was again arrested for a parole violation. While her release date was scheduled for October 19, 2023, it is unclear if she has been released.
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Her mother, Naomi Judd, died by suicide
Wynonna Judd was devastated when her mother, Naomi Judd, died by suicide in April 2022. In her first interview after Naomi's death, Wynonna revealed to "CBS Sunday Morning," that she was shocked that her mother decided to take her own life at the age of 76. "I did not know that she was at the place she was at when she ended it, because she had had episodes before and she got better," she said.
To make matters worse, Wynonna's mother banned her from her funeral in her suicide note. According to images shared by Radar Online, a Post-It note from Naomi read: "Do not let Wy come to my funeral. She's mentally ill." An insider revealed that Wynonna did, however, attend the funeral service for her mother.
Wynonna later told People that she had to come to terms with the fact that she'll never understand her mother's actions. "I can't quite wrap my head around it and I don't know that I ever will ... That's how baffling and cunning mental illness is," she said. Still, she recognized that she has to continue to push forward despite her grief and find ways to heal. One of the ways she did that was to continue to tour and perform their music, especially since she found solace in her fans.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org
Wynonna Judd's performances have worried fans
Despite everything that Wynonna Judd has been through, she has continued to perform. However, she recently has had some setbacks due to her health. First, in late 2022, Judd had to cancel a New Year's Eve performance with Kelsea Ballerini because she was having what she described in an Instagram post as "an extreme bout of vertigo." Some fans were worried about her mental health after her mom's death, but Judd responded to their concerns on Instagram, saying that she was okay, adding, "I am working so hard on my mental, physical and spiritual well-being."
A month later, Judd stopped a performance mid-song, telling the audience that she was feeling "dizzy." Then, in November 2023, fans were distressed again when the singer looked like she was struggling to stand during her CMA Awards performance with Jelly Roll, as she was gripping onto him on stage. Once again, she addressed concerns on Instagram, explaining, "I got out there and I was so nervous that I just held on for dear life."
Of course, it makes sense that Judd's fans are so invested in her well-being. She has clearly suffered a great number of tragedies throughout her entire life. She has, however, always managed to come out the other side, which has made her an inspiration to many.