Tragic Details About Tom Hanks' Family: The Other Side Of Fame

Tom Hanks is undoubtedly one of the world's favorite actors, and his golden retriever reputation extends far beyond the screen. He's basically America's dad — which became a running theme in the coverage when Hanks became ill with COVID-19 toward the start of the pandemic — but honorific titles aside, Hanks is a literal father to only four humans. His children have varying degrees of public presence, but all of them have at least dabbled in the entertainment business. They have also had some big struggles, as being the child of a mega-famous celebrity is certainly not always a cakewalk.

Hanks began acting in smaller regional stage productions in 1977, the same year he welcomed his first child, son Colin, with his then-girlfriend Samantha Lewes. The couple welcomed daughter Elizabeth in 1982, by which time Hanks had upped his profile with the two-season television series "Bosom Buddies." It was not until the 1980s that Hanks' movie career started to take off, thanks to "Splash" in 1984 and especially "Big" in 1988. By the 1990s, Hanks was consistently drawing in huge audiences and earning widespread critical acclaim in hit after hit. He also became a dad twice more that decade, to sons Chet and Truman, and earned back-to-back Oscars in 1994 and 1995. Hanks has continued to be a huge deal in the decades since, establishing himself as a bona fide legend. His kids, however, have had rockier paths to success. Here is a look at some tragic details about Tom Hanks' family.

Tom Hanks' marriage to his current wife Rita Wilson has become such an iconic Hollywood love story that few people remember that Wilson is wife number two for the megastar. Tom was earlier married to fellow actor Samantha Lewes (born Susan Dillingham), who he met while attending university in Sacramento, California. They married in 1978, a year after welcoming their son Colin Hanks to the world, and had a second kid, daughter E.A. Hanks, in 1982. The pair separated three years later and finalized their divorce two years after that, with Lewes receiving primary custody of Colin and E.A.

Things became more complicated when Lewes picked up and moved the children from Los Angeles to Sacramento, without even notifying Hanks. "My dad came to pick us up from school and we're not there," E.A. told People. "And it turns out we haven't been there for two weeks, and he has to track us down." The custody situation remained the same for roughly a decade, from the time E.A. was five until she was 14, with Tom seeing his kids only on alternating weekends and in the summers.

In addition to his reduced presence in his older kids' lives, Tom's older children also grew up far less extravagantly than his younger ones. "I don't know how much money my mother was getting in alimony, but what I heard was, 'We don't have the money for that. Your Dad has that. We don't have that," Colin said on the "Armchair Expert" podcast.

Another huge difference in how Tom Hanks' kids were raised had to do with their mothers. While Tom's elder children are from his marriage to Rita Wilson, which has remained intact since 1988, his older children had a less stable upbringing thanks to divorce and their mother's issues. According to Tom's daughter E.A. Hanks, Tom's first wife Samantha Lewes was unstable, neglectful, and abusive. Since E.A. and her older brother Colin Hanks lived with Lewes in a different city from their father, they could not escape the madness of their household.

In her book, "The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road," E.A. recalled being pushed, her hair being pulled, and even being locked in a closet. "As the years went on, the backyard became so full of dog s— that you couldn't walk around it; the house stank of smoke. The fridge was bare or full of expired food more often than not, and my mother spent more and more time in her big four-poster bed, poring over the Bible," E.A. wrote (via People). She also noted that her mother exhibited signs of (undiagnosed) bipolar disorder, as well as extreme paranoia and delusional thinking.

The emotional violence turned physical when E.A. was in the seventh grade, prompting her custody to be flipped so that she could primarily live with Tom. Tragically, that time in her life has had long-lasting effects on everything from E.A.'s personal hygiene habits to her ability to keep organized in her own home.

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

Chet Hanks — whose actual first name is Chester — has battled drug addiction since he was only 16 years old. In 2008, when he was still a high school student, Chet's parents even sent him to a wilderness rehabilitation program to get him on the straight and narrow. Chet has said that strange men came into his bedroom in the middle of the night, captured him, and took him to a remote location in Utah. It is a story eerily reminiscent of that of Paris Hilton, who is now a vocal advocate against child abuse in these residential facilities.

But back to Chet, who continued to land himself in trouble after his stint in the wilderness, and even after gaining some notoriety for his music and acting. Things seemed to be at a low in 2015, when the second-generation star was wanted by British police after trashing a hotel room one drug-fueled evening. Chet got sober shortly thereafter, citing the upcoming birth of his daughter (in 2016) as the primary motivation, but eventually relapsed.

On a 2024 episode of "Surreal Life: Villa of Secrets," Chet detailed the bender that prompted him to enter rehab in 2022, which he described as a "three-day coke binge" without food, sleep, or water. "I just knew, man, if I don't change my life in a drastic way, either I'm not even going to be around or something bad, so bad, is going to happen that my life might as well be over," he said.

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).

Chet Hanks is probably the most recognizable name amongst Tom Hanks' children, but not necessarily for the right reasons. Whereas Colin Hanks has received notice for his work as an actor, and E.A. Hanks for her work with Vanity Fair, Time, and other print outlets, Chet's professional accomplishments have been largely overshadowed by his personal struggles. It is a shame, too, since Chet has actually done some interesting things in his career, at least on the acting side (music, not so much). This includes memorable television roles on "Empire," "Your Honor," and "Running Point."

But for as funny as he is on Netflix's "Running Point," Hanks is still best known for his off-screen antics. Amongst other things, these have included a couple of race-based scandals, allegations of abuse, and some public feuding. Even just looking at the highlights (or lowlights), it paints a tragic picture of the troubled star. For instance, Chet's ex-partner Kiana Parker sued him for $1 million in April 2021, citing physical and verbal abuse throughout the course of their relationship. That occurred the same month that Chet filed suit against Parker with his own claims of assault (and theft).

Chet has also faced multiple allegations of racism, especially related to his use of, and subsequent defense of using, racial slurs in 2015. Other incidents include using a faux Jamaican accent on a red carpet, a public feud with comedian Eric André, and a terrible song/movement called "White Boy Summer," which was co-opted by racist groups.

Though it may not be a "tragedy" in the classic sense, it is certainly difficult to live in the shadow of someone as astronomically famous as Tom Hanks. It is fitting that Hanks transformed himself into Mister Rogers for his role in "Won't You Be My Neighbor?," because they have very similar public images marked by wholesomeness and good vibes. For his kids, not only does everyone in the world compare them to their beloved dad, but tabloids are always there to cover any of their missteps. Even social media can be unkind to the Hanks crew, especially Chet Hanks and his so-called "nepo baby" brother, Truman Hanks.

For Chet, the lens through which people saw him impacted the way he was treated by his peers while growing up. "You have all these things that they want, so they are trying to f**king throw their shade at you so you can feel s***ty about yourself because they are jealous.' I needed to hear that," Chet told Page Six in 2022.

Colin Hanks has similarly expressed mixed feelings about Tom's fame, as well as exasperation by constant comparisons to his father on social media and in casting offices. "When I was starting off, I was sort of lovingly naive, thinking that [being the son of Tom Hanks] wasn't as big a deal as it is that I would get the benefit of the doubt that I was my own person. And that doesn't happen," Colin said on "Armchair Expert."