Inside Jason Bateman's Complex Relationship With His Sister Justine

In the world of '80s sitcoms, Jason and Justine Bateman ruled the small screen. She shot to fame as the cute but clueless Mallory Keaton on "Family Ties," while he played the stereo-typical wise-cracking mischief maker on several short-lived sitcoms. At the height of their '80s fame, the photogenic Bateman siblings were often seen together in interviews, magazines, and on red carpets, but over the years as Justine transitioned out of the biz and Jason went on to become a Hollywood heavy hitter, they have rarely been spotted together. That has led some to speculate that the once-seemingly-close celebs were on the outs, a rumor further fueled by a comment Jason made on the "WTF with Marc Maron" podcast a decade ago when he admitted that although he and his sister lived less than a mile from one another at that time, they rarely got together for a hang. "Well, let's earn the relationship that adults should or could have, that is not ... you're not handcuffed because of the blood. You've gotta earn it."

Justine might have been the more famous Bateman sibling when they were young, but ultimately it was Jason who stuck it out and went on to be successful on both the large and small screen. However, he recalls their early careers with fondness. "Hers was wildly successful, my stuff was sort of middling all the time, but it was pretty neat to be in the same house and both be on television," he told GQ. "It was pretty interesting."

Before they were stars, Jason and Justine Bateman were just two kids with hardworking parents. Their mother was a flight attendant whose job frequently took her away from home, and their dad was a freelance writer, producer, and director.  As a result, the Bateman kids were often left to their own devices. "The household was atypical: my mother was out of town for two weeks out of every month, and my dad was always writing, so my sister and I were left to do our own disciplining. We were latch-key kids," Jason told the Independent. 

All that changed when Jason and Justine became successful working actors, and their parents took on the responsibility of managing their talented offspring. Jason Bateman's net worth at the time wasn't where it is today, but the young actor was keenly aware that it was he and his sister who were financially supporting the family — a fact that changed the parent/child dynamic. "At a very, very early age, we were in a business partnership, and in fact there were financial responsibilities shared," Jason told GQ. There was a lot riding on the shoulders of the two young Batemans, and Jason felt the pressure. "If you don't keep a C average on your report cards, you lose your work permit, and if you lose your work permit, you're kicked off the show, and if you're kicked off the show, we can't make the mortgage," he revealed. "That was tough."

Being famous before you've even hit puberty is, as Jason Bateman once told GQ, "kind of a mind f**k." There's the fame, the money, and the pressure to remain relevant and transition into adult roles. It can be a lot for the most seasoned actor to handle, but for a kid it can be detrimental to development. "I grew up training myself to pretend to be other people. If you do that at an age where you're trying to figure out who you are, which is when you're a kid, you don't develop schizophrenia, but you can really slow down an organic process, which is trying to find your identity."

Although both Jason and Justine were successful, they each eventually stepped away from the limelight. Jason used the time to sow his wild oats. "I'd worked so hard that by the time I was 20, I wanted to play hard. And I did that really well," he told Details, per Us Weekly. As for Justine, she found fame to be "mentally exhausting."  "We were at the level of fame where you just can't go anywhere," she told People. "You just try to keep your head above water ... [and] stay alive."  She acknowledged that there were some perks to the job, like parties and concerts, but overall she didn't like the scrutiny. "I'm not saying I'm ungrateful for fame at all," she admitted. "I'm just saying it's a crazy emotional experience."

Jason Bateman went from cute child star to teen heartthrob with relative ease. But when it came to transitioning from '80s icon into serious adult actor, he struggled. Both he and his sister Justine had achieved more success before they were old enough to vote than many actors do throughout their careers. Having worked the majority of his life, he made the choice to step back and, as he told The Guardian, "get the wiggles out." Who could blame him? He was young, rich, and handsome. What could possibly go wrong? Turned out, plenty. Jason was doing a lot of partying, and his normally protective and outspoken sis, was pretty tight-lipped about it. Maybe that's because she was dating her own party boy, Leif Garrett, who was notorious for his drug use and a car accident that paralyzed his best friend. Garret and the "SmartLess" host became friendly, and once even road-tripped together, although not much is known about what transpired along the miles. 

While Justine may not have spoken up about her brother's partying lifestyle, Jason has been very open about his drug and alcohol use and subsequent AA journey to sobriety. He confessed that "staying at the party a little bit too long" set him back professionally. "I'd lost my place in line in the business; it was a case of trying to claw that back towards the end of the '90s, and not getting a lot of great responses," he said. 

She may not have spoken out publicly about her brother's party years, but Justine Bateman has had plenty to say on a variety of other topics from aging to politics to the royal family. In fact, Justine Bateman's scathing indictment of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry had everyone picking sides. Most famously, the "Satisfaction" star is an avid and vocal President Trump supporter. In a post on X following the 2024 election she wrote, "Decompressing from walking on eggshells for the past four years." Meanwhile Jason Bateman brought the wrath of Fox News down on his head when he publicly described Trump supporters as "insulated from the facts and common sense" on an episode of "The Best People with Nicolle Wallace" podcast. 

If you're wondering how Justine Bateman gets along with her brother Jason when they sit on opposing sides of the party aisle, the answer is just fine — and don't you dare suggest otherwise. "Anyone bringing up my brother to me for any other reason than to say you like his new upcoming show, or any of his past work, will be muted at best, and blocked at worst," the mom of two wrote on X.
"I'm not interested in your fantasy about some imagined conflict between the two of us over your political ideologies," she added. "Really, it's sick." Although it was unclear whether she was speaking to a follower directly, or the public in general, what was clear was her love for her sibling despite their differences. 

Just like Justine Bateman defended Jason Bateman from those who called him out for his political views, "The Gift" star has been quick to defend his sister's choice to leave acting behind. He has publicly praised his big sis for her intelligence and her life choices, citing how she went back to school to pursue a degree in computer science. "She's far too smart to sort of be at the mercy of somebody else's agenda or rhythm or schedule — at an industry's rhythm or schedule," he told GQ, and added that it had nothing to do with the fact that his star was outshining hers. "To have an expectation that two careers could accelerate or decelerate at the same time would be naive. I'm not surprised that one of us is in a different place than the other — no better, no worse, just in a different place."

Since her days on "Family Ties," Justine has penned a book, "Fame: The Hijacking of Reality," and continued to work in the industry both in front of and behind the camera. Her most important role to date, however, has been as a mom. "She on purpose slowed things down to have a couple of kids," Jason told GQ, and added that he is "positive that she's happy," a sentiment Justine, who shares two children with husband Mark Fluent, confirmed. "I don't live in the past," she told People. "I find it far more interesting to look at where I'm heading."

Jason and Justine Bateman were on the same network for many years, but never on the same show. That is until Jason convinced his talented sis to make a cameo on his hit show "Arrested Development." I've been pitching my beloved sister to come on as my love interest," he said during an interview on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" in 2005. "She's one hot mama." Jason's comments were said tongue-in-cheek and he later referenced his "bent" sense of humor, but Justine did eventually make a cameo on the show as (wait for it...) a prostitute. The episode was dubbed "Family Ties," as a nod to both Justine's former hit show, and her relationship to Jason.

Jason told Conan that "Arrested Development" already had vaguely incestuous undertones running through it, so the idea of bringing his real-life sister on it was meant to be funny. One might also wonder if he thought that it would rekindle his sister's career in the same way it did his own. In an interview with The New York Times, Jason called "Arrested Development" " such a big win for me," and acknowledged, "because beforehand things weren't bleak exactly, but they were quiet." In fact, his career had been so lackluster that he was nervous to audition for the cult classic comedy for fear that "they wouldn't want my stink on their project." The show didn't last, but Jason's resurrected career did and is still going strong.

What you don't know about Jason Bateman is that he values quality time over the quantity of time spent with his sibling. In fact, Jason Bateman's friendship with Jennifer Aniston probably includes more face-to-face time than his relationship with his famous sister. But that doesn't mean the siblings are on the outs. On the contrary, their relationship is built around friendship rather than family obligation. Although he admitted to Esquire that they "don't see each other a ton," he was quick to point out that it's not because they don't enjoy each other's company. They both have busy lives. "Our conversations are the rich conversations you would have with an adult friend, not the kind of petulant back-and-forth you might have with your adult sibling," he said. "We hang out, and we're nice to each other because we respect one another as individuals regardless of the blood thing. I'm seeing her for lunch next week."

Despite having both been child stars, the Bateman siblings have seemingly managed to escape becoming another cautionary Hollywood tale. In fact, by all appearances, they turned out just fine. Both have been married to their spouses for decades, both have two children, and both appear to be doing what they love. "I feel so grateful and fortunate to be where I am and who I am," Jason said. "It takes a lot of work to stay happy, to stay clear, and to be proud of yourself."