Wynonna Judd Wishes Bond With Mom Was Like Their Music, But 'there Was A Lot Of Dysfunction'

Editor's note: This communicative discusses termination and intersexual assault. If you aliases personification you cognize is having thoughts of suicide, please interaction nan National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The National Sexual Assault Hotline is 1-800-656-4673. 

Wynonna and Ashley Judd admitted successful a caller docuseries they had a analyzable narration pinch their precocious mom, Naomi Judd, who besides dealt pinch her ain trauma connected her roadworthy to success.

In nan A&E docuseries "The Judd Family: Truth Be Told," nan sisters opened up successful nan first 3 episodes astir increasing up pinch a young mom, nan maltreatment they knowledgeable from 1 of their mother’s exes erstwhile they were children, leaving Los Angeles down to move location to Kentucky and really Wynonna and Naomi recovered and dealt pinch superstardom successful state music. 

"I’ve loved her much than I’ve loved myself, but mother was some successful emotion pinch maine and terrified of maine because I represented what she didn’t cognize and couldn’t control," Wynonna said astatine nan opening of nan docuseries. 

Naomi Judd’s ‘generational trauma’ that was ne'er fixed apt led to her suicide, Wynonna believes

Wynonna said she believes her mother’s termination was partially to blasted connected "generational trauma" her mother experienced. 

WYNONNA JUDD RECALLS LAST PERFORMANCE WITH MOM NAOMI: ‘SHE WAS VERY FRAGILE’

Wynonna and Ashley Judd, seen present pinch their mom successful 1992, admitted successful a caller docuseries that they had a analyzable narration pinch Naomi Judd.  (Ke.Mazur/WireImage)

"One of nan reasons I person decided that Mom near this world is because of trauma, generational trauma, family worldly that ne'er sewage healed aliases fixed," Wynonna said successful nan first section of nan show. 

Growing up, Naomi Judd had a judgmental mother, her younger relative died of Hodgkin lymphoma arsenic a child, and she was a teen mom erstwhile she gave commencement to Wynonna. 

Wynonna called nan closeness pinch her mother a "blessing and a burden" because she felt "responsible for making her consciousness better." 

"As a child, she did not get what she needed," Wynonna said. "That is simply a fact." 

But she admitted that she was "not allowed to beryllium a child" increasing up. 

"I was nan adult," Wynonna said of her narration pinch her mother. 

Ashley added that their mother lived pinch a "constellation of her sufferings" that spiraled into terrible slump earlier her death. 

"I’ve loved her much than I’ve loved myself, but mother was some successful emotion pinch maine and terrified of maine because I represented what she didn’t cognize and couldn’t control."

Wynonna said, from a young age, Naomi was ever looking for support from her ain mother, who judged her for loving an assemblage arsenic a kid, which Ashley said continued into her master euphony career. 

"It wasn't astir ego and grandiosity and self-importance," Ashley revealed. "It was really thing overmuch much humble than that. It was astir basal self-worth."

Naomi died by suicide successful April 2022. 

Ashley and Wynonna pinch their mom successful 2002. (Kevin Winter/ImageDirect)

Naomi’s ex-boyfriend erstwhile hung Ashley retired nan chamber model by her ankles

After splitting from their father, their mother met a man who Wynonna described arsenic "creepy," Ashley and Wynonna said.

"Mom had a really, really not patient boyfriend," she explained. "She saw him arsenic James Dean. The reality was he’s not James Dean. He’s a feline who’s creepy.

"I was aged capable to cognize that thing was wrong. I conscionable retrieve being very, very alert of this man watching america successful nan bathtub, and, you know, laying connected apical of maine while I was watching television."

Wynonna said their mother often wasn’t home, and she became "incredibly, incredibly protective of Ashley."

Ashley said 1 clip nan live-in fellow discovered nan girls had written connected nan walls, "and he hung maine retired nan chamber model by my ankles."

Ashley and Wynonna Judd pinch stepfather Larry Strickland weeks aft Naomi Judd's decease successful 2022.  (Mickey Bernal/Getty Images)

Naomi wrote successful her memoir astir really he moved to an flat crossed nan thoroughfare from them aft she collapsed up pinch him truthful he could stalk her. 

One night, she said, she discovered personification was wrong her house. When she went inside, her ex grabbed her successful a suspicious rage, demanding to cognize if she'd been pinch different man. 

"As he was raping me, I prayed he wouldn’t termination maine because my kids needed me," she wrote. 

Ashley says she was near to fend for herself for overmuch of her childhood 

Ashley said she felt "abandoned" by her parents arsenic a child, adding that everyone thought she was a "very tin child" and truthful "nobody needed to return attraction of me."

Naomi’s widower, Larry Strickland said that while he was connected nan roadworthy touring pinch Naomi and Wynonna, Ashley was near alone. 

"Ashley, I’m sure, felt near behind. You know, she suffered, she suffered because of that. It changed her," Strickland said successful nan docuseries. 

She moved successful pinch her begetter successful her inferior twelvemonth of precocious school, but she said he wasn’t location overmuch and was utilizing narcotics arsenic well. 

Wynonna called nan closeness pinch her mother a "blessing and a burden" because she felt "responsible for making her consciousness better."  (A&E)

"My hunch is nan justification for abandoning maine came from this belief that I was this very tin kid … truthful cipher needed to return attraction of me. And some of my parents had those beliefs," Ashley said. 

She besides remembered dealing pinch chickenpox by herself successful a motel room erstwhile she was a young girl. 

"Mom was moving and past going retired astatine night, truthful I was successful this unusual spot pinch nan chickenpox. I conscionable slept each nan time," Ashley said.

Naomi had moved pinch nan girls backmost to Kentucky astatine that time, but she was still struggling pinch nine-to-five jobs, earlier she and Wynonna recovered philharmonic success. 

"That was a bout of puerility depression," Ashley said, referring to a illness she would proceed to battle, overmuch of nan clip unnoticed.

"I would conscionable watch nan commercials and get retired nan cleaning products that were advertised and conscionable transcript what I saw connected television," Ashley remembered of taking attraction of herself astatine nan motel.  

Ashley Judd said her mother's emotion of an assemblage wasn't astir ego but alternatively "basic self-worth."  (A&E)

When she was 14 years old, Ashley was sent to exemplary successful Japan, wherever she said she was raped twice. 

She said that erstwhile her mom later recovered retired from Ashley’s diary astir nan assault, Naomi "sneered" astatine nan idea, referring to nan man who raped her arsenic her "boyfriend."

"But I was a small girl. I was not a participant. I was a victim. There’s nary specified point arsenic consent, and Mom and I had a batch of these conversations later successful life," Ashley said. "And her knowing of intersexual battle and rape was not nan position into which she grew and evolved. She conscionable didn’t person that accusation and perspective.

"So, her guidance was to sneer astatine me. I was unopen down. My ain acquisition and reality invalidated and denied, which successful her bosom coming would beryllium a very achy lament."

"One of nan reasons I person decided that mom near this world is because of trauma, generational trauma, family worldly that ne'er sewage healed aliases fixed."

But she added that her experience of her mother is simply a "description not an indictment. Everyone was doing nan champion they could." 

Wynonna says she didn’t clasp her sexuality connected shape because she unopen down aft being molested astatine property 12 

Dan Potter, philharmonic head for nan Judds, said he understood why Wynonna struggled pinch her weight successful her singing career. 

"She was wanting to not beryllium attractive," he told nan producers of nan documentary. "Things happened to her that caused her to not want to beryllium attractive."

"I was molested astatine 12, truthful my full sexuality point was really stamped retired because I, conscionable astatine 12, really unopen down," Wynonna revealed. "So, I carried nan weight, virtually and figuratively." 

Her weight, which she said she put connected because nutrient became a "soother" to her for illustration narcotics aliases alcohol, became an rumor aft she and her mom recovered occurrence arsenic a state duo. 
 

Naomi Judd pinch her first husband, Michael Ciminella, nan begetter of Wynonna, center, and Ashley, bottommost right.  (A&E)

"Mom was very difficult connected me," she said, "because she was terrified of losing me, of course, but she ne'er would opportunity it that way. It was always, ‘Well, if you mislaid 20 pounds, you’d beryllium a popular star.’ I retrieve that speech very well."

Wynonna noted it was nan aforesaid benignant of point her grandma said to her mom increasing up.

"That’s why I would get truthful angry because I knew it was being passed down," she added. 

She said her mother’s sexuality connected shape erstwhile they performed together "so aggravated" her. 

"She was 36 years old. She was fresh to beryllium fire," Wynonna laughed. "As kids would opportunity today, she had drip. She was foxy and fresh to rumble. Man, she had nan modes down, but past I was truthful aggravated by her sexuality."

She added that she wished her enslaved pinch her mom could person been harmonious for illustration their music, but "there was a batch of dysfunction." 

Naomi and Wynonna Judd performing successful 1988.  (Ebet Roberts/Redferns)

Larry Strickland was ‘jealous arsenic crap’ of Naomi’s occurrence early on

Strickland, who is besides a musician, admitted successful nan docuseries he was "jealous arsenic crap" of Naomi’s occurrence early connected successful her career. 

Naomi wrote successful her memoir that aft she recovered retired that their opus "Mama He’s Crazy" was No. 1, Strickland stood up and walked retired nan door. 

"I was suspicious arsenic crap of her, you know," nan 76-year-old admitted of his precocious wife, "so we conscionable benignant of fell isolated a small bit." 

Naomi described successful a 1987 question and reply played successful nan docuseries that Strickland "left me" erstwhile he recovered retired that "Mama He’s Crazy" had gone No. 1. "But we’re backmost together now." 

Naomi wrote successful her memoir that she met Strickland successful 1979 erstwhile his gospel group, The Stamps Quartet, walked into nan building wherever she was a caput successful Nashville.  

The group had toured pinch Elvis Presley for nan past 3 years of his life. 

"I mean, it was almost a emotion astatine first show benignant of thing," Strickland said of Naomi successful nan docuseries. 

He said they didn’t person immoderate money astatine that time, and he’d started his ain band, Memphis, which toured astir nan state playing clubs.

"I was trying to find my way," he said. "Naomi, she was nan breadwinner. We were ungraded poor. It was trying times, very trying times." 

Strickland said Naomi would activity during nan nighttime astatine her caller occupation arsenic a nurse, and she would sound connected doors connected Nashville’s Music Row during nan day. 

"So, she was doing it all," he said. 

Naomi Judd and hubby Larry Strickland successful 2005.  (Harry Langdon/Getty Images)

"Only a fistful of group make it done [into nan industry]," he added. 

After years of difficult work, Naomi and Wynonna sewage their large break aft gathering Nashville shaper Brent Maher astatine her nursing occupation and signing pinch RCA Records successful 1983. 

"If you tin ideate each of those years of Naomi fighting nan fight, each of nan meetings, each of nan ‘no’s, it had to beryllium staggering," Maher said of erstwhile they signed pinch RCA. 

Naomi wrote successful her memoir that, 1 night, while she and Wynonna were connected nan road, Strickland called agelong distance.

"He wanted to alteration his life," she wrote of Strickland. "‘I’m getting disconnected nan road. I emotion you, truthful I’m asking you to wed me. What’s your answer?’" 

"I was conscionable being funny, but I said, ‘How would you for illustration to beryllium buried pinch my people?’" Strickland told nan producers of nan docuseries. "That’s an aged saying." 

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Naomi wrote successful her memoir of that time, "We’d had nan top twelvemonth of our full lives, not only professionally but personally arsenic well."

Strickland and Naomi wed successful 1989 and remained joined until her decease successful 2022.