Top 10 Celebrity Parenting Fails

Top 10 Celebrity Parenting Fails

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Hey, parenting’s hard. But we bet these celebrities would have a hard time justifying their actions in these scenarios… Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Celebrity Parenting Fails. For this list, we’re focusing on highly publicized fails that made the news. And while some of the following scenarios are certainly disturbing, we’re excluding more serious allegations of sexual abuse and the like.

Divorce can make any parent go mad. But it’s crucial not to let that stress affect the children. In 2007, young Ireland Baldwin felt the wrath of her famous father upon failing to answer a scheduled phone call. In the resulting, mildly insane voicemail, the most famous Baldwin brother not only shamed his ex-wife Kim Basinger, but also referred to his own daughter as a “rude, thoughtless little pig” which isn't exactly the most appropriate way to address a child - or anyone for that matter. Perhaps Baldwin could’ve addressed his feelings with a personal heart-to-heart, but instead, he chose to leave an actual recording of his disturbing parenting fail – which was “mysteriously” released for all to hear. And judge.

As a judge on “Britain’s Got Talent,” Holden recognizes good talent when she sees it. But, it’s what she doesn’t see that causes the most concern. In early 2015, Amanda Holden seemingly tweeted a photo of her nine-year-old dressed as a “Pretty Woman,” and not the kind from beauty pageants. She appeared to be a cosplay Vivian Ward, the prostitute Julia Roberts played in “Pretty Woman,” for a school event. Holden called it a mistake and blamed her husband for the tweet, and also threw the gauntlet down on a long-time aide for not handling the fiasco properly. That doesn’t change the fact that mommy and daddy apparently allowed the girl to dress up like a hooker to begin with.

For the modern celeb, flying from city to city is the norm, and sometimes their children come along for the ride. And whether it’s a commercial or private flight, there comes a point when it’s okay to loosen up the seatbelt and play with the kids. BUT, that same rule does not apply on the busy streets of Los Angeles. Back in 2006, Britney actually fled the paparazzi with little Sean Preston perched upon her lap like a baby kangaroo. What’s so wrong with that, you ask? Well, perhaps the steering wheel just inches away. We’re not sure why Britney thought this was a smart decision, but it was undeniably a big city parenting fail.

In the realm of reality TV, many external factors motivate the people involved, but none more so than fame and public perception. Unfortunately, for “Teen Mom” star Farrah Abraham, she decided that her three-year-old needed a quick makeover due to what can only described as a “unibrow.” Some kids go to sleep and dream of the tooth fairy and unicorns, and parents typically leave them be. However, Ms. Abraham waxed her child’s eyebrows in her sleep, and eventually went on ABC News to explain her practical thinking to the world at large.

The concept itself seems hilarious: the famous “Baywatch” actor drunk, shirtless and eating a cheeseburger while talking to his daughter. In reality though, it's terribly sad. Hasselhoff actually requested that his 16-year old film him while intoxicated so he could gain some insight into his drunken behavior. In other words, the familial roles were reversed, as The Hoff’s teenage daughter was left to remind him of the consequences of his drinking. And though Hoff’s daughter warned of an impending career disaster, he still managed keep his career as it was on track, despite the parenting fail.

#5: Bad Babysitters David Cameron

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As the Prime Minister of the UK, one can’t exactly blame David Cameron for losing track of his 8-year-old daughter at home. But at the pub? Well, in 2012, both he and wife Samantha failed hard by remaining aloof as to the whereabouts of their child. Finding an empty backseat on their arrival at home the couple realized Nancy was instead with some blokes from the block back at their local bar. Although their daughter was not hurt in the episode, it wasn't exactly well received by the British public - nor was it a shining moment in Cameron's legacy.

Hmm… where to begin with this ‘70s movie star? First of all, Ryan O’Neal allegedly made his son take cocaine at the age of 11. And then there’s his daughter, Tatum. In 2009, just after the conclusion of Farrah Fawcett’s funeral, Ryan O’Neal has said that he was approached by someone who he thought was a “strange Swedish woman,” and asked her if she was interested in some booze and a little car action. That in and of itself is a douche move, but it’s also a severe parenting fail when the woman in question is actually your own daughter who you didn’t recognize. That's just awkward all the way around.

Throughout the ‘80s and early ‘90s, this iconic director enlisted his girlfriend Mia Farrow to star in 13 films, but then came a shocking twist involving Soon-Yi Previn, Farrow's adopted daughter. Woody Allen wasn’t “technically” the adopted girl’s father, but Mia certainly wasn’t expecting to find nude photos of her 21-year-old daughter taken by her famous boyfriend. The discovery led to an abrupt end of their personal and professional relationships, but this fail gets worse: Allen and Previn dated for a few years after this, ended up getting married, and now have two adopted daughters together. That’s the definition of a scandal, but it’s also a major WTF moment and one of the stranger celebrityparenting fails.

After years of rumors surrounding the 1994 death of Kurt Cobain, a 2015 documentary finally provided some concrete evidence to the public. Although Courtney Love’s heroin use while pregnant was first brought up in a 1992 Vanity Fair profile, “Montage of Heck” finally confirmed this enormous parenting fail. Francis Bean did survive and has lived a relatively normal life, but she’s still not immune to aggressive Twitter rants from her own mother, which constitutes yet another fail, this time one that everybody could see. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable, or in this case, dishonorable mentions. - Shared Pic of 13-Year-Old Son Holding Liquor Bottle Madonna - Tried to Profit from Her Octuplets Nadya Suleman - Allegedly Fought Hooker While Kids Slept Charlie Sheen

#1: The Balcony Incident Michael Jackson

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In 2002, while in Berlin with children to accept an award for his philanthropy, Michael Jackson dangled his nine-month old son off a balcony. Sure, MJ did “protect” the child from cameras by covering his face, but the fact that MJ actually nicknamed the kid “Blanket” is somewhat of a fail in itself. In essence, this incident represents a variety of fails, even if Michael Jackson seems to be having one helluva time. The lesson here, well, it should be pretty obvious really: balconies and infants just don’t go together – especially in front of a sea of paparazzi. Do you agree with our list? Which celebrity parent do you think produced the ultimate parenting fail? For more incredible Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.