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10 Famous Families With Big Secrets

James Sheldon

November 5, 2015

Source: pbs.org / John F Kennedy Library, Boston

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Image is a powerful thing, and sometimes it is necessary to flex a little power to maintain it. This is especially true for families bearing the blessings and curses of fame. From politics to big business to entertainment, fame–and/or infamy– this all leads to some version of celebrity, and celebrity has always, and will always result in media coverage. The thing about family: there’s drama in each one. There is always a family member, a family curse… something that needs to be gently swept under a rug, or hidden in a closet. Here are 10 families with big secrets.

10. The Roberts Family

The Roberts family. Let’s see. Who would that be? That’s right. The Georgia crew making up famous siblings Eric, Lisa and Julia Roberts, and let us not forget the daughter of Eric, Emma. If you think we’re going the direction of Emma Roberts being a little a** kicker, that’s not the case. While that story was somehow swept under the rug, we’re turning to something a little darker, and cloaked in sadness–the half sister of the siblings, Nancy Motes. The allegedly strained relationship between Julia and Nancy always seemed to garner a sinister shade, and was repeatedly thrust into the spotlight. The strain of the relationship was outed when Nancy took her own life in 2014, and left a five page suicide note revealing her perspective. It was an utter shock to many of Julia’s fans, as Nancy’s letter attempted to vilify Julia.

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9. The Schwarzeneggers

In one of the strangest unions ever conceived in the realm of celebrity, Arnold Schwarzenegger met and married journalistic celebrity, Maria Shriver. They were political opposites, Schwarzenegger a bold, conservative Republican, and Shriver, the seed of one of the most famous Democrat families in American history…the Kennedys. People presumed a myriad of wonderful and fantastical things about this family union for years. Yes, they had children, yes, Arnold won the governorship of California as a Republican while married to a socially liberal democrat. They had to have a city of secrets stashed in storage, right? As Arnold’s gubernatorial stint came to a close, it was discovered that he had a love child with a former employee, and when the story went public, Maria had no choice but to bail. One has to wonder, how long she knowingly put up with such behavior to maintain appearances?

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8. Gwen and Gavin

It seems Gwen Stefani has moved on to Blake Shelton, but before Blake, she seemed to have the perfect marriage to Bush frontman, Gavin Rossdale. During their marriage, the couple was hammered with scandal from Gavin’s end–his past forays into pleasure among men and women–as well as a paternity scandal that involved a past lover. As the couple weathered these storms, and continued to pump out babies, we were left to think they were indestructible. That wasn’t the case. It seems that Gavin was simply too rough around the edges for Gwen, regardless of his always looking well put together. Whether she wanted more from someone else, or didn’t want anything else from Gavin, the couple called it quits in the summer of 2015, and more of his exploits came to light. She deserved to move on. How long will she and Blake last…? It’s nothing more than rebound companionship.

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7. The Nicholsons

Jack Nicholson is one of the most intriguing actors to ever achieve the A-list of celebrity. It was personalities like Jack who defined the list. Jack is somehow cooler now than he was as a young buck, rambling through Hollywood at his own pace and with his own agenda; however, his family story is the stuff Lifetime Movies are made of. Jack was raised by his grandparents, who also raised his older sister, June. June was some 18 years older than Jack, and was, in fact, his mother. She was 17 when she became pregnant, and Jack lived into adulthood believing June was “Sis.” After his grandmother and mother passed away, this secret was revealed to Jack during an interview. Yes. You read that right. During. An. Interview… for TIME Magazine. You can imagine his reaction. “Well, s***. That’s news to me.” He never learned who his father was.

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6. The Rockefellers

There are few names worldwide as famous as Rockefeller. The family credited for so much of the United States’ growth during the Industrial Revolution and Civil War Reconstruction had their fair share of secrets. Yes, if you were born a Rockefeller, you won the lottery. You might as well have been labeled an American Cesar. And with the name came entitlement. And with entitlement came the need to protect the name from family members who didn’t quite buy into the legacy. One such individual: William A. Rockefeller. This is the pops of John D. and William Jr. He was traveling salesman known as “Doc” Rockefeller, who concocted elixirs and sold them as natural remedies. Some might say: Snake Oil salesman. He also fathered children with the family maid, and married a young lass while married to John’s mother, Eliza.

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5. The Duggars

Back into our contemporary times… here’s a little slice of something we all know: the Duggar family scandal. The Duggars have become a brand. With their reality show about having more children than any sane couple should ever bring into the world, these folks like to speak for God and a pretty strange American slant, and sweep illegality under the rug. As was revealed earlier in 2015, Josh Duggar, one of the sons in the family, had inappropriate contact with his sisters and a family babysitter when he was younger. And then, of course he was involved in the Ashley Madison scandal. The kicker? The family knew. Never did a thing.

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4. The Kennedys

Where to begin with this one? Looking at the name Kennedy alone gives cause for pause. What celebrity Kennedy didn’t have something to hide? Some secret? Outside of the beloved conspiracies of the brother John and Robert, there are the curses of individuals like Senator Ted. Many are aware, but there’s still a large group who aren’t: Ted Kennedy was involved in a car accident that claimed the life of a lovely lass, while he was rescued from impending death. And then there’s the storied “Curse of Camelot,” most recently claiming the life of Mary Richardson Kennedy who took her own life in 2012. The depression she lived within was surely exacerbated by the secrets this family keeps. Marilyn Monroe. Strange deaths. Global government conspiracy coverups. We’ll never uncover all the secrets from the Kennedy clan.

Source: pbs.org / John F Kennedy Library, Boston

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3. The Rothschilds

The Rockefeller name may be more recognizable, but there has never been a family more powerful in the modern world era than the Rothschilds. Most people in western society don’t realize their desire to live a consumer driven lifestyle is a trickle down of the monetary systems put in place by the Rothschild legacy. The United States Federal Reserve is part of that legacy. The conspiracy theories about this family run deep and wide, and touch on everything from assassination attempts of Andrew Jackson, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, JFK, the attempted establishment of a single world currency, heinous WWII agendas in order to establish an independent Israeli state…This family owns more secrets than a Hollywood madam. To quote Honest Abe: “I have two great enemies, the Southern army in front of me and the bankers in the rear. And of the two, the bankers are my greatest foe.”

Source: politicalvelcraft.org

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2. The Jacksons

Did Michael Jackson ever stand a chance at normalcy? One can only presume the things young Michael saw, and was exposed to as a child. He was an unparalleled talent, but his father, Joseph, was a stringent, hard, disciplinarian of a man who drove his children to success with little to no choice in the matter. Michael was several years younger than some of his brothers, and as a child, was forced into adulthood in more ways than one. The black sheep of the Jackson children, LaToya, once wrote a tell-all book in which she claimed the kids were beaten mercilessly for underperforming. These allegations were dismissed by the rest of the family, and it was believed she was coaxed into fabricating her story, and embellishing on her memories in order to score some coin.

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1. The Bush Family

George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush have both served as President of The United States. Now, Jeb Bush, son of H.W. and younger brother of W. is making his bid for the white house. The likelihood of another Bush living in the White House is slim to none, but it goes to show how well this family is connected. The relationships with several high-ranking Saudis is no case for comfort among Americans, and the past of H.W.–alleging involvement with the CIA at an early age–has left a rather sour taste in many mouths. The conspiracies run deep about this family, from inside knowledge of 9/11, all the way back to inside knowledge of the JFK assassination to begin putting a successive line of leadership in place for a New World Order. This stuff…it’s either fiction, or truth that is stranger than fiction.

Source: People / Courtesy Bush Family