Radar Online
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson‘s son, Chet Hanks, decided to open up about growing up the child of a famous and beloved actor – and his vulnerability came back to bite him.
Earlier this week, the 31-year-old rapper/actor took to his new YouTube channel to get candid about “the truth about growing up as a Hanks.”
In the lengthy video, Chet said repeatedly he felt “blessed” and “grateful” to have the parents he has but admitted that being the son of such an adored man is a “double-edged sword.”
With that fame-by-association came expectations from everyone around him – family, friends and the public. People automatically assumed he was an “arrogant,” “entitled,” “spoiled brat.”
He explained how those “preconceived notions” resulted in bullying and therefore a lack of trust on his part in basically everyone around him. And all of that, said Chet, created a lot of “contempt,” “disdain” and “animosity.”
He explained what he really felt inside was “shame” for how “privileged” and “sheltered” he grew up, embarrassment over how “unprepared” he felt to “deal with real life,” and insecurity about his self-worth.
And then came the self-destruction. Chet said he went in the complete opposite direction of how he grew up out of numerous resentments he just wasn’t equipped to manage.
But the part that left him vulnerable to internet trolls was when he said he always had the “it factor;” he was handsome, talented, popular and “good with girls.” He said envy was also a huge factor in his negative experiences growing up and wishes he had had “a strong male role model” to tell him, ”Hey, bro, f–k these people. They are just jealous of you.'”
Critics feel Chet is blaming his shortcomings on his father instead of taking accountability for his own behavior, with many pointing out that “America’s Dad” has other children who don’t seem as troubled.
“Chet Hanks has a lot of problems. Ask Colin Hanks about the ‘strong male role model,’ he turned out fine,” read one of thousands of tweets mercilessly mocking Chet.
“Just because you didn’t listen to your parents/dad, doesn’t mean that you didn’t have a strong male role. Take some responsibility of your own behavior,” read another.
Someone else tweeted, “Rough life, unless you compare it to: not being raised wealthy, having to pay back student loans, having to compete for a real job, not having health insurance, having to help your family out financially, etc.”
“Awww, poor privileged little rich boy!” yet another critic posted. “I can tell you many stories about my childhood and truly having no strong male role model growing up, but I’ve faced those demons and moved forward with my life.”
“Chet’s parents are well known in the industry as two of the most kind and down-to-earth stars in the business. I don’t buy what he’s selling. My guess is that they enforced rules and boundaries and Chet was having none of that,” remarked another Twitter user.
Others think Chet has “disassociated from reality. I think he got called rich boy so many times that he’s taken on the stereotypical persona of trailer park wanna be rapper who grew up without a dad. Reality, [he] came from a loving home and when to top schools including, Northwestern.”
“Sounds like Chet wanted a father who would lie to him and tell him to keep doing whatever he wanted,” read another tweet, while an umpteenth dissenter added, “What is Chet’s definition of a ‘strong male role model.’ Because @tomhanks does have 3 other children, all of whom seem to be gainfully employed.”
