"It’s a funny thing" - Wynonna Judd on why she and sister Ashley are not 'as close' as she'd like to be

Wynonna Judd and her sister, actress Ashley Judd, share a complicated relationship. Wynonna opened up about the Judd sisters' equation on the May 23 episode of Talking in Circles with Clint Black.

The 60-year-old singer reflected on how success has impacted their bond. During the conversation, she spoke about her 57-year-old sibling, and said,

"Ashley’s doing well. I don’t see her very much, and we’re not as close as I’d like to be, but that’s because success took us away from each other."

Emphasizing how fame added complexities to their bond, the Love Can Build A Bridge singer added,

"It’s a funny thing. There’s a bit of a sadness because being famous takes you from home."

According to a People report, Wynonna Judd was left to take care of younger sister Ashley when their single mother Naomi Judd was out working.

Wynonna Judd revealed a lot about her personal life in this recent interview

Naomi was just 18 when she gave birth to Wynonna Judd. The legendary singer raised Ashley and admitted this was the reason behind their present dynamic.

During her conversation with Clint, she revealed,

"I raised Ashley. That’s why we have such a funny relationship, 'cause she calls me 'sister mommy.' And I’m a little bit sad about that, 'cause I didn’t get to be her sister."

Recalling her childhood, she talked about being just the two sisters "trying to survive." She added,

"I’m bigger and meaner than her, ‘cause I had to be. I had to be mean 'cause I had to keep it together. When you're 14 years old, and your mom is working all the time and you learn to drive…"

Looking back on how she had to take over several responsibilities, Wynonna Judd confessed that her mother put her in charge of the duties. She explained,

"That’s just the way it was. You grow up with a single parent, what are you gonna do? We made it through, didn’t we?"

In April 2022, Naomi died by suicide. Following her unfortunate demise, the Have Mercy singer accepted being dependent on Ashley, in a 2022 conversation with People.

She conveyed,

"Both my parents are gone, and I'm relying on Ashley. She's relying on me in a different way that's about compassion. It's not about being successful and smart and capable. It's about, 'I love you.' 'I love you, too.' We're vulnerable with each other, and we're tender… Ashley and I are very different people, and we are learning that we have more in common than we don’t."

In a 2022 episode of the Healing with David Kessler podcast, Ashley also stated how she and her sister approached processing their mother's death in their different ways.

The Eye of the Beholder actress said:

"Sister came over yesterday and spent the day with me and spent the night and we talked about mom, we talked about social issues."

Highlighting how Wynonna was "in a pretty different place than" her, she continued,

"We don't have to be congruent in order to have compassion for each other and I think that that's a really important grace that family members can hopefully learn to give each other."

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