Tom Hanks’ Son Chet Hanks Says He Spent Part of His Childhood Feeling Completely ‘Worthless’
Chet Hanks is sharing a glimpse into his childhood being raised by parents Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson.
During the Tuesday, July 23, episode of MTV’s Surreal Life: Villa of Secrets, Chet, 33, thought he was participating in an innocent game of uno with his housemates. The conversation, however, quickly turned into the cast discussing their lives growing up.
“I’ll tell you something about my childhood. People think that being Tom Hanks’ son, like, I would grow up feeling like I was the s—t,” Chet said on the season premiere. “I actually grew up feeling completely f—king worthless.”
The musician didn’t blame his experience on his famous parents. Instead, it was his peers and strangers around him who complicated things.
Chet Hanks and Dad Tom Hanks’ Ups and Downs Through the Years: Inside Their Relationship Dynamic
“People treated me like, ‘You must think you’re better than me’ when I didn’t. I just wanted to be friends with everybody and be treated like everybody else,” he told his costars, including Kim Zolciak Biermann, Josie Canseco and O.T. Genasis. “But what am I supposed to do? Walk through the doors and be all meek and timid? That was a mind f—k for me to deal with.”
Chet continued, “If you do walk in through the door and you’re like, ‘Here I am mother f—ker,’ then it’s like, ‘Oh look at you arrogant son of a bitch.’ I did internalize all that negativity. Maybe I am f—king worthless, you know what I’m saying?”
According to Chet, it was a “battle for me mentally and emotionally just to be able to walk outside, look someone in the eye and say, ‘What’s up? I’m Chet.’”
The candid conversation came as Macy Gray and Tyler Posey butted heads about how much — or how little — they wanted to share about their personal life. While the Teen Wolf actor, 32, was willing to discuss his childhood, Gray, 56, was less interested in hearing anything serious.
“I don’t want to play Uno and be in therapy,” the “I Try” singer said in her confessional interview. “I’m just trying to play cards.”
Chet Hanks’ Ups and Downs Over the Years: Addiction Struggles, Relationship With Parents and More
While game night may not have been a complete success, Chet expressed to Us Weekly that he wanted his experience on Surreal Life to be a positive one. He also entered the house in Colombia knowing he had the full support of his parents.
“The Surreal Life is a different kind of show. It’s not messy and negative,” he explained to Us. “It’s more about personal growth and relationships with people and vulnerability. It’s a completely different type of reality TV. I had full support in doing it.”
Surreal Life: Villa of Secrets airs Tuesday nights on MTV at 9 p.m. ET.
