Ashley Judd's Memoir: Star Details Molestation, Dysfunctional Family In 'All That Is Bitter & Sweet'

Ashley Judd offers a sad, sobering look into the home life of her famous family in her new memoir, "All That Is Bitter & Sweet."

Radar Online, which obtained a copy in advance of its Tuesday release date, reveals excerpts in which Judd counters the notion, made famous by her mother, Naomi, that the Judd family put the fun in dysfunctional.

After her father moved out, Ashley says, her mother began another relationship, with a man who was an abusive heroin addict.

"I was taught to believe that our lifestyle was normal and never to question it or complain, even when I was left alone for hours, sometimes days at a time, or when I was passed without warning to yet another relative," Judd writes.

The problems for the actress didn't just occur outside the house, as she details a sexual assault she suffered while getting pizza.

"An old man everyone knew beckoned me into a dark, empty corner of the business and offered me a quarter for the pinball machine at the pizza place if I'd sit on his lap," Judd writes. "He opened his arms, I climbed up, and I was shocked when he suddenly cinched his arms around me, squeezing me and smothering my mouth with his, jabbing his tongue deep into my mouth."

MSBNC also obtained an advanced copy, providing an excerpt from the first chapter on its website.

"My family of origin, the one into which I was born, was also brimming with love but was not a healthy family system," Judd writes in that first chapter. "There was too much trauma, abandonment, addiction and shame. My mother, while she was transforming herself into the country legend Naomi Judd, created an origin myth for the Judds that did not match my reality. She and my sister have been quoted as saying that our family put the “fun” in dysfunction. I wondered: Who, exactly, was having all the fun? What was I missing?"

The Golden Globe nominated actress, who has become heavily involved in charity and humanitarian nonprofits, is married to Indy Car racer Dario Franchitti. She's starred in hit films such as "Double Jeopardy" and "De-Lovely," for which she received her Golden Globe nomination.

Judd was not part of her mom and sister Wynona's country music group, which gained massive success. That led to loneliness and isolation, though her sister did not escape trauma, either. Wynonna published her own memoir about her rocky childhood in 2005, in which she revealed that Naomi had been lying to her about her biological father.

For more on Judd's memoir, click over to Radar Online and MSNBC, or pick up a copy today.

Comments

[Huffpostkim]

11:36 AM on 04/26/2011

Obama designated April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Yet too many think sexual assault involves teenagers and strangers. I personally know many women AND MEN who were sexually abused as children, by relatives. Ashley Judd is inspirational because she shows you can go on and live a successful life.

But survivors abused by relatives often can't enjoy the things many take for granted: like having a public wedding. Because there is no way to avoid the abuser being present. Or if not present, no way to avoid others unknowingly referring to the abuser, during what is supposed to be the happiest day of your life. Thankfully Ashley only remembered her childhood sexual abuse recently -- or perhaps it would've destroyed her hopes of having a real wedding.

These days, with the royal wedding in the UK taking up all the news, other sexual abuse survivors are reminded that they will never be able to have public weddings.

Yet the news media is totally ignoring this angle.

[Cindy Neoneighteen]

11:21 AM on 05/09/2011

Rev. "Father Phil" Derea, The Indycar minister of the Long beach Grand prix...The Officiator of Ashley Judd's Wedding.. is being investigated for child abuse...This case against an 11 year old boy was filed in Washington D.C. and CHicagio IL.

:http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/14/us-usa-priest-abuse-idUSTRE73D8KD20110414

Very sad indeed.
"Incompetent and Complicit" in 2011 ...No excuses!

All that is Bitter and Sweet has new meaning now!
Stand Up and be counted Ashley!

[Cindy Neoneighteen]

12:01 PM on 05/09/2011

The Reuters article regarding "celebrity priest" "Indy-500" priest is currently "not available" . Aiding and Ebetting child Abusers is inexcusable in 2011.

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/philip-derea-priest-indy-500-chaplain-sexual-abuse-child-accusation-20110415

No POlitics, No pedophiles, No perverts, and NoChild Predators Allowed.

Complicit and Incompetnt is No excuse in 2011.

Please Help Ashley...You are not blind because your husband is an Indycar champion...

Stand-up against Child Abuse and Corporate Bullies, as you claim to be a Harvard graduate Ambassador against child-abuse....Take off you blilnd-fold...

"Please and Thank you" from the mothers of America!

God Speed!

[Cindy Neoneighteen]

12:11 PM on 05/09/2011

We urge anyone who has knowledge or may have been harmed by Father Philip DeRea to contact law enforcement, not church officials. Sexual crimes, however old, should be investigated by the independent professionals in law enforcement, not the biased amateurs in church offices.

This very brave victim is to be commended for speaking up and taking action to expose the truth. This is not an easy thing to do. But keep in mind your silence only hurts, and by speaking up there is a chance for healing, exposing the truth, and therefore protecting others.

Judy Jones, SNAP Midwest Associate Director, 636-433-2511
[e-mail]
“Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests”
http://www.snapnetwork.org/

Complicit and incompetent is no excuse in 2011!

Do not "re-victimize" the victim and stand up for the adult- children who have been abused.

[Chris Kelli]

10:49 PM on 04/15/2011

I wonder how many of you have actually read the book. Yes it goes into her childhood, but also talks about her activism for HIV in third world countries who have NOTHING. This book is a beautiful account of her life. Shame of you.

[Cindy Neoneighteen]

08:00 PM on 04/15/2011

This weekend at the Long Beach grand prix at the block parties of thunder, a trained eye can see how exploitation occurs every day in America. In Florida where I am from, where the Franchitti-Judd family frequently visit for professional auto -racing, which has absolutely no Federal regulations. Sadly. the racing lobbies and the “Children’s Charities“ are so huge with major contributions to things like Fallen Officers Foundations and Smiling for a child with racing heroes and advertised raffles for exciting causes. Meanwhile, our Native children are being bumped off our roadways and highways in record numbers on racing weekends and Holidays as the young, inexperienced and uneducated drivers, imitate their favorite racing "heroes".
Ashley Judd is doing a fantastic job of exposing the legitimizing of businesses of children’s exploitation and illegitimate child labor in our civilized world today. This weekend at the Long Beach grand prix in Long beach CA, a trained eye can see how exploitation occurs.
.
http://www.pubclub.com/happyhour/missgp11.htm

On the heels of Mdm. Ashley Judd-Franchitti's memoir, just look for "the fox who is guarding the hen-house" and the rest is very clear. It is sad that Ashley has had so much abuse and neglect in her life as a child, but after losing my daughter to speed and reckless driving, at the hands of an immature Indy car racing fanatic in 2005, killed bt vehicular homicide before her high school graduation ,my tolerance for "Harvard rhetoric" is limited.

[Norma Cluster]

02:16 PM on 04/15/2011

Having a lousy mother is no excuse for being a lousy daughter.

[MamacitaOfLove]

10:49 AM on 04/12/2011

Seems to me that there are generations of dysfunction in that family and Ashley is trying to end the cycle. Good for her.

[Cindy Neoneighteen]

06:27 PM on 04/11/2011

The Full link for the supply side of the girls for the 2011 Long Beach auto-race is right here…
I am wondering if the girls are 21…some of them really don’t look like it. The young boy-racers also are being exploited IMHO….

http://www.pubclub.com/happyhour/missgp11.htm

As you can see the 2011 Long Beach Grand Prix and the auto-sport Spring break Beach Party is in full form and some of these beautiful girls will be just another statistic.
The Miss Grand Prix girls look great at the Grand Prix.
The 2011 Miss Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach will be crowned on Thursday night during an open-to-the-public event taking place on Pine Ave. Right in the heart of downtown Long Beach, it features 20 girls competing to be the year-round representative of the race.
A winner and two runners-up will be chosen and they will be at the track all weekend in their bright blue grid suits, along with 2010 winners.
Pine Ave is packed for the Miss Grand Prix finals on Thursday.
The Tecate Light Miss Grand Prix finals provide the icing on the cake for the Thursday Thunder on Pine event, which also features live pit stops from IndyCar drivers..
Thursday Thunder on Pine goes from 6-11 p.m.


Very Sad Indeed.

emily's mom

[Cindy Neoneighteen]

07:18 AM on 04/15/2011

In memory of Emily Jasmine Belcher Ranyak
February 26, 1987

[Christy Mooney]

01:27 AM on 04/11/2011

WHY??? Why is everyone so quick to judge? How can you judge whether or not this memoir was written just to 'make a buck'. I SERIOUSLY doubt (in fact, I am, personally, certain) that someone would share such private, humiliating and embarrassing information just to re-vamp what may appear to be a career slump. Maybe it's not a career slump. Maybe she took time out of the spotlight to find happiness because she wasn't happy even when her successful career stated that she should be very happy. Maybe she took time off to re-discover herself, to seek therapy, to mourn the loss of certain childhood expectations, to seek peace within the form of her OWN spirituality choice. No one knows why she wrote it and no one knows what is truly in her heart or what she has gone through UNLESS you have lived her life. Everyone is so quick to judge each other, but no one knows the whole story/truth unless you lived it yourself. I urge everyone to look in the mirror before judging.

[Madampotential]

06:55 PM on 04/10/2011

what type of mother is this? they are not as real as i thught they were..

[JohnnyAce Okeke]

07:02 PM on 04/08/2011

Here, Huff. Let me help: http://www.sohh.com/2011/04/hollywood_star_ashley_judd_bashes_rap_mo.html {{-_-}}

[carnegie]

12:08 AM on 04/10/2011

Uh, she basically says rap is often sexist and misogynistic.

Can you say with a straight face it is not?

[JohnnyAce Okeke]

03:39 PM on 04/10/2011

Are Mos Def, De La Soul, Talib Kweli, Lupe Fiasco, Hieroglyphics, and A Tribe Called Quest sexist and misogynistic?

Hip-hop does not label ALL women. They only discuss a specific TYPE of woman. Any woman who knows she isn't like those women should not be offended.

Other than that, it's just men partying and having fun, and women who WILLINGLY shake their butts to it. Can you call those women sexist and misogynistic?

Ashley Judd = Bill O'Reilly {{-_-}}

[JohnnyAce Okeke]

07:01 PM on 04/08/2011

Funny how HuffPost hasn't published Ms. Judd's hateful comments towards hip-hop music. {{-_-}}

[Summer Tyre]

04:55 PM on 04/10/2011

Some hip-hop artists objectify women...People can say it is a "certain type" of woman which is objectified. However, stereotypes stick and some stereotypes are a direct result of what a group of people outputs. But it isn't just hip-hop...Rock & even country objectify women and men. Music in general does. We are all entitled to like or dislike what we wish. We are entitled to voice our opinions. I don't think her opinion on hip-hop would garner any notoriety for Huffington Post. Whether or not we like her opinion, she is free to have it. I don't like all hip-hop, but I don't like all rock or country either...There are many genres in which I like some of the music. I disagree with some lyrics and messages. Even if I was a celebrity, my like or dislike of certain types of music wouldn't be news (unless I was breaking into that industry). That's just the nature of the media. If it won't promote or sell anything, why do it?

[Madampotential]

06:50 PM on 04/10/2011

eminem is the only one that actually glorifies it.... and we know who his audience is

[JohnnyAce Okeke]

11:21 AM on 04/11/2011

Exactly. Ms. Judd seems to have forgotten that. {{-_-}}

[MamacitaOfLove]

10:46 AM on 04/12/2011

Who is eminem's audience?

[turneriver]

03:48 PM on 04/08/2011

hint...no malfunction. don't bother. not interesting or funny.

[bswell]

03:26 PM on 04/08/2011

Is this what a fading starlet does? Airs all her dirty linen in public to make a buck.

[jackiero]

03:18 PM on 04/08/2011

This is why I don't get involved in Hollywood gossip or read star's memoires. Of course they are flawed, complicated human beings--we ALL are--but I'm not looking up to them for their advice on how to be a better person or who I should cast my vote for. I'm only looking to be entertained with their talent. I'll take the illusion, thank you.

[love8rockets]

02:37 PM on 04/08/2011

Welcome to America--sounds so similar (to mine)-- Many even worse. It's good that Ashley brings this out into the open. So many victims still suffer in shame.

[Ptcruisindad]

12:54 PM on 04/08/2011

I was a big fan of the Judds, I thought the mother and daughter duo was charming, until I read that book Naomi wrote. " Love can Build a Bridge" It turns out that chummy mother and daughter stage persona was just an act, Wynona did everything she could to undermine that act.like sleeping with her future step father, Jerry Schilling, just to get back at Naomi. The rancorous relationship ultimately led to the demise of the singing duo.I could honestly say that after reading one of these Judd tell all books, I never listened to or bought another one of their CDs,they just seemed so phony and superficial !

[krallfan]

01:28 PM on 04/08/2011

When it was revealed that Wynona did not know she and Ashley did not have the same father until well after Wynona became an adult, I knew they had issues.

As I recall, Ashley had always known, but Wynona did not know. That says alot about their dysfunction.

I don't know if they are phony however. It seems that they are just like everyone else with their "keeping up appearances" attitude. This goes on in my family as well.

[leskataus]

02:07 PM on 04/09/2011

Wynonna said she never got to meet her father. That's a shame.

[jusathot]

03:57 PM on 04/10/2011

"Like sleeping with her future step father?" She raped him?

[Tony Melendez]

04:09 PM on 04/11/2011

You're probably right , she was so hell bent at getting back at her mother or she was in competion with her for his attention.Oh, to be famous and immoral !