Tragic Details About Tom Hanks And Rita Wilson's Son Chet

The following article contains references to substance abuse and domestic violence.

When your parents are not only multi-talented entertainers but also one of Hollywood's most beloved couples, it's hard to avoid the spotlight. Whether that light is used to cast a beautiful shine or a harsh glare depends on the person, but it brought the tragic details about Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson's son, Chet Hanks, into the public eye in a way that couldn't be ignored.

Chet's relationship with his parents, especially his dad, has been complicated. His life has been filled with ups and downs, and he has made a name for himself in a way that doesn't necessarily fit the family brand. Drugs, along with strange and occasionally offensive behavior, have overshadowed Chet's successes as an actor on "Empire" or his attempt to break into the music industry as a rapper.  

He has reinvented himself over and over again, presumably as a way to stand out, because one thing we know about Tom Hanks' four kids is that they a group of overachievers. Chet's older brother Colin is essentially Tom Hanks' twin, mirroring both his father's looks and successful career. He is a well-known actor who has starred in "NCIS," "Roswell," and other shows.. Chet's older sister Elizabeth is a successful writer, while younger brother Truman stays behind the camera, working on production teams. The Hanks crew is a tough act to follow, which may be why Chet has turned his eye toward a father more famous than his own: God. His Instagram feed is filled with his newfound faith. Where this path takes the star of MTV's reality series "The Surreal Life: Villa of Secrets" remains to be seen.

Growing up with celebrity parents might sound like fun, but Chet Hanks has said that the grass isn't always greener for the children of the rich and famous. In a YouTube video that has since been made private, Chet described the experience as "a double-edged sword" (via E! News). "There's a lot of advantages but sometimes it can be pretty weird," he said. "I got to do a lot of cool s**t that a lot of people don't get the opportunity to do. I got to travel the world, stay in nice hotels, fly on private planes and I'm very blessed for that. I wouldn't change my situation." 

But just because he wouldn't change it doesn't mean he hasn't had to deal with the less desirable aspects. Chet, who attended Northwestern University, said that he was often judged by his classmates in both high school and college based on nothing but the fact that his father was such a big star. "People would make up their minds about me before they even got the chance to know me and it was extremely hard to break down their walls," the rapper continued in his video. "People kinda did f**k with me a lot growing up. It was never to my face. It was always behind my back in the forms of gossip or s**t talking." Hanks said that kind of judgment led him to develop what he described as a "hard exterior" to protect himself.

One of the hardest things about being the child of a celebrity is that you become famous for something you had no control over. At least that's what Chet Hanks said he experienced. In a now private You Tube video shown on E! News, the "Empire" actor admitted that being famous for being related to someone famous was challenging. "My experience was even more complicated because on top of fame already being toxic, I wasn't even famous," he said. "I was just the son of somebody famous so I hadn't even done anything to deserve any sort of recognition and that created a lot of contempt." In an interview with a Too Fab reporter who caught up with Hanks at LAX, the reality television star admitted that his father's reputation and fame are impossible to escape. "If I invented a cure for cancer tomorrow, in the article it would say, 'Tom Hanks' Son Invents The Cure For Cancer,' you know what I mean? It's inevitable," he told the reporter. 

Living in that big shadow led to what the actor described on the season premiere of MTV's Surreal Life (per Too Fab) as feelings of inadequacy and caused him to struggle with his identity. "People think that being Tom Hanks' son, I would grow up feeling like I was the s**t," he said. "I actually grew up feeling completely f**king worthless." He added, "So 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.'"

For his part, Tom Hanks has admitted to making parenting mistakes, expressing regret over not being there for his children as much as he could have been when they were young. 

The wealth and privilege that accompany the life of a celebrity mean that pretty much anything they want, the get. That goes for their children, too. Chet Hanks took advantage of that fact to start using drugs and alcohol at the age of 16. As he revealed on Bradley Martyn's "Raw Talk" podcast, he began "smoking weed and getting drunk." He continued, saying, "It was just regular teenage s**t, man." Prior to that, he was admittedly pretty strait-laced. "It was such an abrupt change that it was concerning," he said. His parents were so concerned, in fact, that they sent Chet away to a wilderness program in Utah during the summer between his junior and senior years. He recalled waking up at 4 a.m. to find two large men at the foot of his bed who were there to escort him to the location. 

Chet previously described this experience on the "Ivan Paychecks" podcast, saying he had to live in the wilderness in the middle of nowhere with no roof over his head and no idea when he would be able to go home. "I was there longer than anybody else that I had seen come or go in the whole program, except for one kid who was there for six months," Chet said. Although he revealed that the solitude did help him find some peace, it did not have the desired effect of getting him sober. 

In a now deleted series of videos posted to social media, Chet Hanks copped to having a cocaine addiction. "A couple months ago I was selling coke, doing coke until I couldn't even snort it up my nose anymore because it was so clogged," he said (via Los Angeles Times). "I even smoked crack." He also admitted to going to rehab, debunking tabloid fodder that claimed the oldest son of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson had gone missing. "I know, like, my name's been in the media about me like going missing or getting kidnapped or something. I just want to let you all know, I've been in rehab ... and I'm doing pretty damn good," he said. 

It would not be the last time that Chet would find himself in rehab. As he revealed on the MTV reality show "Surreal Life: Villa of Secrets," he went on a three-day cocaine bender in Vegas that resulted in a 27-pound weight loss. He described the incident as finding "rock bottom" and said he immediately went back to rehab. "I just knew, man, if I don't change my life in a drastic way, either I'm not even going to be around, or something bad — so bad — is going to happen that my life might as well be over, because that's where I was headed," he confessed. In a clip from the show posted to Instagram in August 2024, Chet celebrated his two-year sobriety milestone with his cast mates who threw him a sobriety "birthday" party. 

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Cars, boats, motorcycles, and private planes are just a few of the toys enjoyed by the rich and famous. They can also hire drivers to take them anywhere they want to go, which can come in handy after an evening out in tinsel town. With his reputation for overindulging in drugs and alcohol, you would think that Chet Hanks would have a driver on speed dial, or that his parents would think twice before handing him the keys to one of their cars, but apparently not. The "Your Honor" actor rear-ended another vehicle while driving a car that belonged to his parents while allegedly under the influence. As reported by The Wrap, the incident landed Chet and his folks on the wrong end of a lawsuit, as the other driver, Terry Moogan, claimed that the elder Hanks were acting negligently by allowing their son to take the car.

The suit claimed, "Despite knowing that Chester Hanks was a careless and reckless driver and a habitual user of drugs and alcohol, they negligently permitted Chester Hanks to operate their vehicle and thus, in addition to Chester Hanks, are responsible for the physical and emotional injuries Mr. Moogan sustained as the result of the accident." It went on to state, "Chester Hanks was driving his vehicle in an unreasonable and unsafe manner and was under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol at the time his vehicle struck Mr. Moogan's vehicle." It is unclear how much Moogan was seeking, or how the matter was resolved. 

With actors, writers, and producers making up the branches of the Hanks' family tree, there's no denying that the gene pool is full of talent. Chet Hanks inherited his fair share, making appearances on both the large and small screen before trying his hand at becoming a rap artist. After adopting the stage name Chet Hanx, he recorded songs like the controversial "White Boy Summer" and was signed to Soulja Boy's label, SODMG Records. Rapping might have seemed a little off-brand for the son of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, but what was even more shocking was a now-deleted Instagram post featuring a photo of the singer with a caption condemning his so-called haters and featuring a racial slur. 

Unsurprisingly, the post drew much criticism, prompting the artist to inexplicably defend himself in yet more since-deleted social media rants. In an attempt to justify his use of the n-word, he claimed that it "unifies the culture of hip-hop across all races" (via Los Angeles Times). He continued his ramble in a series of videos, which have also been deleted, that carried the same message and claimed his right to free speech: "You can hate me or love me for it, but can't nobody tell me what I can or can't say. It's got nothing to do with trying to be a thug. It's about the culture of the music." Instagram deleted Chet's account after the incident but reinstated it shortly thereafter; however, his famous parents reportedly encouraged him to get off of social media.

As if dropping a racial slur on social media and then defending it wasn't bad enough, Chet Hanks once again made waves with what many perceived to be cultural appropriation. While at the Golden Globes to watch his father, Tom Hanks, receive a prestigious Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement, the former rapper raised eyebrows by posting a video of himself on the red carpet speaking in Jamaican Patois. The cringe-worthy clip wasn't the only time the oldest son of Tom and his wife Rita Wilson posted a video featuring his fake accent. He continued to use it in a political rant calling out President Donald Trump after the 2020 election. 

Chet tried to defend himself by participating in a discussion on the invite-only social media app Clubhouse, where he claimed, "I have no ill intentions and I'm just being myself" (via Newsweek). However, he seemed less apologetic when he appeared on comedian Zwie's self-titled talk show. When asked if he thinks he's inspired other "young white boys" to adopt the accent, Chet arrogantly stated, "I think I did make the Patois accent a little more trending . ... I was the first person to kind of get it in the conversation of just recent times." When the host offered him an opportunity to apologize to anyone he may have offended with his behavior, Chet refused. To his credit, his refusal was spoken in his own native tongue. 

Some people just don't learn how and when to stop talking, and Chet Hanks seemed to be one of them when he continued to post controversial videos to his social media accounts after already receiving backlash for his use of racial slurs and Jamaican vernacular. This particular controversy centered around Chet's song "White Boy Summer" and his call to action. In a since-deleted post on his Instagram page, Chet shared a video of himself sitting behind the wheel of a car, saying, "I just got this feeling, man, that this summer is, it's about to be a white-boy summer" (via The New Yorker). He continued, "I'm not talking about, like, Trump, you know, Nascar-type white. I'm talking about me, Jon B., Jack Harlow-type white-boy summer. ... Let me know if you guys can vibe with that." Apparently, some people vibed with that. Namely far-right extremists who, according to the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, "co-opted [it] to promote hate and bigotry."

Chet has said that he had no ill intent when he started his white boy summer posts. In a statement on Instagram, he wrote, "White boy summer was created to be fun, playful, and a celebration of fly white boys who love beautiful queens of every race.Anything else that it has been twisted into to support any kind of hate or bigotry against any group of people is deplorable and I condemn it." 

If you or a loved one has experienced a hate crime, contact the VictimConnect Hotline by phone at 1-855-4-VICTIM or by chat for more information or assistance in locating services to help. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.

Trouble just seems to attach itself to some people — Chet Hanks among them. Not long after the "white boy summer" controversy, the actor was once again in the news thanks to an altercation with his then-girlfriend Kiana Parker. A recording of the incident appeared on TMZ and featured Chet with blood on his face, claiming that Parker charged at him with a knife. Parker, who had already been granted a temporary protective order against Chet by a Texas judge for alleged verbally and physically abusive behavior, denied his accusations and sued him for $1 million. The mom of twins claimed that Chet threatened to kill her and then kill himself while her children were home. Chet, who has a child of his own with former girlfriend Tiffany Miles, had his handgun license suspended as a result of that accusation. 

Chet countersued Parker, claiming that she had stolen money and property from him. While the whole ordeal reads like an episode of "Jerry Springer," Chet's lawyer, the famous Marty Singer — who has represented everyone from Ricky Martin to Prince Andrew — told TMZ that his client was not at fault. "The day after Chet Hanks confronted Kiana Parker about stealing money from his credit card, while Ms. Parker was accompanied by a huge male carrying a gun she viciously attacked Chet with a knife, which caused him to profusely bleed. It is all on video and the undisputed video tells the whole story. Her claims are completely false, fabricated and fictional," he said. It is unclear whether or not the matter was resolved. 

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.