How Justine Bateman Gets Along With Her Brother Jason

What you didn't know about Jason Bateman and his older sister Justine Bateman is that their parallel upbringings and mirroring careers didn't result in a sibling rivalry. As child stars in the 1980s, with Jason getting his start starring in "Little House on the Prairie" and Justine in "Family Ties," the Batemans appeared in interviews and promoted their shows together. At that time, they couldn't have been more supportive. 

Speaking to "CBS News Nightwatch" in 1985, they were asked about animosity between them — since at the time of the interview, Jason's show had just been canceled. Justine reassured viewers there wasn't any bad blood. "Gosh, he's gonna go do lots of movies," Justine remarked. In another joint interview the following year, Justine remarked on their childhoods: "We've had a lot of fun when we were growing up. Jason's not too bright when it comes to deceiving the parents when they go out of town." The duo recounted the hijinks they got into growing up, and the punishments they had to endure when they were caught. Nothing brings siblings closer quite like lying to mom and dad.

The successful celeb siblings' lives don't look exactly the same anymore, as Justine has taken a break from acting to pursue other outlets both within and outside of entertainment. The siblings still seem to support each other's endeavors. When asked about Justine's career in Hollywood later in a 2013 interview with GQ, Jason said she stepped back to have her children, "And by the time she wanted to make a more concerted effort to get back into the workplace, I think her passion for it had waned a bit." However, he didn't believe that upset her too much as she devoted her time to other things: "So I'm positive that she's happy."

In a 2005 interview with Conan O'Brien, Jason Bateman shocked the crowd by mentioning his "Arrested Development" character Michael and revealing, "I have been pitching my beloved sister to come on as my love interest." Jason joked with some wild remarks about incest, but he revealed how the pitch was "half-serious" due to the themes of incest the show utilized. Justine later appeared on an episode aptly titled, "Family Ties," starring as Nellie, a prostitute Michael believed to be their long-lost sister. There was a nod to his original idea, though, as Nellie didn't realize Michael was possibly her brother.

It seems Jason and Justine aren't as close as they once were working for the same industry while living under the same roof. During an episode of "WTF with Marc Maron" in 2015, Jason revealed their relationship was "healthy." He expressed they don't see each other daily or even every holiday and shared his perspective: "Well, let's earn the relationship that adults should or could have, that is not ... you're not handcuffed because of the blood. You've gotta earn it." He affirmed they got along, although their kids weren't super close. When Maron asked how far away Justine lived, Jason laughed and said, "She's about a mile from my house." He later added, "I could be a better uncle, brother, son, Marc."

Except for a humorous moment in his 2016 Wired "Autocomplete Interview" where Jason joked that he and Justine weren't actually related, the siblings don't publicly discuss each other much. And since Justine's social media presence doesn't really chronicle her personal life, it can only be assumed they still get along and just keep to themselves.