Wynonna Judd has opened up about her evolving relationship with her younger sister
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The singer and her sister, who is an actress, both experienced the loss of their mother, Naomi Judd, in 2022.
Wynonna Judd has spoken candidly about her complex relationship with her younger sister, Ashley Judd. During her May 23 appearance on Talking in Circles with Clint Black, Wynonna, 60, discussed how their bond has changed over time as both pursued careers in the spotlight.
“Ashley is doing well. We don’t spend much time together, and we aren’t as close as I wish we were, but that’s because our success pulled us apart,” Wynonna explained. “It’s ironic and a little sad—fame often takes you away from home.”
The country singer Wynonna and actress Ashley share the same mother, Naomi Judd, who tragically died by suicide in April 2022 at age 76. Growing up, financial hardships meant that Wynonna often cared for Ashley while their mother, a single parent who had Wynonna at 18, worked to support the family.
Wynonna shared with Black, “I was the one who raised Ashley, which is why our relationship is a bit unusual—she even calls me ‘sister mommy.’ It makes me a little sad because I never really got to be just her sister. It was always the two of us trying to survive. I had to be tougher and stricter than her to keep things together. When you’re 14, with a mom working constantly, you learn to take on responsibilities like driving.”
She added, “I was in charge of a lot because she depended on me. That’s how it was growing up with a single mom. What else could we do? But we made it through, didn’t we?”
In her late teens, Wynonna and Naomi achieved fame as the singing duo The Judds, while Ashley pursued acting and gained recognition with her 1993 role in Ruby in Paradise.
After their mother’s passing, Wynonna told PEOPLE in 2022 that she was leaning on Ashley now that both their parents were gone.
“With both my parents gone, I’m depending on Ashley. She’s depending on me too, but in a way that’s about compassion rather than success or capability,” Wynonna said. “It’s about love and vulnerability. Ashley and I are very different people, but we’re realizing we share more similarities than differences.”
Ashley also discussed their relationship on the Healing with David Kessler podcast, noting that they were coping with Naomi’s death in different ways but still maintaining a close bond.
“My sister came over yesterday, stayed the day and night. We talked about mom and social issues. She gave me a foot rub. We’re in different places emotionally, but we don’t need to be on the same page to have compassion for each other. That’s an important grace family members should learn to offer one another,” Ashley said.