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Eric Roberts and Emma Roberts’ father-daughter relationship is far from ordinary.
In addition to both being public figures after finding success in Hollywood, the actors have faced some highs and lows that have been documented for the world to see.
During an April 2026 appearance on the “Really Famous With Kara Mayer Robinson” podcast, Eric was asked whether he and Emma have a “complicated” relationship. His answer may surprise a few fans.
“It’s only complicated through outside eyes because they don’t get any of it. So, they have their own take, whatever that is,” he shared. “I’m so proud of my kid. She didn’t start off as a great actor, but she became a great actor. She’s fabulous.”
Us is taking a trip down memory lane and breaking down Eric and Emma’s unconventional relationship. Keep reading for an inside look at this famous duo:
What Was Eric Roberts Like When Emma Roberts Was a Child?
Eric Roberts and Emma Roberts Getty Images (2)
Eric and ex Kelly Cunningham welcomed daughter Emma in 1991.
In his 2024 memoir, Runaway Train: Or the Story of My Life So Far, Eric admitted that he was a “wash rag” emotionally at the time of his daughter’s birth.
“I had abandoned Kelly when Emma was just 7 months old,” he wrote. “We went through a lot, and [Kelly] saw me at my absolute worst — yet she stayed, for a time, though I’m sure she questioned whether or not she should. We both wanted a child — maybe I did more than she — but we both wanted to become parents.”
The actor said he “fell madly in love with Emma the first minute I saw her.”
Ultimately, the enthusiasm he had for fatherhood wasn’t enough to overtake his weaknesses.
“I loved my little daughter with the strength of Hercules, despite my own weaknesses,” he wrote via Entertainment Weekly. “However, I couldn’t handle the realities of an infant coming into my life, and I couldn’t handle being a parent! I’m still not a father figure. Emma, on the other hand, certainly knows what that role is — now grown up and a mom herself. She’s that person to her first child, Rhodes.”
What Has Eric Roberts Said About Emma Roberts?
During an October 2024 episode of the “Inside of You” podcast, Eric was asked to name the “toughest period” of his life.
“Probably the loss of [a] relationship with my daughter,” he shared. “There’s not a pain, there’s a sadness for the, most likely, misunderstandings [that] I’ll have forever. Because we’re human.”
While he tries to keep his relationship with Emma off social media, Eric shared a rare Instagram post in honor of his daughter’s birthday in February 2023.
“Very happiest of birthday eves to my precious daughter…” he wrote at the time. “I knew she’d grow up to be all that and more. One of the rare things I was right about. I love you, Emma. Happy Birthday.”
A complicated relationship. While Julia Roberts and her older brother, Eric Roberts, have a typical sibling bond now, that wasn’t always the case. “Julia and I have always been fine,” Eric revealed during a June 2022 appearance on the “Behind The Velvet Rope With David Yontef” podcast. “I think years and years ago, I was doing […]
What Has Emma Roberts Said About Eric Roberts?
Emma has tried to keep her relationship with Eric out of the spotlight.
During a July 2024 episode of the “Still Here Hollywood” podcast, Eric admitted that Emma and his sister Julia Roberts prefer that he doesn’t speak about them in interviews.
“I love my sister, but I can’t talk about her,” he shared. “And also my daughter told me not to talk about her, but I stumble and do. I’m not supposed to talk about either of them. But I do.”
Was Eric Roberts at Emma Roberts’ Wedding?
When Emma exchanged vows with husband Cody John in Idaho in July 2026, her father was noticeably absent.
“I love my daughter, always have, always will,” Eric said in a statement to Us after missing the nuptials. “It is perfectly wonderful for her to celebrate however she wants, with whomever she wants.”
