Tom Hanks has appeared in some of the most
notable films of his time, and his kids were
born and raised among showbiz elite.
But one Hanks offspring isn't what you'd expect
when you think of the son of the nicest guy
in Hollywood.
Here are some details you may not know about
Tom Hanks' son Chet.
Considering Chet comes from a family of actors,
it makes sense that he's tried to make it
in Hollywood.
However, he doesn't necessarily think he owes
his opportunities to these connections, telling
TooFab,
"Everything I've got I had to earn myself,
I had to go and audition for every role I
got, just like anybody else.
It's not like I'm just gonna make a phone
call and - boom - you're in it.
That's not how it works."
That may be true, but Chet did reveal to People
that his famous dad gave him some advice when
it comes to being successful, saying,
"Show up on time, know your lines, and be
nice to everybody."
Popping up in bit parts over the years, Chet
later appeared in two episodes of Curb Your
Enthusiasm in 2017, and managed to take his
credits up a notch when he landed the role
of Charlie on Shameless from 2016 to 2018.
Fans of Empire may also recognize him as Blake
Sterling, a rapper and hip hop artist who
was with the show from 2018 to 2019 - a role
that Chet was more than prepared for thanks
to one of his other creative pursuits.
Chet doesn't just play a rapper on TV, he's
also one in real life.
Years ago, a young Chester Marlon Hanks rebranded
himself as Chet Haze.
Wiz Khalifa fans will recognize Chet's song
"White and Purple" as a remake of "Black and
Yellow," which the lesser-known rapper renamed
in honor of Northwestern University's colors,
where he went to school, according to The
Cut.
Apparently, Haze's former classmates remember
him, with one person telling the world in
a now-deleted tweet about what he was supposedly
like during their school days.
First calling Chet a "rapper" in quotes, they
also recalled,
"All the tacky [little] theatre kids would
cast him in their student plays hoping [Tom
Hanks] would come watch."
While Haze seems to get less-than-stellar
support from his fellow alumni, he's not letting
that hinder his attempts at a music career.
That's perhaps why he's also a part of a group
called Something Out West, which sounds like
a mix of country and rap, as well as FTRZ
with Drew Arthur.
Chet may not be the most successful figure
when it comes to both acting and rapping,
but that doesn't mean that he's strapped for
cash.
Whether he was gifted with a decent trust
fund from his wealthy parents or has managed
to strike up significant deals for himself,
Chet has an estimated $3 million to his name.
While that's not exactly bad at all, it's
not quite as impressive as the kind of cash
that his relatives are banking.
Chet's brother, actor Colin Hanks, has five
times as much as his younger sibling, with
an estimated net worth of around $15 million.
However, neither of the younger Hanks can
come close to matching the formidable fortunes
that their parents have earned over the years.
Thanks to her work on screen as well as savvy
real estate purchases and accompanying sales,
Rita Wilson is reportedly worth a whopping
$100 million.
Of course, as you might expect, Tom Hanks
is the one with the most money in the family,
with a jaw-dropping estimated $400 million.
Basically, Rita and Tom have made enough to
take care of their family for generations,
meaning the kids could never work another
day in their life if they were so inclined.
That is, if they end up inheriting their parents'
millions.
Tom Hanks' son may have come from a privileged
background, but Chet has still faced - and
overcome - a serious issue that could have
taken his life.
In 2014, he revealed that he'd struggled with
substance use since he was 16, and in 2015,
his behavior got him into trouble with the
law after he trashed a hotel room, according
to The Cut.
That prompted the celeb to enter rehab to
get a handle on his addiction.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Chet later
addressed the situation in a since-deleted
Instagram post, saying,
"I was selling coke, doing coke until I couldn't
even snort it up my nose anymore because it
was so clogged.
I even smoked crack."
As dire as that sounds, he also offered hope.
"If I can change, you can change.
There is a solution."
Noting that the man he had become was not
who he wanted to be, Chet continued,
"It's been a long journey for me discovering
who I am because of all the pressures that
I've dealt with in my life, you know, being
the son of my dad and everything, and just
trying to find where I fit in."
Tom also opened up about his son's drug use
and recovery, telling Entertainment Tonight,
"As a parent, you love your kids unconditionally
and you support them in every step of the
way and you gotta applaud bravery and honesty
when it comes."
If you or someone you know is struggling with
addiction, please call the Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Administration's 24/7 National
Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
That's 1-800-662-4357.
Many people who have overcome problems with
addiction would understandably rather put
the experience behind them and never think
about it again.
But Chet is using his struggle with addiction
and eventual rehabilitation as an inspiration
to others.
In June 2019, Chet took to Instagram to share
a shot of himself speaking in front of a crowd
of teenagers and young adults.
He captioned the image, in part,
"Thanks again...for having me come talk to
the kids about growing up, life, and sobriety.
I got a lot out of it and hope they did too.
Progress not perfection.
All Love."
The two organizations Chet also mentioned
in the post, One on Campus and Visions Teen,
aim to help students deal with issues around
addiction and offer paths to treatment options.
According to their website, One On Campus
is a non-profit that offers drop-ins, peer
support groups, and events, as well as:
"A free 24/7 Nationwide assistance line for
parents offering viable resources during times
of struggle."
Visions Teen runs treatment facilities in
addition to, quote,
"A safe, supportive, and intensive program
[that helps those who are trying to improve
their lives] come to terms with their problems
and begin to make positive choices."
Both initiatives are amazing resources and
Chet's involvement is definitely commendable.
While Chet may be primarily known as Tom and
Rita's kid - despite his attempts to prove
himself as both an actor and rapper - the
son of two Hollywood stars is, in fact, a
father himself.
Back in 2016, Chet welcomed a baby girl into
the world.
While opening up about his relationship with
his daughter during an interview with Access
Live in 2018, Chet addressed the hardships
that he's been through with drugs and admitted,
"If my daughter wasn't born, I don't know
if I would have made the change necessary.
She saved my life, honestly."
"Was that sort of what made you all of a sudden
wake up and realize, I've got somebody else
to live for?"
"That's pretty much single handedly what it
was."
That change has resulted in some pretty adorable
times between the pair, which the proud papa
likes to share on Instagram, where the two
can be seen playing, cuddling, reading together,
or even getting ready for Christmas.
Proving that he's like his own father in the
ways that really matter, he captioned the
Christmas pic with,
"Doing all the things that my dad used to
do with me.
No better feeling."
Tom Hanks tends to make headlines by earning
industry accolades or doing adorable things
like crashing a couple's wedding photoshoot.
Time magazine even ran a piece that was filled
with charming tidbits about the beloved star
called:
"6 Most Tom Hanks Things That Tom Hanks Has
Ever Done."
On the other hand, his son Chet sometimes
makes waves for downright cringe-worthy reasons.
For instance, in 2015, the younger Hanks defended
his right to use a racial slur because he's
into hip hop culture.
Naturally, that didn't go over well, and in
2018, he admitted that he regrets his past
statements.
He blamed his questionable behavior on drugs
and the fact that he was basically, in his
words, "trolling" for attention.
"I did like the ultimate lame thing, you know
what I'm saying, I did like the ultimate cornball
thing."
However, in 2020, Pedestrian reported,
"[Chet Hanks made] headlines once again, only
this time [it was] because he [was] genuinely
convinced that 'snowboarding,' 'Billabong
t-shirts,' and the word 'gnarly' are white
culture."
Chet tried to argue on Instagram, quote,
"If a Rastafarian with dreadlocks who grew
up in Jamaica watching the X Games and Olympics
[got into those things], are white people
supposed to get mad at him for appropriating
their culture?
So my question is how come it doesn't work
both ways?"
Perhaps Chet isn't the best person to be asking
that kind of question - especially considering
the others ways he's been accused of crossing
the line.
Chet was accused of cultural appropriation
when he showed up to the 2020 Golden Globes,
where his father was being honored with the
Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement.
Chet ended up stirring up a scandal when he
hit the red carpet and spoke with a Jamaican
Patois accent.
"Wake up this morning and me see the things,
TURN UP!
Internet gone mad."
While People magazine points out that Chet's
mother thought it was, quote, "maybe the best
laugh of the night," others didn't agree.
Chet was called out for his behavior on social
media, which apparently surprised him.
Starting off with the fake accent yet again,
he said in an Instagram video,
"Never in a million years would I have thought
that me just goofing around on the red carpet
would have got so much attention but man,
it's been crazy."
"One thing I'm not joking about is my love
and appreciation for Jamaica and the Jamaican
culture."
While he may have just been messing around,
he also released a new song at the same time,
hinting at the fact that he may have done
this just to stir up attention.
However, Chet eventually changed tactics and
posted another video, while writing in the
caption,
"I want to thank everybody and anybody who
has taken the time to offer me a constructive
critique [and] perspective for the entirety
of this conversation.
Your words have not fallen on deaf ears.
I have been paying attention to everything
you guys have been saying, and it has been
deeply eye-opening."
Unsurprisingly, Chet has claimed on Instagram
that he's the "black sheep" of his family,
but just because he's not like his parents
or siblings doesn't mean that the family rejects
him.
In fact, they seem to fully support him, even
when times get tough.
Chet has opened up about the fact that during
his darkest times with drug abuse, his parents
were still trying to reach out to him.
However, he was the one who cut them off because
he felt, in his words, "anger and resentment"
toward them.
He admitted it was really a way to direct
those negative emotions outward instead of
toward himself.
Beyond that, Chet told Access Live during
a 2018 interview that his mom knew his drug
issue was going to be a problem before he
did.
He added,
"Moms always know best.
Moms can see what you're going through."
The unconditional support is perhaps why Chet
seems to adore his family, taking to Instagram
to share posts on his parents' anniversary
or on his mom's birthday, along with messages
like:
"LOVE YOU GUYS...[and] Who loves you more
than me???'"
He may not share a ton of similarities with
the rest of his famous family, but Chet certainly
seems to be just as loving as the rest of
them.
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