Why Wynonna Judd ‘Wasn’t There’ for Ashley Judd as a Sister at Times

Country music icon Wynonna Judd has been open about how being famous impacted her relationships with her mother, Naomi Judd, and her sister, Ashley Judd. Since Naomi and Wynonna took off on tour as The Judds when Ashley was a child, she “became independent of the family” as she learned to take care of herself.

Wynonna acknowledged some of the ways she wasn’t available and how that played a part in who Ashley became. What did she say about her independent little sister and feeling like she was pulled in two directions by her famous family?

Wynonna Judd said sister Ashley Judd became independent of their family ‘out of necessity’

Wynonna gave an interview with Dan Rather in 2015, during which she spoke about her relationships with her famous mom and sister. She discussed how setting off into the world of country music as The Judds with their mother impacted them.

“The only thing I have in common with my sister is a [missing] father … and a mother that’s both of ours,” Wynonna explained of Ashley. “She and I are very different.”

She added they didn’t “communicate … [or] spend time together” then. “And that’s a long history of being apart,” she suggested.

Wynonna said she left home when she was 18 and her little sister was 14. “And I think at 14, Ashley became independent of the family. I think out of necessity,” she explained.

Wynonna Judd raised Ashley Judd but ‘wasn’t there as a sister’

Notably, Ashley relied on Wynonna as a big sister, especially when they were children. “… I raised her, actually,” Wynonna told Rather, noting Ashley called her Sister Mommy. She “really had a hard time with that” because, as she told Ashley, “I don’t want to be your mommy. I want to be your sister.”

In 2015, she felt they needed to work to find her role as a sister. “… The way life was, I was famous at 18. I wasn’t there for her prom. I wasn’t there as a sister,” Wynonna explained. “… It’s like a marriage that’s developed separate lives.”

Though the love has always been there between them, they didn’t see each other or talk very much while The Judds were on the road. “Success is a good thing. And it takes you away from the people you love. It just does,” Wynonna shared.

Wynonna Judd felt she had to make a choice between her sister and her mom

Wynonna pointed out that she shared as much of her life with her mother as anyone could. Of course, working and touring together didn’t mean they always had what others would call a functional relationship.

“That was a full-time job. And because of those dynamics, honestly, and this is hard to admit, but it was almost as if I had to pick one out of the two,” she told Rather, referring to Naomi and Ashley.

And because she put The Judds first, she and Ashley “missed out on a lot.” She added, “I have a lot of tears for the times we’ve missed out on.”

The sisters seemed as close as ever when they leaned on each other for a public memorial service after Naomi’s 2022 death.