Wynonna Judd Revealed Her ‘Ongoing Love Affair’ With Naomi Judd Will Never End
Country music’s most famous mother-daughter duo, The Judds, comprised of Naomi and Wynonna Judd, went through ups and downs they often shared with the public. And Wynonna revealed she’s been on a rollercoaster of emotions since Naomi’s death, comparing her grief over her mother to “an ongoing love affair that will never end.”
Wynonna Judd and Naomi Judd ‘grew up together’
Naomi told Robin Roberts on Good Morning America that, even though she and Wynonna had formed The Judds, she and her actor daughter Ashley Judd were “so stinkin’ much alike.”
She explained, “We have the same mannerisms. We both read a whole lot. We both love new places. I mean, there’s such similarities.”
As for Wynonna, Naomi said she knew it was the two of them “against the world” from the day she found out she was pregnant as a senior in high school. So, she noted that they “kind of grew up together,” which sometimes caused tension.
“I love her, but there are just sometimes we need a break from each other,” Naomi said of Wynonna, adding the two were “on a break” when she gave the interview in 2016. “We’re still a little estranged from each other,” she explained. “And that happens with mothers [and] daughters.”
Naomi shared in her memoir River of Time that she’d been diagnosed with “severe treatment-resistant depression” that threatened her life. She ultimately reconnected with Wynonna, and The Judds reunited in 2022, just before her tragic death by suicide.
Wynonna Judd revealed grief over Naomi Judd’s death is a neverending ‘love affair’
While speaking with grief expert David Kessler about her experience, including her first Thanksgiving as the family matriarch, Wynonna shared that she still talks about her mom on stage every night because she’s afraid people will forget her.
Kessler pointed out that death doesn’t have the power to end a relationship or the love someone feels for an individual, though it takes our loved ones from us. “I tell you what,” Wynonna responded. “[With] your mother … I don’t think it ends. Ever, ever, ever.”
“And I get so frustrated sometimes because I think, ‘Holy moly, this is an ongoing love affair that will never end,” she explained.
Wynonna Judd shared advice for others dealing with grief
Wynonna told Kessler she hoped her experience with grief could help guide others in a similar situation. “I have so much to learn … yet I don’t want to do this,” she said, encouraging others on the same “path” to reach out if they need help.
She benefits from talking to someone she feels safe speaking honestly with. Not everyone likes to hear another person tell them, “I’m not ok,” she noted. But it’s been essential for her to say it, and she offered that it feels like “this lifted weight.”
“It’s hard for me to reach out because I’m supposed to be the boss lady,” she shared. “Sometimes the most strong, smart, capable thing I ever do is say, ‘I need help.’ Because Wynonna Judd needs help.”
How to get help: In the U.S., call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 or 1-800-273-8255. Or text HOME to 741-741 to speak with a trained crisis counselor at the free Crisis Text Line.
