Tom Hanks’ son Chet: I didn’t have a ‘strong male role model’ growing up

Tom Hanks’ son Chet has aimed a surprisingly brutal dig at his Oscar-winning dad in a new video where he talks about growing up in a famous family.

Tom Hanks’ son Chet Hanks has claimed that despite growing up with an Oscar-winning dad, he had no one to turn to as a celebrity kid.

“I didn’t have a strong male role model to tell me … ‘Bro, f**k these people. They are just jealous of you,’” Chet, 31, said in a video on his YouTube channel, of the disrespect he endured from his peers for his wealth, fame and being perceived as “arrogant, entitled and spoiled”.

He continued: “You have all these things that they want, so they are trying to f***ing throw their shade at you so you can feel sh*tty about yourself because they are jealous.’ I needed to hear that,” he continued.

“I didn’t have anyone to tell me that. This is me now telling the younger version of myself what I needed to hear then.”

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Despite being raised by Tom Hanks, Chet Hanks doesn’t believe he had a “strong male role model” growing up.

The White Boy Summer rapper, whose dad is worth an astonishing $555 million, said people used to “make up their minds” about him before even getting to know him.

“It was extremely hard to break down their walls,” he shared. “So, I encountered a lot of disdain, a lot of animosity and negativity because everybody was just prepared to hate my guts.”

Chet, who regularly posts photos of himself flexing his muscles on Instagram, added that due to his “hard exterior” and ability to intimidate, many of his haters never had the nerve to confront him face-to-face.

“People kinda did f**k with me a lot growing up. It was never to my face,” he recalled. “It was always behind my back in the forms of gossip and sh*t talking.”

Chet Hanks Tom Hanks' son Picture: Instagram

That said, Chet clarified he understands growing up with privilege can result in resentment from those who are not as fortunate.

“There’s a lot of advantages, but sometimes it can be pretty weird. I got to do a lot of cool sh*t that a lot of people don’t get the opportunity to do,” he acknowledged.

“I got to travel the world, stay in nice hotels, fly on private planes, and I’m very blessed for that. I wouldn’t change my situation.

“My experience was even more complicated because, on top of fame already being toxic, I wasn’t even famous,” he added. “I was just the son of somebody famous, so I hadn’t even done anything to deserve any sort of recognition, and that created a lot of contempt.”

The Hanks family at the 2020 Golden Globes. From left: Samantha Bryant, Colin Hanks, Rita Wilson, Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Ann Hanks, Chet Hanks, and Truman Theodore Hanks. Picture: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Tom, 65, shares sons Chet and Truman, 26, with his wife, Rita Wilson.

He is also dad to son Colin, 44, and daughter Elizabeth, 39, with his first wife, the late Samantha Lewes.

Chet has previously dubbed himself the “black sheep” of the family, and has previously battled cocaine and crack addiction, trashed a hotel room and had several stints in rehab.

He is now clean, and has thrown himself into gym workouts and his passion for dirt bikes.

He also has developed a budding rapping and acting career, landing recurring roles in Shameless and Empire, for which he also recorded the track How Ya Luv That.

Throughout his addiction, his parents stood by him

“As a parent, you love your kids unconditionally,” Tom told Entertainment Tonight. “You support them every step of the way.”

This article originally appeared on New York Post and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Tom Hanks’ son Chet: I didn’t have a ‘strong male role model’ growing up