Back in February, CB did a comprehensive look back on the state of Katherine Heigl’s career. At this point, it’s easy to forget that Katherine was once considered the next big rom-com queen, a Sandra Bullock/Julia Roberts type of actress who could carry a film, the kind of woman who other women relate to. That version of Heigl went away pretty quickly, partly because of her mouth, partly because of bad career advice and partly because her momager is reportedly one of the worst momagers ever, in the history of Hollywood.
Katherine’s mom Nancy gets a lot of the blame for the pathetic state of Katherine’s career, and there are even trade paper stories about Nancy’s diva shenanigans and her legendary mishandling of her daughter’s career. And while I believe those stories… that’s still on Katherine. She chooses to make Nancy the face of her business. Katherine chooses to employ her mom year after disastrous year as Katherine fades further and further into obscurity. But now Star Magazine is saying that Katherine might have had enough:
Years out of spotlight have humbled notorious diva Katherine Heigl – but not her manager mom Nancy!
“Katherine’s gone out of her way to be kinder to people both on set and off. But Nancy still thinks Katherine is a huge deal, and Katherine’s had to put her in her her place on a few occasions. She told Nancy that if she doesn’t shape up, she’s going to find a new manager,” a close friend tell Star.
It’s a move she probably should’ve considered years ago. After Heigl hit it big, she and her infamous mother became so demanding and rude that no one wanted to work with Katherine.
“Her mom was more of a witch than Katherine! Katherine finally realized that her bad attitude – and her mom’s – cost her some great acting jobs.”
[From Star Magazine, print edition]
Sure. Prove it!!! Prove it by firing your mom. I hate to sound so heartless, but for goodness sake, it’s beyond ridiculous at this point. What’s worse is that I’m sure Star has it wrong – Nancy is still very much involved with Katherine’s career. Katherine is currently making her not-so-grand return to TV by filming State of Affairs, one of the new Homeland-esque knock-offs, and guess who is the executive producer on the ABC show? That’s right, momager Nancy. ABC is going to rue the day they got back into bed with the Heigl family, trust me.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Another unhealthy mother-daughter relationship. What is with celebs both make and female being unable to function without mommy.
Examples? My brain is drawing a blank. I’m trying to think of other mother/daughter Hollywood relationships…and all I’m coming up with is Kate/Goldie and Gwyneth/Blythe, but neither of those seem like they’re dependent solely on one another like Katherine is with Nancy.
I’m going to throw PMK / Kim and LL / Dina into the mix of unhealthy mother-daughter relationships. When your mom is brokering your sex tape, lines have been crossed.
Hey style sucks and is mom approved. For goodness sake, what are those hooves in that last pic??
Fire mom.
I’m surprised Katherine hasn’t fired her long ago. Having her mother as her manager has obviously damaged her career. They’re a package deal with bad reputations preceding them. I imagine just the thought of having the two of them on set with their bad attitudes and their demands is enough to look elsewhere to fill the position. Now if Katherine were to “retire” her mother, that would show she’s trying and willing to make changes, to hopefully behave more reasonably on set. Keeping her as her manager will not bode well for her career and ultimately, will eventually destroy it.
Its not just moms. Hell, I would wager the stage dads are worse. Or at least more exploitative. I’m thinking of the dozens of dads who traded on their kids oversexualised images like Joe Simpson. There was Thora BIrchs dad who stalks her at rehersals and got her fired when he threatened the director. Theres Taylor Lautner who was dumped by his publicist at the height of his “career” because his father is just so difficult. And Beyonce has heavily hinted that her father burnt many of her career bridges with his abrasive style.
I think both stage moms and dads can have dysfunctional relationships with their kids, although they same to use different modus operendi. The moms seem to be more clingy and girlfriendy (the Lohans). The dads seem to operate by striking fear into their kids well into their adult years (the Jacksons).
Macaulay Culkin’s dad is another example who came very close to ruining his kids’ hollywood careers because of his demands and behaviour.
Brooke Shields’ mother was another one.
one only good news here is that both Brooke shields and the Culkin kids realised early how toxic their parents were and fired them.
Brooke & Terri Shields. I don’t think their relationship was that toxic but Terri was instrumental in slowing down her daughter’s career. I think Brooke fired her around the time she was dating Andre Agassi and she began her run on Grease and her sitcom (Suddenly Susan).
There were reports that Terri was an alcoholic.
It’s beyond a codepedate relationship. There’s nothing wrong with being close to your family, but this relationship is weird. It’s like they can’t be away from each other for a few moments. I feel badly for her husband. Mom is literally every where.
I agree. If I was in Hollywood–I would want my mom/family (at least the ones with sense) around me. I would trust them. But I also know that I don’t need to go EVERYWHERE with my mom, my mom wouldn’t need to have all of her fingers stuck in MY pies, and she would otherwise know when to keep her mouth shut (like on the set), and know when to say something bitchy (to me, not to the craft people).
But that goes to say–having your parent around can either be really good, or really bad. My mom’s side of the family is really close. Like if they lived where I was, you’d be wanting to throw them out, because they would be at our house (or we’d meet up at someone else’s house) every weekend, stop by on the weekdays….you’d think that twenty people lived in one house.
In the last photo, they are clutching their phones as if they are just waiting on that next important job offer.
Seriously, if KH realized the negative impact of her mother’s behavior on her career, she would have “retired” her a long time ago. It wouldn’t have to be an unceremonious dumping at all.
I also think KH must have played her own role in the stalling of her career, and whether she truly owns that is yet to be seen.
Hey she got her a Zzzquil commercial. Lol! It never ends well when you have ur mom as ur manager. Brooke Shields mom Terri was her manager for years and Macauley Culkin his dad and so many more and usually it ends up in some court drama.
Drew Barrymore and her mother zips to my mind.
Katherine Heigl can hire and fire whomever she wants to, but unless she gets rid of her snotty attitude as well, her reputation won’t recover. She’s a spoiled brat who burned her bridges. She grates on my nerves and has little talent, which is why I won’t be watching her new show.
This.
I agree – her momager is a big problem, but Hollywood has certainly overlooked that sort of thing before. Katherine’s own behavior certainly has some blame in the state of her career.
It’s amazing to think about how many parents choose to represent their children like that – Hollywood is a business and in no other circumstance would you hire someone completely unqualified to represent you in business deals. The sad part is, it’s because most of the time the parent doesn’t want to give up the percentage they make as manager. I can guarantee that’s one of the reasons Nancy Heigl doesn’t want to give up her momager job.
Side note, how does Katherine Heigl always manage to style herself about 20 years too old? The hair, the makeup, the clothes… Is she raiding her mom’s closet?
It’s also her mum who gives advice her for her clothes
When you hang out with your mom 24/7, you become her..
I always side-by-side parents who manage their kids. I understand being protective or wanting to have someone you trust on your side, but to introduce business into the relationship seems like a recipe for disaster, personally if not professionally as well.
I think she’s a good actress and I doubt she’s the outright monster some make her out to be, but I can see her unrepentant ego and drive rubbing the wrong way. She’s pretty in an obvious way, and her sense of style seems to be non-existent
I have no issues with mothers that manage their child’s career AS LONG as the mother has the best interests of the child at heart AND can objectively evaluate child’s strengths/weaknesses AND has good business sense. But it’s rare for any parent to have all three of these attributes (especially the last two).
A good manager lets their ego take a back sit and knows when to bench themselves. KH’s mom seems to lack all four of these traits plus is a ‘less than pleasant person’. Bad, bad, bad combo all around.
I don’t know….I think a parent being reliant on their child for their lively hood is odd…
But that’s not what I’m saying at all. Parents can be a great agent for their children assuming they are doing it for the right reasons and also have the skill set needed. What you said doesn’t met my criteria. There *are* parents who do it for the right reasons but most do it for the wrong reasons. Hence your comment.
I keep wondering why the mother ever thought she was qualified to run her child’s Hollywood career. This isn’t the era of Shirley Temple. So…crazy controlling narcissist ego is my guess, as supported by the weird results. Raised by this sort of person, I am not surprised KH’s personality or attitude suffered.
I do know a few adults of KH’s age who are professionals, but who are still under the thumb of controlling, intense, or know-it-all loudmouth parents. With each passing year, it gets uglier. It’s like the helicoptering style gone to the extreme. To watch professionals nervously take 10 calls a day from mommy or daddy — blows my mind.
I can’t think of ONE momager who works in the best interest of their client/child.
Jena Malone’s mom, Katherine, Pimp Manager Kardashian, Joe Simpson, Bill Ray Cyrus, etc. They’re all horrible. Not just acting/singing celebs. Dominique Moceau got emancipated from her parents after the Olympics. Parents managing their child’s career is a no go.
I take that back. Apparently Chloe Grace Moretz whole family managers her career. So far she’s not crazy but no telling how life will be when she’s legal.
What does Katherine do for money? Her husband is a no name singer. His brother is the star and talent. He’s the lead guy in Lady Antebellum. Not the guitar but the singer on Need You Now. HE makes money. Maybe he gives them money because Katherine’s husband had one song that was a hit…the one where she was in the video. Only You I think. But since…nothing.
The competent parents that manage their kids usually are okay until the child gets into a bigger pond. Then, the ones that aren’t doing it for all the wrong reasons, step down as they know they don’t have the skill set for the big leagues.
And I have heard of parents doing a good job with their children’s career but they aren’t terribly numerous. Sadly, the terrible ones are more numerous and more memorable.
What happens is that there’s a fine line that gets crossed. Usually when kids come to Hollywood trying to act (or sing or dance or whatever) the parent comes with them. You frequently hear about one parent staying behind in the hometown (for example, Hilary Duff’s mom relocated to LA while the dad stayed behind) and the incredible expense that this whole thing entails. It fosters the mentality of ”the parent is truly rhe only one looking out for their child in this town of sharks”, but also the idea that the parent is owed the fruits of their child’s labor. There’s an incredibly fine line, where the deals get bigger and the parent is simply not competent to make the big decisions and steer their kid’s career. They see the money but lose sight of the big picture. And then you end up with a scenario like this, where incompetent management (which includes poor movie choices, bad behavior disguised as hardball negotiations, and not reigning in her problem client) helped contribute to the client’s career haven fallen off a cliff.
And to whomever was asking if Josh Kelly’s brother was supporting them – Heigl made a massive amount of money. She may have made some crap, but it was expensive crap.
I believe that except Charlize Theron and her mum,i don’t know a sane or heathly parent manager.
If there are so many momagers in Hollywood,it’s because if you can’t trust in your parents,you can’t trust anyone
If that were the case, there wouldn’t be Coogan accounts. Sadly, there are countless stories of child actors being the sole providers for their families, who come of age and find that their parents spent all of the money the child actor made. Many child actors are the providers for their families, and there’s a lot of temptation for the parents to spend that money.
She has the worst style in both hair and clothes. It’s a shame, because she’s very pretty.
Totally agree, I think it’s because she is never with girl friends or anyone but her mom. They probably shop together too, and now she is styled like a 50 year old.
Who is worse – Lucifer’s homegirl or Heigel’s mom? Kris has Kim spread (heh) everywhere but people dislike them both. Heigel has been on the decline, but people dislike them both.
My guess would be that KH has her mom manage her to keep the money in the family. She’s be better off to pay a non-relative to do a much better job.
She might also feel obligated to involve her mom in her career – who knows what their dynamic was before Katherine became famous. Maybe her mom made a lot of sacrifices and Katherine is paying back as gratitude?
It would be better to give her mom some make-work job and pay her for that. Like, here Mom, I’ll pay you 20% of my salary to go through my fan mail.
If she wants to make a comeback, I think she needs to do this. She’s needs a professional manager with good instincts and good connections. Her mom can still be involved and give her opinion on projects and all, but she needs someone who knows what they’re doing and can fix her career. Plus she needs to truly have a good attitude and be a team player.
Agreed.
KH’s talent was never as big as her inflated ego…
Agreed. I’m surprised Heigl’s talent gets a pass in Star’s article.
She could have a team of the best managers in H-wood, it won’t give her talent in any way.
Katherine Heigl ate at a restaurant, where one of my friend’s works, in Toronto a few years ago. She was so unpleasant that her first waitress refused to keep serving her table. When she left, her husband came back and apologized for her behavior. He also added money to the (pathetic) tip they originally left. It makes me wonder how often he does that–goes behind her back, apologizing to people she treats like dirt.
Ever since my friend told me this, it’s all I can think about whenever KH is mentioned somewhere.
Ugh. You can tell everything you need to know about a person by how they treat service employees.
+ 1 I watch this like a hawk, don’t you?
This makes me wonder why a guy, that seems to be rather decent (I mean, he did apologize and added to the tip), married (!) her? I mean, of course she’s pretty and hot and stuff… but no amount of hot would make me feel better if I had to go behind my spouse’s back to apologize to people for his behavior.
This doesn’t surprise me. Remember the photos of her dining outside and looking like she’s having some type of meltdown? I think she was with her mother then. If she acts that way in public, around other diners, it wouldn’t be surprising that she is difficult with staff as well.
Wow, that’s an interesting story. At least her husband did that. He seems like a nice guy, I can’t imagine having to go through life like that. I wonder how long he will put up with it.
Hopefully Katherine will hire someone qualified and experienced to be her manager.
I agree with whoever said that parents should not work in roles when they are not prepared in any way or when they don’t have decent career intentions for their offspring . I guess them and their “products” want a familiar safety network surrounding them but using bad methods.
The supermodel Gisele has 4 of her 5 sisters working for her in Brazil but they are university graduates who did work experience with Gisele’s former representants in Brazil before assuming their roles. So far looks like it was a good decision.
You know, I have always thought Heigl got more hate than she deserved. I remember the backlash after she did that Knocked Up movie. She was asked about females in comedies and so on, and dared to call out Judd Apatow and others for writing roles for women that made them look like bitches or control freaks or shrews–relying on the stereotype of the OCD ball and chain nagging wife to play for cheap laughs.
She was 100% right, but got slammed for that. I never understood why. That said, I don’t know much about other behaviors of hers so maybe I’m off base.
She may not be that nice but her comments were spot on.
Two reasons. One, that movie turned her into a movie star. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you. She knew what she was getting into but decided to trash the movie after she’d already cashed her cheque. Second, she followed that movie up with The Ugly Truth. About a shrew bitch control freak who falls for a carefree, laid back dude. A movie she executive produced, by the way. What she said re: the sterotyping of women isn’t wrong. To be completely fair to her, maybe she felt like she couldn’t speak up during the filming of Knocked Up because she was still “that TV girl” back then. But then she goes and executive produces and stars in a movie that plays right into those very same sterotypes she took such issue with. She’s a whiner, not a do-er. Complain about the way the world is but when in a position to make a change, do nothing. Hence the backlash.
Thanks for explaining!
MissMoody is right. Especially in the second point. The Awful Truth was the most blatant hipocrisy of her part. If she made the remarks and next starring another film with a clear strong female character, maybe the controversy would stopped and some people would support her, but she prefers to make a most chauvinist film with worse mysoginist jokes and stereotypes that the film who made her a star. After that, the backlash was understandable
That pilot (it hasn’t been picked up) is on NBC, not ABC. If she’s smart she would fire her momager.
NBC? It will be a victory if her series will have a first season.
money and family, man…. Just don’t mix’em! you’ll be LUCKY to ruin just one or the other.