Chet Hanks, son of Hollywood icon Tom Hanks, opened up about his upbringing, lamenting the lack of a “strong male role model” during his youth. He acknowledged his love for his parents but described being raised by them as a “double-edged sword.”

Chet, 31, spoke about the challenges of growing up in the shadow of his successful parents, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson. He shared his struggles with people’s perceptions, saying, “I encountered a lot of disdain, a lot of animosity, a lot of negativity because everybody was just prepared to hate my guts.”

He wished someone had advised him to ignore the haters, saying, “‘Hey, bro, f*** these people. They are just jealous of you.’”

Chet also highlighted the added pressure of not being famous himself but merely the son of a celebrity. He explained, “I hadn’t even done anything to deserve any sort of recognition, and that created a lot of contempt for me.”

While Chet criticized his father’s parenting, fans defended Tom Hanks on social media, emphasizing that he did his best as a parent.