Tom Hanks goes by many roles.
He’s known as Forrest from Forrest Gump , Captain Miller from Saving Private Ryan , and Chuck Noland from Cast Away . But to his four kids — Truman, Elizabeth, Chester (who goes by Chet), and Colin — he’s just dad.
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Unfortunately, sharing a dad with America came with its challenges, as evident through Chet’s recent candid remarks.
Tom Hanks and his son, Chet, have had many ups and downs over the years.
He’s the son Tom shares with Rita Wilson, whom he wed in 1988.
A lot of this started when he was younger, with people wanting to befriend Chet just to get closer to his famous dad.
“And they didn’t care about me at all.”
“So that’s just … Well, that goes along with it,” he said in a 2011 Vice interview.
In that same interview, he admitted that his rapping career has been publicized since he’s Tom’s son.
Which makes a ton of sense.
It can be hard for any child of a major celebrity to break away from the fame that comes with their parent.
“So, I’m appreciative of the publicity that I get because of it. That being said, sometimes in life, it can cause awkward moments to arise.”
Living in his father’s shadow hasn’t been easy for the 31-year-old.
In a 2019 interview with TooFab, he said that he’s had to work “twice as hard” to succeed.
“If I invented a cure for cancer tomorrow, in the article it would say, ‘Tom Hanks’ Son Invents The Cure For Cancer,’ you know what I mean? It’s inevitable.”
Just when Chet couldn’t be more candid, he recently shared that he didn’t have a “strong male role model” while growing up.
He shared these comments on the February 16 episode of his YouTube channel, Hanx Fit .
If you didn’t even know he had a YouTube channel, don’t worry, neither did I until recently. So, you’re certainly not alone on that one.
In an episode titled, “The Truth About Growing Up As A Hanks,” he shared what it was like growing up as the actor’s child.
“Bro, [expletive] these people. They are just jealous of you,’” he said.
Which is…certainly a statement.
He went on to claim that people would treat him badly because of his wealth and fame, and make up their minds before meeting him that he was “an arrogant, entitled, spoiled brat.”
“It was extremely hard to break down their walls,” Chet continued.
“So, I encountered a lot of disdain, a lot of animosity and negativity because everybody was just prepared to hate my guts.”
He said that a lot of people talked gossip behind his back.
There was a lot of resentment towards him having a father who had won multiple Oscar Awards, he claimed.
“There’s a lot of advantages [of being a celebrity kid], but sometimes it can be pretty weird,” he said.
He shared the cool things he’s had the privilege of doing.
“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,” he explained.
And yet, he claimed that his entire “experience was even more complicated because, on top of fame already being toxic, I wasn’t even famous.”
The aspiring rapper continued: “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.”
While we’re waiting to hear what Tom thinks about his son’s statements, Twitter has been busy mocking Chet.
Looking back though, Twitter has rarely had the patience for Chet Hanks, and users have taken it upon themselves to mock him more than once.
“Chet Hanks is reaching Kanye-levels of unlikeability.”
“Dissing America’s dad by saying you didn’t have a strong male role model growing up is QUITE SOMETHING.” said another user .
Going against America’s Dad struck a nerve with users.
“Poor little rich boy is having a sad,” one wrote . “What a creep he seems to be. I can see why he wasn’t well-liked. Throwing your dad under the bus is a case in point,” added another.
Watch Chet’s YouTube video here .
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