Wynonna Judd is opening up about one of the most painful parts of her private life — her estrangement from daughter Grace Kelley, who is currently incarcerated while the country star helps raise Grace’s young daughter.
In a candid new interview, Wynonna, 62, said she deeply misses Grace but believes her 30-year-old daughter has reached a point where she must take responsibility for her own life.
“I miss her desperately,” Wynonna said while discussing the family turmoil that helped inspire her deeply personal new album, The Hard Truth.
But the Grammy-winning singer also made clear that the relationship remains complicated.
Wynonna said she has not spoken with Grace in roughly a year and believes her daughter needs to stop placing responsibility for her struggles on others.
“There comes a point when you can’t blame anymore,” Wynonna said. “You have to take a look at yourself.”
Grace is currently serving a 15-month sentence in Virginia after pleading guilty earlier this year to driving with a suspended or revoked license.
Court records previously showed that Grace was pregnant while incarcerated and sought temporary release so she could leave jail for the birth of her second child.
A judge denied that request in July.
Her attorney had told the court that Grace was expected to give birth around August 16 and requested that she be allowed to leave custody for a scheduled cesarean section.
Instead, authorities were expected to transport her to the hospital while she remained under supervision.
More recent reporting indicates Grace has since given birth, with Wynonna saying she learned about the new baby through social media rather than from her daughter directly.
Wynonna has said she does not know what ultimately will happen with the child.
The singer is already raising Grace’s older daughter, 4-year-old Kaliyah, alongside her husband, musician Cactus Moser.
Wynonna has described caring for her granddaughter as an unexpected but deeply meaningful chapter of her life.
Kaliyah also spends time with Wynonna’s other granddaughter, Hazel, whose father is Wynonna’s son Elijah.
The situation has added another emotional layer to Wynonna’s already complicated family history.
Grace has struggled publicly with addiction and repeated legal problems for years.
Wynonna told People that she has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to help her daughter through treatment programs, but said the two remain estranged.
She also described Grace’s addiction as devastating.
Grace has previously made serious allegations involving her former stepfather, D.R. Roach. Those claims remain allegations, and Wynonna did not substantively address them in the interview.
Instead, Wynonna focused on her hope that Grace eventually finds a healthier path forward.
The turmoil has also found its way into Wynonna’s music.
Her new album, The Hard Truth, is due out October 2 and marks her first studio album in more than a decade.
One song, “Drive,” was inspired by Wynonna traveling to visit Grace during an earlier period of incarceration.
The record also tackles other painful chapters in Wynonna’s life, including the death of her mother, Naomi Judd, and complicated family relationships that have followed.
Wynonna has described the project as one of the most personal records she has ever made.
Despite everything, she said her feelings toward Grace have not disappeared.
Grace remains her daughter, Wynonna said, and she still loves her deeply.
For Wynonna, however, love does not appear to mean ignoring the years of turmoil.
She is now balancing grief over the fractured relationship with the responsibility of raising her granddaughter and moving forward with a new chapter in her career.
The Hard Truth is scheduled for release Friday, October 2.
What a train wreck of a family! What a shame. They ALL need a serious relationship with Jesus!