Singer Jewel spoke candidly about the challenges of her upbringing, including claims of being abused by her father and enduring her mother “embezzling” millions of dollars from her.
The 48-year-old singer-songwriter made the revelations during an interview with “The Verywell Mind Podcast.”
“My mom and dad got divorced when I was 8, and we went to live with my dad,” Jewel said. “Nobody told me it’s because my mom didn’t want to be a mom. She left us, and so my dad took over raising us. I didn’t know that at the time.”
The “You Were Meant For Me” composer was born in Utah in 1974. She claims her father physically abused her while she was living with him.
“My dad was this volatile alcoholic that hit me, very easy to identify ‘bad guy.’ My mom seemed like the opposite. She was calm, she was soft, she never yelled, obviously never hit me,” she continued. “And I didn’t realize I was being abused in another way at the time.”
Jewel said her mother was aloof and neglectful. She also recounted being put in grown-up situations from a young age.
“I was bar singing as an 8 year old. I was around predators, I had a very scary life. I had a very terrifying life. And I had a life where adults weren’t safe people, being in connection to people wasn’t safe,” Jewel said.
The singer catapulted to fame following the 1995 release of her album “Pieces of You.” Jewel recalls putting her mother in charge of the finances.
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“I didn’t really realize what my mom was until I was 30-something,” she said during the interview. “I woke up and realized she embezzled all of my money, over $100 million.”
“34 years old, realize I’m $3 million in debt, realize my mom stole it, realize everything I thought my mom was isn’t what she was, very difficult psychological thing to come to terms with,” Jewel continued.
She also spoke about her non-profit, Inspiring Children Foundation, which she founded as a source for kids like herself who don’t have support at home. “I didn’t have a safe figure (growing up),” she explained. “But that’s also why I formed our youth foundation, is because there’s real hope for kids like that.”
The non-profit seeks to aid teens experiencing “difficult situations like teenage anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation and various other mental health challenges” to “help our youth find their best selves.”