Tom Hanks Speaks Out After Daughter Exposes Dark Family Secrets in Shocking Memoir
Tom Hanks has broken his silence on his daughter E.A. Hanks' explosive memoir that details her troubled upbringing with the late actress Samantha Lewes, offering support and acknowledging her candor.
As per DailyMail, the 68-year-old actor spoke out during the red carpet premiere of his new film, The Phoenician Scheme, on Thursday.
E.A.'s memoir, The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road, was released in April and chronicles the 42-year-old writer's difficult childhood, including allegations of emotional and physical abuse.
"I'm not surprised that my daughter had the wherewithal as well as the curiosity... in order to examine this thing that I think she was incredibly honest about," Hanks told Access Hollywood. "She's been very open about what the process is."
The memoir paints a stark picture of life with her mother, Lewes, who died in 2002 following a battle with bone cancer.
E.A. describes years of instability, neglect, and emotional trauma, writing about living in a smoke-filled home in Sacramento with a backyard so full of dog feces "you couldn't walk around it," and a refrigerator often "bare or full of expired food."
After one night of alleged physical violence, E.A. said she moved to Los Angeles to live with her father, shifting her custody arrangement in the middle of seventh grade.
"I was born in Burbank, but after my parents split up, my mother took my older brother and me to live in Sacramento," she wrote.
"From 5 to 14, years filled with confusion, violence, deprivation, and love, I was a Sacramento girl."
In excerpts shared with People, E.A. further reveals that she believes her mother, who was never formally diagnosed, may have suffered from bipolar disorder.
The memoir also references disturbing passages from Lewes' journals, including a claim that she had witnessed her own father commit a horrific crime involving a young girl — something E.A. described as a "stream of consciousness" entry.
"If any of that was true," E.A. said in the book, "she never stood a chance."
Hanks and Lewes married in 1979 after meeting at California State University, Sacramento.
They had two children together, Colin and Elizabeth Ann, before divorcing in 1987. Hanks later married actress Rita Wilson, with whom he shares two sons, Chet and Truman.
The Forrest Gump star has maintained a largely private stance on his family life, but his recent comments suggest support for his daughter's decision to revisit their shared past publicly.
E.A. embarked on a six-month road trip following her mother's death in 2002, seeking to understand her mother's history and mental health struggles.
The journey forms a central narrative thread in her memoir, which blends grief, self-discovery, and personal reckoning.
Hanks did not address specific claims in the book but emphasized his daughter's strength in confronting painful truths.
The memoir continues to draw attention for its unflinching portrayal of childhood in a Hollywood family and the complex legacy of stardom behind closed doors.
