Eric Roberts Says It 'Never Was True' That He and Sister Julia Roberts Had Issues: 'She's a Cool Chick and I Like Her'
Eric Roberts Says It 'Never Was True' That He and Sister Julia Roberts Had Issues: 'She's a Cool Chick and I Like Her'
Rachel RaposasTue, April 14, 2026 at 6:35 PM UTC
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Eric Roberts and Julia Roberts.Credit: Christopher Polk/2026GG/Penske Media via Getty; Paul Archuleta/Getty -
Eric Roberts shut down rumors of a rift with his "wonderful" sister Julia Roberts
"We have disagreements, as people do, but we like and respect each other very much," he said
Eric's comments come eight years after he said the successes of his sister and daughter, Emma Roberts, were linked to his, though he later apologized
Eric Roberts is dispelling any rumors of a rift between himself and his sister, Julia Roberts.
The Clika actor, 69, appeared on The Hollywood Reporter podcast on April 14 and shut down speculation that he and Julia, 58, had ever had a major falling out. Eric's comments come roughly eight years after he told Vanity Fair that the successes of his sister and his daughter, Emma Roberts, were linked to his—comments he later apologized for, describing them as "asinine," "unfortunate," and "untrue."
Though they don't speak publicly about each other often, Eric confirmed to THR that he and his sister are on good terms.
"It's not true — it never was true. We're fine," Eric said of the rift rumors. "We have disagreements, as people do, but we like and respect each other very much."
"She's a wonderful actor, she's a wonderful human. I think she's even a wonderful mother — that's the hardest job there is," he continued. "So, you know, she's a cool chick and I like her."
Eric said he and Julia don't speak to the press about each other, because they find themselves often propped up in a "contest" of sorts, despite the two actors never being up for the same parts and thus never competing with each other.
Like every set of siblings, Julia and Eric have the odd squabble, he noted, but they don't disagree over anything serious.
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Eric Roberts and Julia Roberts attend the "Goose and Tomtom" Play Performance in 1986Credit: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection/Getty
"The only issues we have are like day-to-day disagreements on whatever, but it's not a thing," he said. "I like my sister very much. I'm impressed with her wonderful career. And she's got three kids — she's a mom, dude!"
Eric's comments about Julia come about eight years after he said, “If it wasn't for me, there would be no Julia Roberts and no Emma Roberts as celebrities, as actresses, and I'm very proud of that."
Eric, Julia and their sister Lisa grew up in Smyrna, Tennessee with parents Walter Roberts and Betty Lou Bredemus, who ran a progressive acting school for kids. At age 17, he moved to New York City, where he gained critical acclaim and fame with King of the Gypsies in 1978.
He added to VF at the time, "When Julia first came to New York, I went into William Morris and I said, ‘Which one of you is going to sign my sister Julia?' And I am so proud that everybody knows I was first, because I was first by a long shot. I was first to get Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations, so I'm proud of that."
In September 2024, Eric released his memoir Runaway Train: Or, The Story of My Life So Far, in which he apologized directly to Julia for his 2018 comments. In his book, he described his sister as a "very driven woman" and that she would have made a career for herself in Hollywood even without him.
"Now one of the things I'd like to apologize for in this book is for publicly saying on more than one occasion, 'If it wasn't for me, there would be no Julia Roberts,' " Eric wrote of his sister, who he calls 'Julie' in the book. "That's not only unfortunate, but it's also untrue. And I hope Julie will accept this more public apology. It was an asinine thing to have said. I was proud of her, but it was pride turned on its head, to my own advantage."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
