Eric Roberts Apologizes to Sister Julia Roberts After Decades-Long Feud

Eric Roberts apologized to his sister, Julia Roberts, in the pages of his new memoir, Runaway Train: Or the Story of My Life So Far.

Despite growing up together in Georgia, Eric and Julia have had a publicly contentious relationship for the best part of 40 years. The siblings’ bond began to sour in the early ‘80s, as actor Eric was at the height of his fame and struggling with cocaine addiction while Julia was just entering the business. But they officially fell out around 1992, when Julia financially supported her brother’s ex-wife, Kelly Cunningham, during a bitter custody dispute over the couple’s child, American Horror Story star Emma Roberts.

In 2018, Eric made a bold claim to Vanity Fair which didn’t sit well with the Pretty Woman star. “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,” he said. “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 his new memoir, Eric apologized to Julia for the statement. “I hope Julia will accept this public apology. It was an asinine thing to have said,” he wrote.

Eric also admits that he has only himself to blame for the fractured bond between himself, Julia, and their sister, Lisa. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they suffered from PTSD from when it was dangerous to be around me,” he says in the book. “Lisa and Julia needed love and protection—instead they got fear and uncertainty.”

The book continues: “Of course, the biggest consequence of my drug use was losing Emma,” the actor writes of the custody battle. But the actor is hopeful that his family will forgive his transgressions. “I imagine I will remain as Julia’s brother and Emma Roberts’ dad for the rest of my life,” he wrote. “I’d like to make good on that, to move aside proudly and with grace. That’s part of the reason for writing the book.”

Runaway Train: Or the Story of My Life So Far is on sale now.