Warning: this article mentions substance abuse.
Emma Roberts’ father is opening up about where their relationship has stood over the years, and how addiction affected his ability to parent.
Veteran actor Eric Roberts — Julia Roberts’ brother — is the dad of the American Horror Story actor.
Roberts has previously spoken about substance abuse and has reflected on how that period of his life made being present for Emma, 35, especially hard when she was young.
“I loved my little daughter with the strength of Hercules, despite my own weakness,” he said in his 2024 memoir Runaway Train: Or, the Story of My Life So Far. “However, I couldn’t handle the realities of an infant coming into my life, and I couldn’t handle being a parent! I’m still not a father figure.”
Roberts, 69, separated from Emma’s mother, Kelly Cunningham, when Emma was only seven months old.
In his memoir, he said the fallout from his drug use had lasting consequences, including losing time with his daughter.
“The biggest consequence of my drug use was losing Emma. I was still impossibly coked up when she was born, which explains everything,” he said, adding, “I never saw myself as someone who deserved to have physical custody of Emma, not in a million years.”
More recently, the Dark Knight actor spoke about fatherhood during an appearance on Kara Mayer Robinson’s Really Famous podcast.
He recalled singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Emma and said the moment remains one of the most meaningful experiences of his life. Roberts explained that throughout Cunningham’s pregnancy, he repeatedly sang the song, and he still remembers how newborn Emma stopped ‘screaming her head off’ as soon as she heard it.
“That something I did was recognized by a brand-new creature who had my DNA. Oh my God. And there she was, and she already knew me,” he .
He also described the memory as ‘maybe the most incredible thing’ he’s ever been through, adding that around the time of Emma’s birth he was dealing with depression and what he called ‘self-abuse’.
“Emotionally, I was a wash rag. I was not to be depended on emotionally whatsoever, ‘cause I was a car wreck. And I was a car wreck because of many things, but I take full responsibility for it,” he said.
“I’m so proud of my daughter,” he continued.
When asked whether the dynamic between them is ‘complicated’, Roberts suggested it’s mostly outsiders who assume that, rather than the reality between father and daughter.
“Not really. It’s only complicated to outside eyes because they don’t get any of it, so they have their own take, whatever that is, and it’s not.”
Roberts also highlighted Emma’s growth as an actor and said he’s watched her develop over time.
“You know, she didn’t start off as a great actor. But she became a great actor. She’s fabulous, and I’m so proud of that…The first thing I saw her do that I was like, ‘Wow, oh my God, I’m so proud of you’, was, uh, Maybe I Do. Is that it? I don’t know, I’m so bad with titles.”
Maybe I Do arrived in 2023. Long before its release, Emma had already built a sizeable film and TV career, including multiple seasons of American Horror Story — most recently Delicate with Kim Kardashian — as well as roles in Scream Queens, Wild Child, Nancy Drew, Aquamarine, and We’re the Millers.
If you’ve been affected by addiction and want to speak to someone in confidence, you can call American Addiction Centers on (888) 324-0595, available 24/7, or contact them through their website.