Shivangi Sinha
The bond between sisters can be one of the most profound relationships in life. It is woven together by childhood memories, shared struggles, and an unspoken understanding that only grows deeper over time. For Ashley and Wynonna Judd, that bond has been anything but simple. They’ve navigated a unique path while growing up under the weight of fame, personal trauma, and at times, emotional distance. Despite facing years of tension and heartbreak, their love for each other has endured. In Lifetime’s ‘The Judd Family: Truth Be Told,’ the two sisters spoke openly about their mother, Naomi Judd. Yet, as they pieced together her story, it became clear that their own experiences, and how they shaped the dynamics between them, could not be separated from the legacy they were trying to honor.
Wynonna and Ashley Judd Had Each Other’s Backs During Their Childhood
Wynonna Judd (born Christina Claire Ciminella) was just 4 when her younger sister, Ashley Tyler Ciminella (now widely known as Ashley Judd), was born in 1968. Growing up in Los Angeles, Wynonna quickly embraced her role as the older sister and often acted as a nurturing figure in their home. In family home videos, she could be seen lovingly combing Ashley’s hair or holding her baby bottle, which were small but tender gestures that reflected the deep affection she had for her. However, the Judd sisters’ childhood was far from easy. Wynonna often felt like she wasn’t a part of the family as much as Ashley was. While Naomi was married to Michael Ciminella, he wasn’t the older daughter’s biological father. Wynonna said that though it was never explicitly said, she often felt like the one looking at the family of three from outside.
Following Naomi’s divorce from Michael, the family went through a series of challenging transitions. When the sisters’ mother began a relationship with a man named James Dean, both Ashley and Wynonna later recalled that this period marked a particularly dark chapter in their young lives. The latter alleged that she was molested by James Dean, the man their mother Naomi had been dating, and said that during those years, her primary concern was to shield her younger sister from harm. Ashley, too, spoke out about the trauma and recalled that he was physically abusive toward her as well. One particularly harrowing incident she described involved him allegedly hanging her out of a window by her ankle.
After Naomi ended the relationship, James allegedly began stalking her, and the situation escalated when he broke into her home. According to entries in Naomi’s personal diaries from that period, she alleged that he attacked her inside the house, forcing her to call the police. One especially heartbreaking detail Naomi wrote was about the moment she saw both of her young daughters sitting in the back of the police car. That image, she said, made it painfully clear that it was time to leave the city and start over for the sake of her girls.
Wynonna and Ashley Judd Eventually Ventured Out to Find Their Own Paths in Life
After the trauma they experienced in California, Wynonna and Ashley Judd moved back to Kentucky with their mother, who was pursuing her nursing training at the time. For both girls, those years brought a rare sense of peace and stability. It was during this period that Wynonna’s music career began to flourish, as she and Naomi formed the iconic mother-daughter duo, The Judds. While the mother-daughter duo were touring the country, Ashley often stayed behind. She spoke candidly about feeling left out during those years. She recalled spending long stretches alone at home and admitted to harboring some resentment over being left behind.
Eventually, Ashley found her own calling in acting and stepped into the spotlight in her own right. As the sisters matured, they forged their own paths in life, but they always shared a deep connection to their roots, especially the family farm in Franklin, Tennessee, which remained their emotional anchor. There, surrounded by rolling fields and quiet woods, both sisters created cherished memories with their mother and stepfather, Larry Strickland, who became a loving and steady father figure in their lives. As their mother’s health declined in the years leading up to her passing, Wynonna and Ashley Judd often returned home to check in on her. It was an incredibly difficult time, filled with helplessness, as they witnessed Naomi’s pain and struggled with the reality that there was little they could do to ease it.
Wynonna and Ashley Judd Have Found a Lot of Meaning in Their Relationship
On top of that, the emotional weight of their shared, but differently experienced, childhood lingered heavily between them. Having effectively stopped living together since Ashley was 14 and Wynonna was 18, the physical and emotional distance had built a wedge over time. But following Naomi’s death in April 2022, the sisters found a space to begin healing. Wynonna later shared that, with the guidance of a life coach, she had a powerful breakthrough that allowed her to see how much she truly had in common with her little sister. That moment of clarity helped the sisters reconnect and gave them a chance to support one another not only as grieving daughters but as women with a deeply entwined relationship.
Since then, the sisters have truly come together as a family and are closer now than they’ve been in many years. In February 2024, they enjoyed a meaningful trip together to see U2 in concert, which was a special sisters’ outing that allowed them to create new, joyful memories side by side. Later that year, Ashley made a heartfelt post for Wynonna’s 60th birthday, celebrating not just her sister’s life but the deep, renewed bond they now share. Both women call each other their “superstars” and have become each other’s strongest pillars. Having faced immense highs and heartbreaking lows together, they now stand united in their desire to preserve their family’s story and pass it down to future generations. In doing so, they’ve not only honored their past but also made it clear that whatever lies ahead, they’ll face it together, shoulder to shoulder.
Read More: Larry Strickland: Where is Naomi Judd’s Husband Now?
