Jewel says her mom stole a jaw-dropping $100 million from her throughout her career.
The singer-songwriter dropped the revelation during an appearance on the Verywell Mind Podcast, saying one day she realized “all of her money” was gone.
“I didn’t really realize what my mom was until I was 30-something. I woke up and realized she embezzled all of my money, over $100 million. Thirty-four years old, realize I’m $3 million in debt, realize my mom stole it, realize everything I thought my mom was, isn’t what she was — very difficult psychological thing to come to terms with,” Jewel shared.
Reflecting on her childhood, Jewel said she realized nothing was what it seemed.
“My mom and dad got divorced when I was 8, and we went to live with my dad. Nobody told me it’s because my mom didn’t want to be a mom. She left us, and so my dad took over raising us. I didn’t know that at the time,” she said.
READ MORE: Stars Who Were Reportedly Born Poor
The “Foolish Games” singer also detailed the abuse she allegedly endured at the hands of her father.
“My dad was this volatile alcoholic that hit me, very easy to identify ‘bad guy.’ My mom seemed like the opposite. She was calm, she was soft, she never yelled, obviously never hit me. And I didn’t realize I was being abused in another way at the time,” she revealed.
Jewel burst onto the music scene in 1995 with the release of her debut album, Pieces of You. The album, which sold over 12 million copies, spawned the smash hits “Who Will Save Your Soul” and “You Were Meant for Me.”
Jewel has sold over 27 million albums worldwide.