Opening up about the strained relationship with her daughter, Grace.
Wynonna Judd is gearing up to release her new album The Hard Truth on October 2nd, and of course, she and her mother, Naomi Judd, were nothing short of a power duo in the ’80s, scoring five Grammys, nine CMA Awards and 14 #1 hits. As a solo artist, Wynonna also carved her own path in the ’90s, scoring huge hits with the likes of her rendition of “I Saw the Light,” “No One Else On Earth,” “She Is His Only Weakness” and “To Be Loved By You.”
The past decade has been nothing short of trying for Wynonna, however, notably because of the tragic death of her mother in 2022. Thankfully, it seems as if she’s doing much better recently, and the healing process of that led to her debuting her first new song since 2022 at Stagecoach, “Kentucky Queen,” and she also she put out a very, very personal song called “Girl Who Could Sing” as one of the pre-released singles.
As fans know, Wynonna has had a lot going on in her personal life, not only because of the tragic loss of her mother, but because of what’s been going on with her daughter, Grace.
Grace Kelley is the 29-year old daughter of Wynonna Judd, and she has been in and out of jail for the better part of the past decade, mostly related to drug use. She was arrested three different times in 2024 alone, including in April when she was arrested in Alabama for indecent exposure. She was also charged with obstructing governmental operations. Police say she “exposed her breasts and lower body” at the intersection of I-65 and Highway 14, and when confronted by officers, sat on the side of the road and refused to comply. They later added soliciting prostitution to the charges.
In August of 2024, Kelley was arrested in Georgia and sent to Carroll County Jail on charges of fleeing or attempting to elude an officer, driving with a suspended/revoked license, and using motorcycle equipment improperly, public records show. She was released on $2,750 bond. She failed to appear, and a bench warrant was issued in the state of Georgia. And back in October near Charlottesville, Virginia, Kelley was arrested for stealing a church van.
At this time in her life, Grace Kelley’s situation was dire, prompting her mother, Wynonna Judd, to take over care of her two-year-old granddaughter. But things have turned around over the past year, with Kelley getting clean and even becoming a member of the church that she stole the van from. Kelley has also accused her mother of covering up sexual abuse by her ex-stepfather.
But Wynonna and Grace’s relationship remains very distant, and during an interview with People, Judd opened up about how hard it’s been to navigate everything that’s happened with Grace, who is currently serving a 15-month sentence in a Virginia jail. Judd says that Grace cut off contact with her about a year ago, and she of course misses her “desperately.”
Wynonna told the outlet she’s spent “half a million dollars” on programs trying to help her daughter get clean, and the pain from all of this is reflected in some of her new songs:
“I miss her. I miss her desperately, and I’ve missed out on a lot of years because of the drug addiction. I’ve spent half a million dollars on programs trying to do the right thing, trying to do the next right thing.
And meth is a b****. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced, and I just can’t believe it. But these songs come from that dark place, deep and dark…. And you think you can’t make it, but you somehow do by the grace of God.”
She added this:
“As a mother of an addict, I can tell you this: When the money stops, they usually cut you off because there’s no more money. And I’ve done everything I can do.”
In August, news broke that Kelley was pregnant with another child and had requested a since-denied temporary release to give birth to at a hospital, as her “due date was on or about August 16th, according to the furlough request reviewed by People,” and Wynonna learned about it on TikTok.
In terms of Grace’s aforementioned sexual abuse claims, Wynonna declined to comment.
She says she hopes her daughter will “find healing” and “quit blaming me” for things in her past, saying she needs to take a look at herself.
But of course, Wynonna loves her daughter “dearly,” and always will. It’s such a sad situation, especially for the children involved, and hopefully they will be well taken care of and happy as the family continues to navigate a really tough situation.
“Girl Who Could Sing”
“Kentucky Queen”
