Since “One Day at a Time” star Mackenzie Phillips dropped a bombshell revelation in her new memoir, “High on Arrival” about an incestuous, drug-addled sexual relationship with father John Phillips, there’s been a lot of suspicion about the timing of the announcement. Some are reluctant to believe it happened at all. One person who believes the twisted relationship happened is her half sister, Chynna Phillips. Chynna was approached for comment by US Magazine, and the former Wilson-Phillips singer confirmed that she knew about the incest.
In her new memoir High on Arrival, actress Mackenzie Phillips reveals how she had a 10-year affair with her father, musician John Phillips of the ’60s band the Mamas and the Papas.
And in the new issue of Us Weekly (on newsstands now), her half-sister Chynna Phillips of the hit 90s group Wilson Phillips shares her side of the sad story.
Chynna, 41, tells Us Weekly she remembers getting the call from Mackenzie, 49, in 1997 — 11 years after the affair had ended — while she was between flights at LaGuardia Airport in New York City.
“She said, ‘I don’t know why, but I just really felt the need to call you and tell you something that I think you need to know,'” Chynna tells Us Weekly. “And she went on to tell me that she had had an incestuous relationship with our dad for about 10 years.”
When the affair began, John was married to his third wife, model Genevieve Waïte. Chynna’s reaction, naturally, was complete shock.
“Somebody could have dropped a piano on my head and I probably wouldn’t have felt it,” the singer tells Us Weekly. “But I knew it was true. I mean, who in their right mind would make such a claim if it wasn’t true?”
She says the news sent her into “a deep, deep sadness and depression for about 10 days. A part of me died when I found out.”
In her book, Mackenzie — who, in 2008, pleaded guilty to one count of felony cocaine possession and agreed to enter an 18-month drug deferment program — also claims she and her father did drugs together. (She even tells Oprah Winfrey in an interview Wednesday, “My father shot me up for the first time.”)
Chynna confirms to Us Weekly, “They were both doing drugs together.
“After long nights of heroin use, she’s claiming that she once woke up and that my father was on top of her having sex with her,” Chynna tells Us Weekly. “Was he actually raping her? I don’t know. Do I believe that they had an incestuous relationship and that it went on for 10 years? Yes.”
The article also goes on to say that Chynna was at first “disgusted” with her sister and distanced herself from McKenzie, but later realized that she needed to support her instead.
From various accounts I’ve read about both John and Michelle Phillips – Chynna’s mother and John’s second wife, whom he started dating when she was only 17 – there were an amazing amount of drugs being taken round the clock while Mackenzie and Chynna were growing up. John Phillips did admit before his death in his memoir, “Papa John,” that he did drugs with Mackenzie when she was just a teenager. Mackenzie has said before in interviews that her father was the first person to inject her with heroin- an addiction that derailed her promising acting career and has gotten her in trouble with the law. Whether the sex was consensual or not, this story is truly disturbing. I always thought this family was messed up – but few people knew the full extent of it.
A lot of people are still questioning why Mackenzie is coming out with this information now, after her father is no longer here to speak on it. I tend to think that’s exactly why she waited. I’m sure the entire family would have been rocked by this while John was alive. Maybe she is hoping she can help someone else who is going through this same thing, but is afraid to speak up. Statistically, incestuous relationships like this are a little more common than most people realize – and very, very wrong.
Chynna Phillips and her husband Billy Baldwin are shown on 9/23/07. Credit: WENN.com
Chynna Phillips is shown in the header on 2/24/08. Credit: PRPhotos. She is shown below with husband of 14 years Billy Baldwin on 9/23/07. Credit: WENN.com
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