Ariel Winter's Mother Denies Abuse Allegations

Last month, Modern Family star Ariel Winter was removed from her home amidst allegations of physical and mental abuse. Older sister Shanelle Gray, who was placed in foster care herself almost two decades ago, was awarded temporary guardianship over the actress, but if the mother is to be believed, this whole mess isn’t what it seems.

Speaking to E! News, Chrisoula Workman said she’s never abused either of her daughters, and they’re just pissed because she’s not a pushover. Ariel allegedly got involved with an eighteen-year-old boy recently, and given that’s not in her best long-term interests, mom allegedly shut it down. You can check out a portion of her statement below…

"I would never abuse her in any way and I have always tried my best to always protect her and do what is right for her. My daughter is in a business that requires you to grow up fast. It's hard enough being a teenage girl, but it's even harder when you are in the public eye. However, because you are in the public eye, it doesn't mean you are no longer in need of good parenting."

In a few weeks, everyone involved will return to court to figure out what’s best for Ariel. As for what that might be, I haven’t the slightest idea. Her brother also released a statement to the press today, and he denied anything inappropriate has ever occurred in the household. You wouldn’t think two different girls could get taken away from the same mother at different times without something shady going on, but there’s really no telling what actually happened.

Here’s to hoping a judge is able to make the best long-term decision for Ariel.

Mack Rawden
Editor In Chief

Mack Rawden is the Editor-In-Chief of CinemaBlend. He first started working at the publication as a writer back in 2007 and has held various jobs at the site in the time since including Managing Editor, Pop Culture Editor and Staff Writer. He now splits his time between working on CinemaBlend’s user experience, helping to plan the site’s editorial direction and writing passionate articles about niche entertainment topics he’s into. He graduated from Indiana University with a degree in English (go Hoosiers!) and has been interviewed and quoted in a variety of publications including Digiday. Enthusiastic about Clue, case-of-the-week mysteries, a great wrestling promo and cookies at Disney World. Less enthusiastic about the pricing structure of cable, loud noises and Tuesdays.