Comedy legend Carol Burnett isn’t interested in mending her relationship with her daughter Erin Hamilton. The comedian’s daughter was recently reunited with her 18-year-old son after having her visitation rights taken away in 2023. Sources close to the family said there won’t likely be a big happy reunion with her mom though.
What Happened With Erin Hamilton?
In 2020, Erin Hamilton was placed on a psychiatric hold due to suicidal behavior. As a result, Carol Burnett, 91, gained temporary custody of her grandson, Dylan. In her petition to become Dylan’s guardian, Burnett wrote, “In the past 19 years, Erin has been in and out of rehabilitation centers and has been institutionalized a total of eight times for a minimum of 30 days each time.”
Eventually, a social welfare administrator was given temporary custody of Dylan, and his mother was granted visitation rights. However, her visitation rights were taken away when a judge deemed her behavior “erratic and unpredictable.”
Last September, Dylan turned 18 and the visitation restrictions with his mom were lifted. Hamilton, who claims to be 18 months sober, has been thrilled to spend unsupervised time with her son.
Carol Burnett Wants to Protect Herself From Her Daughter
An insider told Radar Online that the chances of her connecting with her mom are slim to none. “Things are still very frosty between Carol and her daughter. Erin knows she’s messed up many times in the past, but she believes she is on a good path now,” the source said.
They continued, “As part of her recovery process, she wants to make amends to her mom, but Carol is afraid of it blowing up in her face once again.”
As mentioned in her petition for custody, Carol Burnett has dealt with her daughter going in and out of rehab for years. Their relationship has become strained, as a result. The source said that Burnett has always done what she could to keep her grandson safe from his mother.
This isn’t the first time that Burnett has experienced something like this with her daughters. Her oldest, Carrie Hamilton, also struggled with drug abuse. Although she got sober, she died at the age of 38 of lung and brain cancer.
Keeping Erin at a distance is Carol Burnett’s way of protecting herself. The insider revealed, “Carol loves Erin deeply, but she’s broken Carol’s heart so many times over the years. I don’t know if she could stand it emotionally if Erin reenters her life and then lets her down again by relapsing and destroying all the progress she’s made.”
In the end, the source said, “She’d rather stay estranged than have her heart broken again.”
That said, Erin Hamilton is doing what she can to mend her relationship with her son. Dylan has started attending film school in New York City. She’s expressed how proud she is of him and still holds onto hope that she’ll be able to reconnect with her mom eventually too.
