Is Julia Roberts drinking too much because she’s overwhelmed as a mom?

45757, MALIBU, CALIFORNIA - Tuesday October 5, 2010. Julia Roberts, holding onto a baby bottle and small pink jacket, leaves Gladstone's restaurant in Malibu after attending a family member's birthday party. Photograph: Jeff Steinberg, PacificCoastNews.com

The Enquirer has a great story about Julia Roberts being a drunk because her kids are so annoying. My immediate reaction was: Yes, I bet every mother feels that exact same way all too often. My second take: thank God I’m not a mom. Anyway, this story isn’t about Julia drinking ALL the time, just on one particular night when she and Danny went out and she was pounding vodka. Caution: this story may make you like Julia.

Julia Roberts was pounding down three Grey Goose vodka drinks in quick succession while attempting to wrangle her tots at a Malibu restaurant. Normally easy-going, she turned to the bottle after chasing the twins and her youngest son around the seaside eatery in early October, say sources.

“I think Julia was clearly stressed out about her children,” one insider told The Enquirer. She appeared “exhausted and nerve-wracked” as she knocked back vodka-and-soda drinks while her twins ran around. “Her toddler Henry was squirming away from Julia and screaming that he wanted to go see the fishies with his siblings.

When she ordered her first cocktail, Julia was overheard saying “Mommy needs a drink – I could really use this right now.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition]

Sounds about right. And pounding three drinks on one night is fine as long you’re not driving, which I seriously doubt she was. I’m also intrigued by her drink – I want to know what mixer she was using. My drink of choice these days – I’ve gotten over my love affair with Scotch for the moment – is cranberry and Absolut. I call it my “Project Runway cocktail” because I drink three of them whilst watching PR. PR is so much more fun when you drink every time someone speaks German (it can be Heidi or Tim, it doesn’t matter).

Anyway, this story made me like Julia. Damn it!

45757, MALIBU, CALIFORNIA - Tuesday October 5, 2010. Julia Roberts, holding onto a baby bottle and small pink jacket, leaves Gladstone's restaurant in Malibu after attending a family member's birthday party. Photograph: Jeff Steinberg, PacificCoastNews.com

45757, MALIBU, CALIFORNIA - Tuesday October 5, 2010. Julia Roberts, holding onto a baby bottle and small pink jacket, leaves Gladstone's restaurant in Malibu after attending a family member's birthday party. Photograph: Jeff Steinberg, PacificCoastNews.com

Photo by: SC/Xposure/starmaxinc.com 2010  9/22/10 Julia Roberts at the premiere of Eat, Pray, Love . (London, England)  Photo via Newscom

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

66 Responses to “Is Julia Roberts drinking too much because she’s overwhelmed as a mom?”

Comments are Closed

We close comments on older posts to fight comment spam.

  1. devilgirl says:

    I don’t know, I don’t think it is great to be slamming down drinks when you have your kids with you, regardless of if you are driving or not.

    Seems to me, she could not drink around her kids, at least like she was. Drink yourself into a stupor AFTER you get the kids home and into bed, or in the care of their nanny.

  2. esblondie says:

    Hell, I drink like an idiot as it is, and i don’t even have kids. If I did, I’d have to check into rehab straightaway.

  3. TaylorB says:

    Kaiser,

    Here is a really good drink, especially on a hot day… take a few of those Bomb Pops (the red white and blue popsicles you get on the 4th of July) off the sticks toss them in a blender and add vodka. Cherry, raspberry, and lemon popsicles mixed in a cocktail… yummy as hell.

  4. cici says:

    um so what? lots of people “need a drink” after what they consider to be stressful stuff. i know i do! i order wine at restaurants with the kids all the time. this country needs to lighten up. in europe it’s NO BIG THANG.

  5. Jeri says:

    Agree with devilgirl.

    Also, I think Julia has problems with no longer being one the most beautiful women around. (Or maybe she’s unaware those days are long over.)

  6. OtherChris says:

    The other day, if I hadn’t spent all my disposable income for the week on kids’ toys and assorted other kid crap, I would have headed for the liquor store and proceeded to get mighty drunk when I got home.

  7. Whatever says:

    Oh get over it. It was a few drinks on ONE occasion, so let’s not jump to judge. And how is three drinks a stupor?

  8. Katalina76 says:

    I’m pretty sure it says that her mixer is soda, as in club soda. I prefer vodka and tonic, myself. I also prefer Stoli to Grey Goose.

  9. Malice says:

    Vodka = Mother’s little helper

  10. Johnny Depp's Girl says:

    Beer and rum and coke for me thank you. There is nothing wrong with a few drinks to take the edge off. If you are not driving and you are not drunk, like I know she wasnt, who cares??

  11. Po says:

    Kaiser that’s my favorite drink too but I don’t do it around the kids. That’s how they get the drop on you. When taking children out with you in public you have to have your wits about you. They smell weakness. lol

  12. Ursaline says:

    Ok, I completely get it. My kids have found new and interesting ways to drive me nuts, and if she needs a drink after the experience, she’s entitled to it. I really doubt that she’s sloshing around with three kids in tow as a habit.

  13. Rita says:

    Her remark about “needing a drink” could very well have been sarcastic as I too have said that.

    What I like about this thread is the very natural behavior of the kids and how it was described so well. Who of us with children has not experienced the “gotta see the fishes” with a child. Little ones can be hell on wheels. God loves all children and good mothers.

  14. hellen says:

    Nope, still don’t like her.

  15. Scarlet Vixen says:

    I doubt she and Danny were doing body shots while her kids were flinging mac & cheese everywhere completely ignored. Maybe I’m a bad mom, but I don’t think 3 vodka & whatevers (soda, cranberry, etc) over the course of an entire meal is a big deal. Like another poster said, Europeans drink at every meal–no biggie.

    And damnit, now I desperately want a Absolut & cranberry! I’m 8mos pregnant and haven’t had any alcohol b/c I’ve been sick as a dog. But I miss them ohsomuch…

  16. happymom says:

    Meh. I have 4 kids and have said “Wow-I could use a drink” only about, um, 4 MILLION times. And I definitely enjoy my cocktails-a few on the weekends, and a beer or glass of wine during the week. I grew up with parents who had a cocktail every night before dinner, and then a glass of wine with-and it was fine. Personally, I can’t do this on a regular basis because it makes me too groggy in the morning, and it’s fattening. That said-still can’t stand Julia.

  17. sammyhammy says:

    Three drinks is a stupor? Please. As long as she’s not feeding the booze to the kids, who cares if she has a few.

    Although feeding it to the kids would probably lower her stress level much quicker!

    (and I’m totally with you on the vodka-cran; that’s my fav too…but don’t forget the twist of lime!)

  18. Celebitchy says:

    @Taylor – I have done that! I’ve made vodka cocktails by mixing them in a shaker with Freezie pops with I was out of juice. They’re delicious and I prefer the green ones.

  19. Kim says:

    Didn’t NE just say she was pregnant last month

  20. givemeasmallbreak says:

    I mean, come on. Just because she’s famous doesn’t mean she’s not human… three small children = overwhelming. And, three gin and tonics don’t make you an alcoholic or have a drinking problem…

  21. Praise St. Angie! says:

    hellen, you took the words right off of my keyboard!

    Katalina, Grey Goose is possibly the most over-rated (and therefore overpriced) hard alcohol around. People drink it because they think it makes a statement about them, like those ugly LV bags.

    Too bad the statement it makes is “I have more money than I have discerning taste buds”.

  22. Anti-icon says:

    Her mix is soda, as in club soda. Yeah, it makes me like Julia more. Being a mom is the hardest job in the world. Why wasn’t dad corraling the wild banshee chirren?

  23. Kaiser says:

    I’ve noticed that I have less of a hangover with Absolut than with other vodkas. Plus, Absolut is one of the best for mixing, IMO.

  24. MSMLNP says:

    “That’s how they get the drop on you. When taking children out with you in public you have to have your wits about you. They smell weakness.” HILARIOUS AND SO VERY TRUE!!!

    I have 3 and 4 year old boys, and 7 months pregnant with boy #3. I can’t stand taking them to the grocery store, never mind a restaurant. If on the off chance we do go out and one starts acting up, I don’t wait around for the other one to join in. Me (or my husband) take the offender out to the parking lot/car until if and when good behavior resumes. I don’t kick back a bunch of alcohol so I am numb to their bullsh*t, such as running around and yelling, and let everyone else be miserable. But hey, that’s just me….still don’t think its right to have that many drinks when you are the caregiver AND out, but maybe the nanny was nearby.

  25. benny says:

    I never liked her as an actress, I think she’s a supercilious bitch, and not attractive. But if she’s watching the three young children by herself, she probably DOES need a drink. I eould cut her some slack on this one.

  26. Nik says:

    God knows I do.

  27. Jackson says:

    If you like the green ones, you might like vodka mixed with sour apple. I use Grey Goose and DeKuyper. Tastes like a green apple Jolly Rancher candy, if you know what that’s like.

  28. gillie says:

    sprite and pink grapefruit vodka is a super combo.

  29. scrappy says:

    I drink vodka water with lots of ice. i just can’t so sweet any more. Also realllly helps with hangovers. I like Boru vodka.

  30. danielle says:

    I bet she turned them over to a nanny and said “I need a drink”. And nope, I still don’t like her either. But don’t think she’s necessarily a drunk or a bad parent based on that.

  31. stylist says:

    Vodka soda with lime wedges is probably what she was drinking. Apparently the lightest cocktail you can have, and it just tastes really light and refreshing like water!

  32. Kitten says:

    @scrappy-Vodka n’ soda is good for hydration as well.
    I don’t blame for hitting the bottle, with little rugrats running around screaming all day.

  33. Johnny Depp's Girl says:

    Let’s all go and get a drink!

  34. bizzy says:

    no, she drinks because she thinks a short torso and long legs is an unsolvable clothing challenge.

  35. Helen says:

    @TaylorB

    I think you’d love one of my favorite old school mixes: vodka or tequlia in a lemon/lime slush puppy–my husband dubbed this the “ghetto-rita” from our days of living in the Bronx.

  36. Rosanna says:

    It’s all right to drink in front of your kids except if you have a problem with alcohol. Seriously you need to lighten up!

  37. Madison says:

    Yeah kids will do that to ya, vodka and tonic or canberry makes you chill out and the kids driving you nuts doesn’t bother you as much.

  38. original kate says:

    why parents of small children aren’t drunk all the time is a mystery to me. i want a martini every time i see someone’s screeching hellspawn having a tantrum at trader joe’s.

  39. Catherine says:

    Some people must think just because you become a mother that you are no longer allowed a night on the town with the hubby to enjoy a few drinks. Bring a continual fall-down drunk is another story, but one night does not make her a bad parent.
    There isn’t a mom out there with several children that wouldn’t love to have a night out pounding vodka, except that a lot of moms done have the luxury of a nanny the next day when the hangover hits hard.

  40. A Mom says:

    Jeez, welcome to my last Thursday! Give the girl a break – somedays having kids is amazing and 100% wonderful. Once in a while you get a day where 80% of it sucks, and if a drink (or three) help you keep calm? Go for it.

  41. Aqua says:

    O.K. I think I found all the drinks I need for my next party! LOL.

  42. mslewis says:

    I call bogus on this!! Julia doesn’t go anywhere with her kids without a nanny in tow. It’s the nanny’s job to control the brats and nannies usually do a good job of this so they can keep their jobs. Plus, only the Enquirer has this “story.” If three little kids of a major movie star were out of control in a public restaurant, you can bet somebody would have captured it for posterity on a cellphone camera or, at the very least, several would have run yapping to several rags. Bogus, I say.

    And, no, I don’t like Julia as an actress but she does seem to be a good mother in her private life.

  43. Lady D says:

    We think alike Johnny Depp’s girl. Budweiser and Bacardi. Or Cpt. Morgan’s or Lamb’s Navy Dark. Or heck any old rum will do. After I read your first comment, I thought I want a drink. Then I read your second comment, and that sealed it. I’ve only drank once this year so far. I’m not really a fan of alcohol, but I am about to mix myself a Long Island Ice Tea. Four shots of different rums, 1 shot of vodka,and add A couple ounces of coke and a shot of ice tea. Then float a half ounce of Cointreau on top. I think this afternoon I’ll even have one for you. Thanks.

  44. stephanie says:

    Never say what you will do when you are not a Mom….trust me…being a Mother is the most demaning job there is…at least she was with her children and mothering them…not the nanny. Or is that not good enough?

  45. anon says:

    wow she looks great in those pix…hardly sloshed. but even if she was, like everybody has said already, it’s no biggie once in a while.

  46. dread pirate cuervo says:

    She was probably drinking when she picked out Hortense & Philbert or whatever 1800’s name she gave her kids. She seems like the “perfect on the outside/chaos on the inside” type I see so often in AA.

  47. Lindsay says:

    Kaiser, that’s because of the number of times it is distilled, anything that is distilled 7 times. The presence of congeners (toxins create during fermentation) has been shown to cause/worsen hangovers. Dark alcohols have more than lighter ones and the more vodka is distilled the less it contains. Platinum Seven (bright blue, triangle bottle) is a good choice if you don’t want to pay the high price of Grey Goose but want the benefit.

  48. Lantana says:

    First of all, 3 drinks is not “pounding” drinks. And second of all, maybe she just drinks because she LIKES to drink.

  49. peaceout says:

    NOPE. STILL DON’T LIKE THAT OVERRATED HOMEWRECKER.SHE WILL NEVER HAVE ANOTHER HIT MOVIE. AAHHHH KARMA

  50. bb says:

    @pirate cuervo: LMFAO!!!!!

  51. Ann says:

    If I had kids, I’d be drunk all the time.

  52. Mia says:

    Kaiser, you’re a woman after my own heart. Absolut & cran is the best. I’ll do Grey Goose, but I like Absolut better.

    Topic: Julia drinks because Julia likes to drink. There have been plenty of appearances in the last few yrs where I thought she’d pounded a few.

  53. Sandy says:

    I think this is a non story. That said I still dislike her. Am mad at myself for clicking on story about smug btch.

  54. Crash2GO2 says:

    Ha! Undoubtedly her husband et al., were also there, so what is the harm?? Vodka tonics – my favorite drink! And hell ya, sometimes you NEED one and I don’t care if that makes some American think I or Julia have drinking problems. Because I can assure you that I can drink – no problem! 😉

  55. Mary Jane says:

    I’d be annoyed as all hell to go out to dinner and have those little hellions running around… I’d probably have had 4 or 5 drinks — and then told the smug bitch to rein in her kids!

  56. DiMi says:

    It doesn’t make me like her, but it does make me think she’s actually raising those kids – not just passing them to the nanny – because she sounds like a real mom. I don’t have kids, but I DO know it’s the hardest job in the world, and if you’re doing it right- putting in the work – you may need a drink every once in a while. Let her have the darned drink!!!

    What’s sad about her is that she remains a gifted actress, and she’s still quite pretty – though not as beautiful as she once was – but she’s lost her charisma. I don’t know if her true personality has come out or if the business hardened her, but she seems to have lost that incredible warmth she once had. It’s kind of sad. Sandy Bulluck became warmer and sweeter and Julia became colder and more sour.

  57. Meanchick says:

    IDK whether she’s a drunk or not, I just can’t stand to be in public with bad ass kids! The parents always punk out and act like they can’t do anything about it! WRONG! It’s called disciplining your kids so that they don’t act like ‘gremlins fed after midnight’ out in public! It’s not my responsibility to act like IDK that your kid is annoying as hell!

  58. Liana says:

    Stoli girl here. I like the slightly harsh taste, especially combined with tonic and a lime wedge. And nope. Still don’t like her.

  59. nextopmodel says:

    it’s the national enquirer. i won’t believe she’s an alcoholic. but she does do a lot of drinking in premieres and award shows, it seems. i think she’s still pretty and still the same salty personality she was from the beginning. i don’t care what people say but she was never the cuddly type sandra was. she was always a little bitchy, right from the start and that’s why i like her. not everyone needs to be a benign twit. she is powerful. she is rich. she is pretty. she has it all. she knows it.

  60. fwozbo says:

    I have 4 kids and a full time job and never thought about drinking. Yes, motherhood is much tougher than my day job but considering she has nannies, cooks, body guards, etc she is proof that she is a loser now and I never liked her anyway.

  61. Sammy says:

    I thought Julia was always a bit of a lush. Can’t speak on the motherhood part as I don’t have children, but if I did I would no doubt be a drinker, too. Don’t know how you women do it.

  62. HellOnEarth says:

    i remember when my two nephews (they are thirteen months apart) were 2 & 3 my sister and i thought it would be nice to take them to a diner for pancakes since that is what they wanted and i didn’t have the fixin’s…ordered pancakes which they didn;t eat played with syrup and butter packets started throwing them at each other ended up under the table on the floor and speaking their weird “twin speak” in voices loud enough to have to yell over..i had a headache by the end of it..i said to her ‘they’re on the filthy floor!’ she shrugged and ate their pancakes…motherhood. don’t believe the hype

  63. trollydolly says:

    Jesus only in America would 3 drinks be seen as near alcoholism/poor parenting.

  64. Crash2GO2 says:

    @Meanchick: I take it you don’t have children of your own? And that if you did, they would be in lock step when out in public? You should write a book.

  65. mystified says:

    I do like her more after reading this story — remember those kids have half her genes so they are probably exceptionally bratty at times if they take after mom at all.

  66. bunny wabba says:

    who’d be surprised? motherhood sends tons of women screaming for the sauce. being a mom sucks. only 16 more years…