Wynonna and Ashley Judd leaned on each other after their mother’s death. Four years later, the country singer has revealed an unexpected turn in their relationship.
The sisters have faced years of distance despite moments of closeness. Now, Wynonna is opening up about the childhood roles, separate paths, and current circumstances behind their complicated bond.
Wynonna Judd speaks into a microphone during a 2015 SXSW interview in Austin, Texas. Years later, the country singer would publicly discuss why she and her younger sister, Ashley, were taking a break from their relationship. | Source: Getty Images
Wynonna said she and her younger sister, actress Ashley Judd, are not currently “connected.”
In a recent interview with People, the 62-year-old country singer reflected on their complicated relationship and whether she expects to reconnect with Ashley, 58.
Ashley and Wynonna Judd share a smile at a 2004 YouthAIDS benefit gala in New York City. Despite their public appearances together, the sisters have experienced periods of distance over the years. | Source: Getty Images
Their history of ups and downs dates back to childhood. The sisters have different biological fathers, and Wynonna often cared for Ashley while their mother, Naomi, worked to support the financially struggling family.
Their relationship has changed over the years, but one of their most difficult moments also brought them closer together.
Wynonna, Naomi and Ashley Judd pose together at the 1992 ACM Awards in Los Angeles. Although the sisters appeared together with their mother, Wynonna later described a family history in which she and Ashley followed separate paths from their teenage years. | Source: Getty Images
The Sisters Leaned on Each Other After Naomi’s Death
Naomi died by suicide on April 30, 2022. Ashley shared the heartbreaking news in an Instagram statement:
“Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness. We are shattered. We are navigating profound grief and know that as we loved her, she was loved by her public. We are in unknown territory.”
Naomi Judd appears on Hallmark’s “Home & Family” in California on March 30, 2018. Her death four years later left daughters Wynonna and Ashley grieving their mother. | Source: Getty Images
Just one day later, Wynonna and Ashley faced another emotional moment as the Judds were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Naomi had died before she could attend the ceremony, but her daughters wanted the tribute to go ahead. They sat together in the front row as the country music community celebrated their mother’s legacy while mourning her loss.
Ashley and Wynonna Judd join the Country Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Nashville on May 1, 2022. The sisters attended the tribute just one day after losing their mother, Naomi. | Source: Getty Images
In a May 2022 Instagram post, Wynonna opened up about her grief, efforts to break cycles of family dysfunction, weekly appointments, and the importance of accepting support.
“I really DO know, that I’m not able to do this grieving thing all by myself, and that it’s okay to reach out for help,” she wrote.
Wynonna and Naomi Judd pose together at the CMT Music Awards in Nashville on April 11, 2022. Naomi died less than three weeks after their appearance. | Source: Getty Images
Ashley described how the family was navigating their loss during a July 2022 appearance on the Healing with David Kessler podcast, cited by Good Morning America.
She said she, Wynonna, and their stepfather, Larry Strickland, respected one another’s different ways of grieving. “We don’t try to control or redirect or dictate how the other one should be feeling at any particular moment,” Ashley explained.
The actress also revealed that Wynonna, who lived nearby, had recently spent the night at her home. They talked about their mother, even though they were processing the loss differently.
Ashley and Wynonna Judd hold hands during their mother’s memorial at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on May 15, 2022. Their stepfather, Larry Strickland, joins them onstage. | Source: Getty Images
“She’s in a pretty different place than I am right now,” Ashley said. “And we don’t have to be congruent in order to have compassion for each other, and I think that that’s a really important grace that family members can hopefully learn to give each other.”
That support stood in contrast to rumors that surfaced later that year.
Wynonna Denied That Naomi’s Will Had Divided Them
In August 2022, NBC News reported that Naomi had named her husband, Larry Strickland, executor of her estate, giving him broad authority to manage its assets.
Naomi Judd and her husband, Larry Strickland, attend a MusiCares event honoring Sting in 2004. Strickland was later named executor of Naomi’s estate following her death in 2022. | Source: Getty Images
The will, prepared on November 20, 2017, was signed by witnesses who testified that Naomi was “of sound mind, memory and understanding and not under any restraint or in any respect incompetent to make a Last Will and Testament.”
Under the document, Strickland was entitled to “reasonable compensation” for his services, along with reimbursement for legal, accounting, and other expenses.
Naomi also made provisions in case her husband could not serve.
Naomi Judd appears on NBC’s “Megyn Kelly Today” on December 5, 2017, just weeks after preparing her will. The document named her husband, Larry Strickland, executor of her estate. | Source: Getty Images
She named her brother-in-law, Reginald Strickland, and Daniel Kris Wiatr, president of the accounting and business management firm Wiatr & Associates, as alternate co-executors.
The report noted that it was unknown whether Wynonna or Ashley were named as beneficiaries. Wynonna addressed speculation about a dispute between the sisters in an October 2022 interview.
“There is no argument,” she said. Wynonna said she first learned about the rumors while visiting Ashley’s home. Someone told her that reports were circulating about a feud between the sisters, leaving her surprised and confused by the claims.
Wynonna Judd appears on NBC’s “Today” on October 24, 2022. That same month, she denied rumors of a dispute with her sister Ashley over their mother’s will. | Source: Getty Images
“Fighting over what? I have such a great life. Ashley has a great life. Why would we be fighting over the will?” she asked. Instead, Wynonna said losing their mother had brought them closer.
“I feel like we’re connected in a way that is so different because I’m an orphan,” she explained. “Both my parents are gone, and I’m relying on Ashley. She’s relying on me in a different way that’s about compassion.”
Wynonna Judd appears with her guitar on NBC’s “Today” on October 24, 2022. She said losing their mother had brought her and Ashley closer, despite rumors of a family feud. | Source: Getty Images
She also revealed that they had worked with a life coach to improve their communication through “communication, compromise and compassion.”
Despite their disagreements, Wynonna described her bond with Ashley in unusually strong terms. “The relationship I have with my sister is the most powerful in my life,” she said.
Ashley and Wynonna Judd pose together backstage at a tribute to Loretta Lynn at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry on October 30, 2022. That same month, Wynonna described her relationship with Ashley as the most powerful in her life. | Source: Getty Images
But their efforts to reconnect came after decades of complicated family dynamics.
Wynonna Says She Was Ashley’s ‘Sister Mommy’
The sisters grew up with Wynonna taking on household responsibilities while Naomi worked to support the family. Their mother later acknowledged that her relationships with her daughters were different.
In a December 2016 interview with Good Morning America, Naomi discussed how Ashley had supported her during treatment for severe depression. She recalled walking to Ashley’s nearby home for comforting hugs.
Ashley and Naomi Judd attend the Los Angeles premiere of “Olympus Has Fallen” on March 18, 2013. Naomi later spoke about Ashley’s support during her treatment for severe depression. | Source: Getty Images
“Ashley and I are so stinkin’ much alike,” Naomi said. She also acknowledged that she and Wynonna were “a little estranged” and had attended therapy together.
Wynonna later explained how her responsibilities during childhood had affected her relationship with Ashley.
Naomi and Wynonna Judd attend the launch of their “Girls Night Out” residency in Las Vegas on October 6, 2015. Naomi later acknowledged that she and Wynonna had experienced tension in their relationship. | Source: Getty Images
During a May 2025 appearance on “Talking in Circles with Clint Black,” she recalled managing much of the household while Naomi worked as a nurse. “I did all the chores, the driving, the cooking…and I raised Ashley,” Wynonna said.
She explained that Ashley had a nickname for her because of their unusual roles. “That’s why we have such a funny relationship ’cause she calls me ‘sister mommy’ and I’m a little bit sad about that ’cause I didn’t get to be her sister,” she said.
Wynonna and Ashley Judd share a moment onstage during the filming of Nashville Star in 2006. Wynonna later explained that she took on a parental role in Ashley’s childhood, which shaped their relationship as sisters. | Source: Getty Images
Wynonna remembered learning to drive young and being placed in charge of responsibilities beyond her years.
“I was responsible for a lot. And she put me in charge. And that’s just the way it was. You grow up with a single parent, what are you gonna do? So, we made it though, didn’t we?” she explained.
Still, she has fond memories of their childhood. Her album “The Hard Truth,” her first new solo record in more than a decade, includes “Kentucky Queen,” a song recalling their early years in the mountains.
“I remember the good times with Ashley, and the times we were hungry,” Wynonna said. “We made up for it in music and fellowship and food. So we had what we needed most of the time.”
As the sisters grew older, their lives took increasingly different directions.
What Created More Distance Between the Sisters?
Wynonna and Naomi found success as the country duo the Judds, while Ashley pursued acting, earning recognition for her performance in the 1993 film “Ruby in Paradise.” Looking back during her interview with Clint, Wynonna said their careers had taken a toll on their relationship.
“Ashley’s doing well. I don’t see her very much, and we’re not as close as I’d like to be, but that’s because success took us away from each other,” she said. “It’s a funny thing. There’s a bit of a sadness because being famous takes you from home.”
Wynonna had also discussed their limited contact in an interview with Dan Rather, featured in an AXS TV video in April 2025.
Rather noted that family members had lived on the same farm property in separate houses but seldom saw one another. Wynonna acknowledged their unusual circumstances before describing her relationship with Ashley.
“She and I are very different. We don’t communicate, nor do we spend time together,” she told Rather. Recalling how their lives diverged when Wynonna was 18 and Ashley was 14, she added, “And that’s a long history of being apart.”
What’s Keeping Wynonna and Ashley Apart Now?
Wynonna’s latest interview reveals where their relationship stands after those earlier efforts to grow closer.
Wynonna Judd sits onstage during AmericanaFest 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee, on September 17. The country singer has spoken openly about her limited communication with sister Ashley, tracing their separation to their teenage years. | Source: Getty Images
“We’re taking a break, which all families can relate to. She’s doing her thing, and I’m doing mine,” she said. But Wynonna did not identify a new argument or particular incident behind their current separation.
When discussing why they rarely see each other, she pointed to Ashley’s schedule. “She just travels a lot. She’s always gone,” Wynonna said. “It’s nothing specific.“
Although the sisters are spending time apart, Wynonna does not appear to consider their break permanent.
Ashley Judd attends the Pro-Human Assembly in Washington, D.C., on September 15, 2026. Wynonna recently said her sister’s frequent travels have contributed to the time they spend apart. | Source: Getty Images
She has acknowledged wishing they were closer, and her latest comments suggest she still expects their relationship to change. When asked whether she believes she and Ashley will reconnect, Wynonna Judd answered: “absolutely.“