Jason Bateman made a rare comment about his older sister, Justine Bateman. The Zootopia 2 actor, 56, shared about his relationship with the 59-year-old filmmaker, giving fans insight into their bond, or lack there of one.
In a cover story for Esquire, Jason said that he and Justine: "don't see each other a ton" but still "hang out" sometimes. He continued: "There isn’t the typical 'We see each other every Thanksgiving or every Christmas and our kids want to be together.' There isn't that." But the actor clarified that all of this was: "In a great way."
"Our conversations are the rich conversations you would have with an adult friend, not the kind of petulant back-and-forth you might have with your adult sibling," Jason explained. He made sure to note that he and Justine are on good terms, and that the siblings are "nice to each other because we respect one another as individuals regardless of the blood thing."
© Getty ImagesJason and Justine were child stars
Both of the Bateman siblings were child stars, and often breadwinners for their family. Justine acted on the sitcom Family Ties with Michael J. Fox when she was 16-years-old. Jason starred on Little House on the Prairie when he was just 11-years-old.
© Getty Images"I do remember being really filled with anxiety about being able to continue to make a living in a business that I was pretty aware...was tenuous at best," Jason told Conan O'Brien on the February 24 episode of the Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend podcast.
The anxiety wasn't unique to Jason. Justine has opened up about the stress of being a child star. She recalled that her role as a child actor brought her distress at times. Justine revealed: "We were at the level of fame where you just can't go anywhere. You just try to keep your head above water ... [and] stay alive," per People.
Justine added: "[For one], I found it frustrating having no control over what people thought of you. I'm not saying I'm ungrateful for fame at all. I'm just saying it's a crazy emotional experience."
© Getty ImagesA divergence in careers
Once Jason and Justine grew up, their careers diverged. Jason has gone on to rub shoulders with Hollywood's elite – starring in projects with Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Jude Law, and Jennifer Aniston. Just this year, he created the thriller, Black Rabbit, for Netflix and lent his voice to Disney's Zootopia 2.
On the other hand, Justine has confused more on being a mother, studying computer science and her own art projects. She made her directorial debut for her film Violet in 2021 starring Olivia Munn, Luke Bracey and Justin Theroux, which is about a young executive who doesn't want to make fear-based decisions.
Jason and Justine's political differences
While neither sibling has directly commented on their difference in political ideologies, Justine wrote to X in September 2025: "Anyone bringing up my brother to me for any other reason than to say you like his new upcoming show, or any of his past work, will be muted at best, and blocked at worst. I'm not interested in your fantasy about some imagined conflict between the two of us over your political ideologies."
© NBCUniversal via Getty ImagesJustine has expressed her excitement for Donald Trump to be elected in 2024, while Jason is public about his opposition to the current president. The actor recently appeared on The Best People with Nicolle Wallace podcast and said: "It's tragic that I think the people who are least equipped to bear what the Trump administration is going to yield are a lot of the folks that voted for him, and that's really freaking sad."
