Julia Roberts' brother, Eric Roberts, has set the record straight on their relationship after rumors of a rift between them.
The actor, 69, insisted there is no bad blood between him and the Hollywood star during an appearance on the It Happened in Hollywood podcast on Tuesday.
Eric addressed speculation that he and Julia had a falling out after he claimed he was responsible for her and his daughter, Emma Roberts', success in a 2018 interview with Vanity Fair.
"If it wasn't for me, there would be no Julia Roberts and no Emma Roberts as celebrities, as actresses, and I'm very proud of that," he said at the time, before later apologizing for the comments, calling them "unfortunate," "untrue," and "asinine."
Shutting down reports of their apparent rift, Eric said on the podcast: "It's not true – it never was true. We're fine. We have disagreements, as people do, but we like and respect each other very much."
He continued: "She's a wonderful actor, she's a wonderful human. I think she's even a wonderful mother – that's the hardest job there is. So, you know, she's a cool chick and I like her."
Eric revealed why he and Julia do not speak publicly about each other, explaining that because they are both actors, they often find themselves in a "contest" in the press.
© Getty ImagesHowever, he maintained that they have never had any serious arguments. "The only issues we have are like day-to-day disagreements on whatever, but it's not a thing," he said.
"I like my sister very much. I'm impressed with her wonderful career. And she's got three kids – she's a mom, dude!"
© FilmMagicEric issued a public apology to Julia in his 2024 memoir, Runaway Train: Or, The Story of My Life So Far, for his comments in the Vanity Fair article.
"Now one of the things I'd like to apologize for in this book is for publicly saying on more than one occasion, 'If it wasn't for me, there would be no Julia Roberts.' That's not only unfortunate, but it's also untrue," he wrote.
© FilmMagic"And I hope Julie will accept this more public apology," Eric added. "It was an asinine thing to have said. I was proud of her, but it was pride turned on its head, to my own advantage."
While Eric says he and Julia are on good terms, in the same Vanity Fair article, he admitted that their relationship was strained in the '80s and '90s, when he struggled with addiction issues.
© Getty Images"I wouldn't characterize it as a falling-out. I was crazy about my sisters," he said, also referring to his sister, Lisa.
"We all felt very protective of each other, but the hardest person to protect yourself from is yourself," he added, admitting he was "exhausting to be around," and he was "complainy, blamey, unable to enjoy enjoyment. Everyone in my world needed a break sometimes, and that must have included Julia."
