Jason Bateman explains why he doesn’t see Sister Justine often
Jason Bateman offered a rare update on where he stands with his sister Justine Bateman.
The actor, 56, said Esquire in a profile published on Monday, December 8, that he and Justine, 59, don’t see each other very often these days.
“There’s not the typical ‘We see each other every Thanksgiving or every Christmas and our kids want to be together,'” revealed Jason, who shares two children with wife Amanda Anka. ‘There isn’t… In a great way.
Jason made it clear that the siblings aren’t in a bad place. “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 brother or sister,” he said.
He concluded, “We hang out, and we’re nice to each other because we respect each other as individuals, regardless of the blood thing. I’ll see her for lunch next week.”
Jason and Justine have both been in the spotlight since childhood. Justine started with Family Ties and later moved into filmmaking while Jason appeared Little house on the prairie as a child before continuing his acting career as an adult.
“We were at a level of fame where you just couldn’t go anywhere,” Justine said People in 2017. “You’re just trying to keep your head above water… [and] stay alive.”
At the time, Justine called fame emotionally draining. “[For one]“I found it frustrating not having control over what people thought of you,” she added. “I’m not saying I’m ungrateful because of fame at all. I’m just saying it’s a crazy emotional experience.
Over the years, Jason has largely avoided discussing his relationship with his family. He called his bond with Justin “healthy” during the “WTF With Marc Maron” podcast in 2015.
“Well, let’s earn the relationship that adults should or could have,” he explained at the time. “You’re not handcuffed because of the blood. You have to earn it.”
Jason confirmed that they got along, but said their kids weren’t super close. (Justine shares two children with husband Mark Fluent.) When Maron asked how far Justine lived, Jason shared, “She’s about a mile from my house. … I could be a better uncle, brother, son, Marc.”
Before Jason’s recent update on his brother and sister’s bond with Justine, the actress took to social media with a loaded message.
“Anyone who brings up my brother to me for any reason other than to say you like his new upcoming show or some of his past work will be muted at best and blocked at worst,” she wrote in September via X.
Justine seemed to shut down speculation about a fight between her and Jason.
“I’m not interested in your fantasy of an imagined conflict between the two of us over your political ideologies. Really, it’s sick,” she fired back. “So keep up the good work. It makes it easy for me to identify yourself so I can adjust an X setting so I never have to hear from you again.”
