Tom Hanks has always been protective of his family's privacy, but as the Hanks children grew up, Chet Hanks' struggles began making headlines and Chet's famous parents were forced to become even more cautious about Chet's personal life and image. Like the rest of Tom Hanks' kids, Chet also entered the entertainment industry once becoming an adult, with a career as an actor and musician. However, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson set boundaries when it came to Chet becoming a reality TV star.
Chet joined the cast of MTV's The Surreal Life: Villa of Secrets, which premiered on July 23, 2024, on MTV, and admitted that up until now, his parents banned him from participating in any reality shows.
The Reason Tom Hanks Didn't Want Chet Hanks In Reality Shows
Chet Hanks' struggles with addiction became very public after several controversial incidents, and as any decent parent might do, Chet's parents wanted to protect their son from more public scrutiny. After joining The Surreal Life's eighth season, Chet shared that Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson previously banned Chet from reality shows and didn't want their life up for public consumption.
"They definitely have said [no reality TV] in regard to the typical reality shows. When this came up, we discussed it and everybody agreed… we all agreed that this could be a really great opportunity for me and it was perfect," Chet explained in an interview, according to Ok! Magazine.
Reality TV shows are notorious for being messy and full of drama. Viewers have long since learned that even reality TV isn't always reality, and producers have the liberty to cut and edit any storyline for entertainment purposes. Chet's parents, being A-List movie stars, likely wanted to protect not only Chet's image, but the whole Hanks family image.
While it's difficult not to think of the label "nepo baby" when thinking about Tom Hanks' kids, the movie star does not agree with the term at all and does not see his children this way.
"This is the family business," Tom told Reuters, according to The Sun, comparing the industry with if they owned a plumbing business or florist shop, how the whole family would work at it. "This is what we've been doing forever. It's what all of our kids grew up in. We have four kids, they're all very creative, they're all involved in some brand of storytelling."
Why Chet Hanks Said Yes To Surreal Life
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Chet Hanks' addiction to drugs was running his life and causing turmoil all around, but fortunately, Tom Hanks' son was able to get sober and has remained sober for two years, as of October 2023. Turning his life around was not only a huge deal for the actor, but also to his parents.
"Chet has given Tom and Rita a lot of worry over the years — but he’s clean and sober now and they see him trying so hard to live a good life," an insider exclusively told In Touch, according to Yahoo . " Chet feared his folks would be against his going on a reality show and talking about them, but Tom especially said: 'Hey, this is the way of the world now, reality TV. If you want to do it, go ahead — and we will be tuning in!'"
According to Chet, The Surreal Life was the perfect next step in his career and his life was finally in the right place to do a reality show. With his family's support, Chet couldn't say no.
"I had been offered to do a reality shows in the past… I've been getting reality TV offers for a long time," Chet explained, according to Ok! Magazine. "I've always said no, because all the shows that have offered me to come on had been all about the drama, fighting, gossiping, you know… just really negative."
"And this is the first reality show… this is the first one that's not that kind of show. It's really more so about personal relationships and getting to show people a different side of you and personal growth and being open and vulnerable."
Chet has been establishing a career as an actor, but The Surreal Life marks his reality TV debut. “I got a great vibe from the producers,” Chet recalled to TMZ. “I discussed it with my family."
Chet's reality TV debut has already been making waves as Tom Hanks' son instantly fell into place and even started an alleged "showmance" with Real Housewives' Kim Zolciak.
Chet Hanks' Feelings On Being A Nepo Baby
Chet Hanks' animosity toward being Tom Hanks' son and being called a "nepo baby" is no secret. The 33-year-old actor has made public details about his "toxic" childhood and how being the son of famous parents has never been easy for him.
Chet's parents never spoiled their children and attempted to give them as normal a childhood as they could, but the world still knew the Hanks children's names. Despite having two very famous parents, Chet shared that growing up, he felt "completely worthless" and that most of his struggles stemmed from these feelings.
"People assume I lived this super privileged life, richy rich, and that just wasn't the case. It was actually the opposite," Chet shared in a September 2021 interview with Andrew Callaghan, according to OK! Magzine. "I don't know if I'm the brokest rich kid or the richest broke kid."
“I've always just kind of been treated as separate and other than because of the circumstances of my family and my parents,” he expressed in the premiere episode of The Surreal Life: Villa of Secrets, according to USA Today. “People were always just prepared to hate me. So I felt like I had a chip on my shoulder.”
Chet knows people view him as a nepo baby, but he absolutely does not agree with the label.
"Everything I've got I had to earn myself, I had to go and audition for every role I got, just like anybody else… It's not like I'm just gonna make a phone call and—boom—you're in it; that's not how it works," Chet shared in a 2019 interview with TooFab, according to TheThings.
If anything, Chet believes he's had to work even harder than other people to earn an established career in the entertainment industry. "If I invented a cure for cancer tomorrow, in the article it would say, 'Tom Hanks' Son Invents The Cure For Cancer,' you know what I mean? It's inevitable," he said.
While The Surreal Life is Chet's first reality show, he's open to possibly joining more reality tv in the future, according to USA Today, and Big Brother is one he could consider. For now, Chet's next acting gig will be in Mindy Kaling's Netflix comedy, Running Point in 2025, and Chet has shared he will soon put out new music that’s "going to be very different from anything that I've ever released."
Chet Hanks' Biggest Acting Credits
- Bratz (2007) as Dexter
- Maron (2016) as Trey for 4 episodes
- Shameless (2016-2018) as Charlie for 7 episodes
- Empire (2018-2019) as Blake for 24 episodes
- Your Honor (2020-2023) as Joey Maldini for 7 episodes
- Dead Wrong (2024) as Jacko Stern
The Surreal Life: Villa of Secrets (2024)
TV-14
Reality
Release Date
July 23, 2024
Main Genre
Reality
Creator(s)
Mark Cronin , Cris Abrego , Rick Telles
Cast
Macy Gray , Chet Hanks , Kim Zolciak , O.T. Genasis , Ally Brooke , Johnny Weir , Josie Canseco , Tyler Posey
Seasons
1
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