Jennifer Love Hewitt Reveals Heart-Wrenching Revelation on Mother’s Death
In a poignant reflection, actress Jennifer Love Hewitt disclosed that media outlets were privy to the heartbreaking news of her mother Patricia’s passing before she herself was informed. The 45-year-old actress was attending the 52nd Monte Carlo Television Festival when the tragic event occurred on June 12, 2012. Her mother, aged 67, lost her life after valiantly battling cancer.
“The press knew that my mom had passed before I did,” Hewitt remarked during an event at Zibby’s Bookshop in Los Angeles, promoting her latest literary endeavor, “Inheriting Magic,” alongside the film it inspired, “The Holiday Junkie.” The revelation struck a chord, highlighting a surreal disconnect during a deeply personal tragedy.
Hewitt, now a mother of three—Autumn, 10, Atticus, 9, and Aidan, 3—shared, “It was such a weird thing for me, the way everything unfolded.” She poignantly added, “The flight back home took an eternity—10-and-a-half hours—so by the time I landed, the world already knew.”
Echoing an unsettling pattern in her life, she expressed, “Later on, I was like, but everybody’s always known everything about my life kind of before. Even breakups; people would tell me, ‘He was cheating on you already.’ Really, people? Like, why didn’t you tell me?”
Patricia Hewitt, a dedicated speech-language pathologist, was instrumental in Jennifer’s journey from Texas to Los Angeles in 1989, paving the way for her entry into the entertainment industry. The young actress first graced the screen on “Kids Incorporated,” eventually rising to fame through iconic roles in “Party of Five” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer.”
In her candid conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Hewitt unveiled that this book marks her first extensive tribute to her late mother. “I honestly hadn’t ever said that much about my mother after she passed because I didn’t have the words,” she confessed. In a heartfelt moment, she shared a cherished ritual: her mother would hold her hand before leaving for work, imbued with love and support. “I miss it. It’s the thing I miss the most. I wish I had her hand,” she lamented, a reminder of the profound bond they shared.
To commemorate the tenth anniversary of her mother’s passing, Hewitt had previously shared a touching photo with Patricia, referring to her as her “best friend.”
“Someone told me after losing my mom that the first year would feel impossible, and that the years following would build strength in me, only for the 10-year mark to resurface that open wound,” Hewitt reflected. “They were right.” She described the anniversary as a day tinged with raw emotions, laden with painful memories.
“I will never forget not being able to say goodbye. I’ll never forget walking into her house that day, hoping she would somehow come around the corner,” she recalled, the weight of grief heavy in her words. “The countless times I called her by accident when something good or bad happened because I forgot she couldn’t pick up.”
While proud of her journey through grief, Hewitt admitted, “I wish it wasn’t so painful.” Her poignant memoir, “Inheriting Magic,” is set to be released on December 10, aligning with the debut of “The Holiday Junkie” on December 14, a project that resonates deeply with her mother’s legacy.
