The 'Shanghai Noon' actor has three kids, including Lyla Aranya Wilson. But he is not sure if he is her father even though a paternity test proved that he is.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on May 14, 2020. It has since been updated.
Not all people become good parents, some shirk the responsibility even when they are blessed with a child. They are most likely not ready for the life of parenthood and instead of embracing this new chapter, they find excuses to get out of it. People do have their own traumas and vision for their lives, but sometimes it might be hard to look beyond that.
Actor Owen Wilson has made us laugh in many movies but one of the most iconic ones would be Marley & Me, co-starring Jennifer Aniston, based on the eponymous book. He played a dad in that movie and many more, but in real life, he may not be the father one would expect him to be. Wilson, a father-of-three, has rejected his only daughter, who was born on October 9, 2018. While he pays for her upkeep, he doesn't believe that little Lyla Aranya Wilson is his.
Lyla's mother, Varunie Vongsvirates, who was Wilson's on and off lover, has begged him to be involved in his daughter's life. Vongsvirates said that Wilson wasn't involved with "their little girl" and has "never" met her even once.
"Owen has never met Lyla. Never. He helps financially but it’s never been about that," she told the DailyMail in November 2019. The 36-year-old added, "Lyla needs a father. It’s ironic how [Owen] keeps getting these father roles, he's playing a father in his new movie, and he's never met his own daughter."
The Wedding Crashers actor reportedly changed his phone number after he learned that his then-girlfriend was pregnant with their daughter. "When Varunie told Owen she was pregnant, he was not happy about it, and that was the last time they ever spoke," said the source.
Even though a paternity test has confirmed that Lyla is his daughter, he refuses to be a part of her life. The toddler, who was born 6 lbs., 13 oz., and measured 21 inches, was given the middle name to honor her grandfather, Vongsvirates' dad. "My sweet little princess 💝 Lyla Aranya Wilson, born on 10-09-18," Vongsvirates captioned her baby girl’s first photo that she shared on Instagram.
A source of the Zoolander actor had said that while he was "excited" about the baby, he also had doubts if she was his. "If a paternity test establishes that [Wilson] is the father of another child, he will fulfill all of his obligations to support his child," the source told PEOPLE. And, he does fulfill the obligations, but that's just about it. He pays $25,000 per month to support the care for his daughter and also paid a one-off $70,000 to cover a night nurse, labor coach, and Vongsvirates' legal fees related to the paternity petition from May 2018, according to DailyMail.
In a July 2018 response, the Shanghai Noon actor checked the "none" box under visitation rights and added that he was "not certain if he is the parent." He is a dad to two sons apart from Lyla and spends time with them often. He had welcomed his first child, Robert, named after his father, in 2011 with then-girlfriend Jade Duell. He has another son, Finn, with fitness trainer Caroline Lindqvist. She was reportedly in the middle of a divorce when it was revealed that she was pregnant with Wilson's child, according to Daily Mail.
During an episode of The Ellen Degeneres Show, he lovingly spoke about his sons. He calls his son Robert by his middle name Ford. "It's unbelievable. I mean, anything Ford says is just, like, the funniest thing ever, and I can make and joke and it's, like, crickets. It's like nothing from those guys... I'm already sort of seeing how they're gonna be as teenagers, where they're gonna be sort of be ganging up on me."
"We went to Sequoia National Park, and they have the biggest tree in the world. I'm like: 'Guys, this is the biggest tree in the world,' and Ford's like: 'I've seen bigger.' And I'm like: 'Well, no, Ford, actually you haven't seen bigger. This is - this is the General Sherman tree. This is the biggest tree.' And he's like: 'If you say so.' And I'm like: 'No, it's not if I say so! There's the plaque right here!' And he's like: 'I can't read.''
Lyla's mom wants the best for her daughter and seeing Wilson with his sons breaks her heart. "Varunie’s mother passed away when she was still kind of young and impressionable,” a source said, according to RadarOnline. “She knows what it’s like to grow up with one parent. She doesn’t want that to happen to her daughter." As per Daily Mail, she has one message for her ex, "You should see your daughter, she's incredible, you're really missing out. She looks just like you."
References:
https://people.com/parents/owen-wilson-welcomes-daughter-third-child-lyla-aranya/
