Her mother appeared in an interview recently where she claimed that her daughter had told her to leave the house.
Vanessa Bryant's mother Sofia Laine ruffled some feathers recently after she accused Bryant of forcing her out of the house. As shocking as it may sound, tension seems to be growing between the once-a-happy family after the death of Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna Bryant.
According to The Sun, Laine claimed while talking to Dave Valasez for Univision’s El Gorda y La Flaca show that Vanessa asked her mother to leave the house after her husband's death and asked Laine to hand over the vehicle as well.
Shedding tears as she spoke, she said, “She told me, ‘I need you to get out of this house. She also told me that she wanted her car and she wants it now.” The teaser of the episode which was shared on the interviewer's Instagram page did not reveal the reason for the rift between the two women.
Vanessa was assumed to be quite close to her mother. In the weeks after the tragic crash where she lost Kobe and Giana, Laine was reported to be her support system. A source close to Vanessa revealed to Us Magazine that she "is incredibly close to her mom and her mom has been her rock throughout the past few weeks." "Her mom is always with her and the girls [Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and Capri, 7 months] and she’s been keeping Vanessa strong and she’s the weight of her support system," added the source.
The mother-of-four who lived in the Bryant family's Newport Beach home before it was sold in 2013, was said to be close to Kobe as well. She was seen in the family photo the late NBA star had shared on his Instagram. But things seem to have changed since then.
Even though there was no immediate reaction from Vanessa after her mother's interview's teaser surfaced, the 38-year-old responded right after the interview was aired on Monday, September 21.
In a statement to People, she said, "My husband and daughter passed away unexpectedly and yet my mom has the audacity to do an interview on TV talking negatively about me while shedding tears about a car and home that wasn’t in her name."
Giving more intimate details about her mother's deeds, she continued, "She has removed all her diamond jewelry, emptied her apartment that I provide, and put the furniture in storage to appear as though she is without support." Adding how she and Kobe had always supported Laine financially, she said, "My husband and I have financially supported her over the past 20 years, and I continue to do so, in addition to her monthly alimony."
Dismissing previous reports of Laine being emotionally supportive to Vanessa and her kids she said that her mother was not even present physically after Kobe and Gianna's demise, let alone be the emotional support.
She said, "Contrary to previous reports, she has not been physically present or emotionally supportive for my daughters and me after my husband and daughter passed away. Going forward, I see what is most important to my mom and it is beyond hurtful. I hope this public airing of our personal relations will stop here."
Kobe and their second-oldest daughter Gianna, 13, lost their lives tragically in a freak helicopter crash back in January 2020. Seven other people identified as Payton Chester, 13, Sarah Chester, 46, Alyssa Altobelli, 14, Keri Altobelli, 46, John Altobelli, 56, Christina Mauser, 38, and the helicopter's pilot Ara Zobayan, 50 also died.
Vanessa's close friend La La Anthony while recently talking to ET Online addressed the mother-of-three as "the strongest woman I know." She revealed that she hugely appreciates the way the former model handled the loss of dear ones.
"To see her smile and laugh to me is the greatest feeling. You know, to just have those moments whether they're quick moments or not, you know, for her to be able to have that, so, I'll continue to bring the fun and the laughter," she added.
References:
https://www.the-sun.com/news/1511252/vanessa-bryant-mom-kicked-out-home-car/
https://people.com/sports/vanessa-bryant-mom-interview-beyond-hurtful-claims/
