The Truth About Jared Leto's Tragic Childhood

May 2024 ยท 2 minute read

Leto would be raised by his mother, Constance, until she married Dr. Carl Leto. Dr. Leto adopted Jared and his brother, Shannon, relates Earth Necklace.

The boys' upbringing might look a bit unorthodox to most, but Leto credits his creativity to the way his mother raised him. Constance gave birth to both children while she was still a teenager, according to a heartwarming acceptance speech that Leto gave at the Oscars in 2014, per Business Insider. She was a dropout. The family was poor, living on food stamps. Eventually, the family lived with Leto's grandparents. His grandfather was in the U.S. Air Force, so they had to move around quite a bit. At one point, according to Female First, Leto found himself living in a commune in the woods with his mother and brother. Not having a stable place to call home can be rough on anyone, but Leto says, "having the art communal hippie experience as a child" nurtured his creativity. They were surrounded by artists of every sort.

The lack of direction Leto faced as a kid drew him into drugs when he was a teenager. He wasn't sure what he'd do with his life and "drug dealer" was a real possibility for him, as he told Big Issue in a 2013 interview. Luckily, he kicked the drug problem and went straight edge by the time he enrolled in art school.

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