Eric Roberts Offers Apology After Decades of a Bad Relationship with SisterJulia Roberts

Actor Julia Roberts's relationship with her brother and fellow actor Eric Roberts has been fraught for decades, with the duo feuding both publicly and privately. But a new effort from Eric may offer hope for the siblings.

Eric recently released a memoir that included a "public apology" for the sister he's long been estranged from. But will it be enough? Here's why the two have been feuding and what Eric had to say in his apology to his famous sister.

Eric has recently released a memoir, titled Runaway Train: Or the Story of My Life So Far. In the pages of the memoir, he has recounted details of his storied career which spans more than 40 years and includes movies such as Runaway Train, The Dark Night, and more.

In the book, he muses on his battle with cocaine addiction and the pain he caused his loved ones along the way. In the early '80s, Eric's career was taking off and Julia's would soon follow suit. But Eric's addiction caused friction between the two, and ultimately contributed to their estrangement in 1992.

At that time, Eric was in court battling with his ex-wife Kelly Cunningham for custody of the couple's daughter, actor Emma Roberts. Julia decided to financially support Kelly, as Eric was still struggling with substance abuse. The siblings could no longer see eye-to-eye after that and stopped speaking.

However, Eric's apology to Julia was not related to the origin of their estrangement. Rather, he was focused on a 2018 Vanity Fair interview where he claimed credit for Julia's career.

Eric told the magazine, "If it wasn’t for me, there would be no Julia Roberts and no Emma Roberts as celebrities, as actresses, and I’m very proud of that." He also boasted that he was the first to win major awards, thumbing his nose at his accomplished sister. And in the book, Eric apologized.

He wrote, "I hope Julia will accept this public apology. It was an asinine thing to have said." And he went on to explain that he is to blame for what drove the siblings — including their third sibling, Lisa Roberts — apart. Eric lamented that he probably caused both of his sisters PTSD from "when it was dangerous to be around [him]." Adding, "Lisa and Julia needed love and protection." However, "instead they got fear and uncertainty."

Yet despite his apparent desire to patch things up with his sister, Eric noted that it was his relationship with his daughter that was his greatest loss. He explained, "I imagine I will remain as Julia’s brother and Emma Roberts’s dad for the rest of my life." The actor added pensively, “I’d like to make good on that, to move aside proudly and with grace. That’s part of the reason for writing the book.”

While Eric seems to hope things are healing behind the scenes, Julia has remained publicly mum on the subject. Whether or not his apology can heal four decades of estrangement remains to be seen.