Megan Fox's Complicated Relationship With Her Parents Impacted Her Mental Health
“I went through some trauma in childhood and I developed a pretty severe eating disorder and manic depression." Megan is open about her struggles.
Published Feb. 22 2024, 10:31 p.m. ET
Actor and model Megan Fox may just be settling down soon with Machine Gun Kelly. A look back at her upbringing and parents can give a fuller picture of this famed "it-girl."
Megan was born in Oak Ridge, Tenn., to Gloria Darlene and Franklin Thomas Fox. They continued to raise Megan in Tennesee where she began taking dance and drama classes at a young age. Her childhood was pretty harsh. Keep reading for all of the details.
Who are Megan Fox's parents?
Megan had a complicated relationship with her family growing up. Her father, Franklin, was a parole officer. Megan's mother, Darlene, divorced him when Megan was only 3 years old. Megan was raised by her mother and new stepfather, Tony Tonachio.
Darlene and Tony raised Megan around religion. "I was raised Catholic. I went to Catholic school for 12 years," she told Parade. As a result, her home life was very strict.
Megan told Allure that she wasn't allowed to have friends over. Worse yet, Megan claimed that her upbringing was full of abuse, specifically from her stepfather.
Megan opened up about her mental health struggles while she was a teenager, including an eating disorder and manic depression due to "some trauma in childhood." Megan added that manic depression, otherwise known as bipolar disorder, ran in her family, during an interview with CR Fashion Book.
"As I got into my early 20s, that hell-hath-no-fury, a woman-scorned demon did rise up in me,” Megan said. “I did tap into that archetype a few times as well. That’s kind of what you see in Jennifer — that sort of nasty streak that can exist if you align yourself with that ancient energy.”
Her "very strict" upbringing, Megan told Elle, forced her to stay grounded. In acts of rebellion, she would receive hefty punishments. “I wasn’t doing anything particularly crazy,” she said. “I just never appreciated authority figures preaching to me.”
Megan's stepdad died in 2011, but she said that he treated her with hostility right up until his death. Her mother is still alive, as of this writing, and is a retired real estate agent.
What is Megan's sexuality?
Megan has been open about her bisexuality. While she's in a serious relationship with Machine Gun Kelly, she isn't afraid to celebrate her pride. "Putting the B in #LGBTQIA for over two decades," she wrote on Instagram in June 2021.
Even so, Megan has largely been sexualized by Hollywood, which she has spoken on before. “I had retracted from that kind of attention,” she told CR Fashion Book. “It had been so overwhelming and traumatic for me the first time around and I hadn’t learned how to process it or trust it or be open to it.”
Megan also celebrated her breakthrough movie, Jennifer's Body which has been a longtime source of sexualization for her. However, she has spoken about the sense of empowerment that came with the unique movie, especially considering the sapphic undertones and subtext.
“It was directed by a woman, written by a woman, and starred two women,” Megan said. “The fact that the movie itself was a discussion about the way women are sexualized in society…for the marketing to represent that exact issue is kind of necessary.”
In addition to her relationship with Machine Gun Kelly, Megan has her hands full with her three sons — Noah, Bodhi, and Journey — with her ex-husband, Brian Austin Green.
