”The question has been begged, forever it seems, whether Julia and I had a giant falling out over custody of Emma. I’d like to clear the air about that, once and for all,” he writes in his memoir and continued:
”I never saw myself as someone who deserved to have physical custody of Emma, not in a million years. We both knew better than that. Kelly never claimed I was trying to get physical custody of Emma, so therefore, Julia never sided with Kelly in a custody fight. There really was no custody fight.”
“Thankfully, Julia helped — for Emma’s sake and because she could afford to. I deeply appreciated it.”
The daughter who grew up without him
As Eric wrestled with his addiction, Emma Roberts grew up under her mother’s care — and in the shadow of her famous aunt. She would visit Julia Roberts on the set of Erin Brockovich, where the magic of filmmaking first captured her heart.
”When night fell, I’d run and hide in her makeup trailer and hear, ‘where’s Emma? It’s time for bed! She has to go home!’” Emma recalled in a 2016 interview with Allure.
”I remember it feeling like summer camp, just the feeling of creativity.”
Years later, that same little girl became a star herself, leading American Horror Story, Scream Queens, and We’re the Millers.
But the wound left by her father’s absence never fully healed.
When asked if she was close with him, Emma once replied carefully:
Eric Roberts today
Today, Eric Roberts is 69. He is sober, reflective, and still working.
He’s spoken openly about the years he lost and the people he hurt.
“For many years, I was a practicing drug addict,” he told Today. “So a lot of people were alienated — especially the family. I owe them a lot because they love me.”
He’s also made peace with his past. He never stopped loving his daughter.
In a touching Instagram post for Emma’s birthday, he shared a photo of her as a little girl, reading a toy instruction booklet while he watched her lovingly.
“As you can see, I am clueless about the task,” he wrote. “But the love on my face, even in profile, for her is undeniable… I knew she’d grow up to be all that and more. I love you, Emma.”
