Chet Hanks Gets Candid About What It Was Like Growing Up With Famous Parents

Chet Hanks is speaking his truth. In a video posted to his YouTube channel, Hanks is opening up about what it was like to grow up in the spotlight — and in the shadow of his parents.

The 31-year-old rapper prefaced the video by saying he has come a long way since he released the song "White Boy Summer" in 2021, which caused quite a stir. At the time of the song's release, Hanks was embroiled in controversy because the "white boy summer" merch he was selling used a font similar to one white nationalists use, triggering accusations of racism, according CNN. Hanks responded to the backlash saying white boy summer is the antithesis of that mentality and having a "white boy summer" means you have no prejudices against anyone.

During the white boy summer debacle, it seems Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson kept to themselves, not speaking on the controversy. But despite Chet's parents staying out of it, he has brought his parents into the mix during his interviews and social media tirades, continuously revealing that growing up under his dad's name was both a blessing and a curse, according to TooFab. Now, in his new YouTube video, Chet is opening up about how he was able to transform himself from "White Boy Summer" rapper to owner of a self-mastery program, Hanxfit, while claiming he did it all without a male role model growing up. 

In his new YouTube video, Chet Hanks revealed growing up in the shadow of his parents was a "double-edged sword" that only showed its negative side in school. "People would make up their minds about me before they even got the chance to know me and it was extremely hard to break down their walls," Cher explained. "People kind of did f*** with me a lot growing up. It was never to my face. It was always behind my back in the forms of gossip or s*** talking."

Hanks said these experiences led him to develop a "hard exterior" that made him wish a role model would have explain why kids were bullying him. "I didn't have a strong male role model to tell me... 'Bro f*** these people. They are just jealous of you," he said. "I needed to hear that. I didn't have anyone to tell me that. This is me now telling the younger version of myself what I needed to hear then."

While Hanks feels he lacked a strong male role model, he still acknowledges he was blessed with parents whom he loves. And Tom Hanks feels the same despite what his son might say on social media. Speaking out in 2015 about Chet's battle with addiction, the "Forrest Gump" actor told Entertainment Tonight, "As a parent, you love your kids unconditionally. You support them every step of the way."