Julia Roberts ‘Feared’ Stepfather Who Humiliated Her - She Found Happiness in Her 3 Kids with Whom She Spends Every Day

• Martin Luther King paid for Julia Roberts's parent's hospital bill after she was born.

• Roberts' father died, and her stepfather abused her and her siblings.

• Roberts' dream of creating a family was fulfilled.

Julia Roberts is the queen of romantic films and one of the most respected actresses with multiple accolades. However, Robert's childhood was not as rosy as in some of her movies, but parts of her life are interesting.

For instance, the actress once revealed that civil rights activist Martin Luther King paid for her parent's medical bills after she was born.

Roberts talked with CBS reporter Gayle King for a history channel and revealed that her parents were close to the King family.

According to Huff Post, Roberts's parents, Walter and Betty Lou Roberts managed the Actors and Writer's workshop in Atlanta in 1967. This was before Roberts was born, but it was during the thick of racial segregation.

So, with the systematic segregation and having King be at the forefront of fighting for black rights, his children were not allowed to attend any white schools.

However, Roberts's mother, Betty, welcomed King's daughter Yolanda to their school, which reportedly sparked controversy. This led to King's daughter being targeted for getting a role in a theatre and kissing a white boy.

Huff Post stated that a Buike exploded outside the theatre school, and Yolanda's co-star Philip DePoy said it was all because he was a white boy who kissed a black girl during a play.

Roberts appreciated King for helping her parents pay off the hospital bill they could not afford after she was born on October 28, 1967. The actress lived through racial segregation and has been vocal about the racial injustice in her town, Smyrna, Georgia.

According to Mirror, Betty and Walter divorced in 1972, and eight months later, she married Michael Motes. Sadly, in 1977 Walter died of throat cancer when Roberts was only ten.

However, Motes was not the best addition to the family; in fact, Roberts and her siblings have confessed that he was abusive to them for the eleven years he was married to their mother.

After witnessing the troubled love life of her mother, Roberts wanted to find the right love for her. In the early stages of her career, the actress fell in love with actor Keifer Sutherland.

According to Mirror, the couple fell in love on the first day of filming "Flatliners" in 1990. But Sutherland was still married to his first wife, Camelia Kath.

After his divorce was finalized, Roberts and Sutherland went public and made their relationship official. The couple's romance grew stronger as the months passed, leading to an engagement.

However, the engagement reportedly came a few weeks after Sutherland was accused of cheating with a stripper. Sutherland allegedly had a history of alcohol and temporarily moved out of Robert's home. But despite the ups and downs, the wedding plans seemed to be underway.

It was not until three days before the big day that Roberts called off her wedding. According to Mirror, Sutherland found out about it from a mutual friend. Years after the incident, the actor commended Roberts for her decision and said it must have been difficult.

In 2015 Robert's mother died from lung cancer, and the actress opened up to Country Living about the loss. The "Pretty Woman" star said she still thinks of her mother every day.

The actress said her children always speak of her, so her mother's presence is always felt. Roberts was also close to her mother and relied on her for guidance.

The "Runaway Bride" star, who is always a mother of three children, said she went to her mom for advice on juggling a full-time job and taking care of kids.

Instead of selling her an expectation of what a mother should be, Better reportedly said, "it's called daycare, honey." Roberts appreciated her mother's honest response.

Living with an Abusive Stepfather

Mirror investigated the grim life of Roberts' life with her stepfather. Her brother Eric Roberts has also been honest about how abusive Motes was to them.

Eric reportedly moved out of his family home after Betty married Motes, but the actor admitted that he was terrified to leave his sisters behind because of how Motes terrorized him. He said:

“I was horrified when I thought about what my poor sisters were going to have to endure living with Motes.”

Motes was reportedly an alcoholic and would get aggressive when he had too much to drink. A close source revealed that he caused raging arguments with Betty and the children every time he drank.

Eric also stated that the whole neighborhood knew their stepfather to be violent. Motes also never had a steady job and left Betty to fend for their family, said a close source.

On the other hand, Roberts "feared and despised" Motes for bringing misery to her family's life. When Betty divorced Motes, she reportedly cited "cruel treatment" and said marrying him was the worst decision of her life.

Mirror tried to interview Motes, but he refused and said he was not one for interviews. However, he did reveal that he was writing a memoir to share his side of the story.

As reported by Mirror, Motes came out as gay and now lives with his partner in Georgia. He even volunteers as a minister at a local church.

Julia Roberts Found Happiness in Her Marriage and Kids

Roberts met her husband of 20 years, Danny Moder, on the set of the 2001 film "The Mexican". They married in 2002 and have been inseparable since.

But Roberts's most considerable pride and joy are her three children, Hazel, Phinnaeus, and Henry. The actress said they reflect the affection she shares with her husband.

The actress admitted that her acting career was a dream come true, but becoming a mother was another dream of hers that came to life.

When Roberts is not acting, she is more than happy being a mother and homemaker. Even though she admitted that motherhood is not always easy, it is still a journey that fulfills her.