Robin Wright Reveals Sean Penn Coparenting Regret That Changed Everything

Robin Wright, known for her iconic role in Forrest Gump, has reflected candidly on her experience raising children with her ex-husband Sean Penn. In an interview published on August 30 by The Times of London, Wright shared a significant regret regarding how she approached coparenting their two children, Dylan Penn, 34, and Hopper Penn, 32. The discussion delved into the difficulties they faced while navigating parenting styles amid their acting careers and the impact on their children’s lives.

Wright expressed a poignant realization about her parenting style, admitting that she regrets not being more disciplined with their children. She explained that while Sean Penn was the stricter parent, his frequent absences due to work responsibilities left her to manage the emotional aftermath of discipline. The imbalance between the two extremes reportedly deprived their children of a consistent middle ground that might have benefited them more.

Balancing Discipline Between Two Divergent Parenting Styles

After marrying in 1996 and divorcing in 2010, Robin Wright and Sean Penn developed sharply different approaches to parenting. Wright described Sean as the “policeman” who was often away on acting assignments, remarking,

“He was gone so much of the time.”

—Robin Wright

When Sean returned home, he took on a strict role, but Wright added she would then soften the consequences, saying,

“He’d come back and be the policeman and then he’d leave me with the residue. Then I would soften the blow. We were both extremes. They didn’t get that gray area in the middle, which is stern, and that is what they needed.”

—Robin Wright

This difference in parenting approaches has weighed heavily on Wright, especially as her children faced personal difficulties.

Children’s Struggles and Personal Growth

Wright’s concern became even more acute as her children confronted their own challenges, particularly Hopper Penn’s public battle with crystal meth, which he discussed openly in a 2017 ES Magazine interview. The actress spoke about the emotional toll it took on her, describing the uncertainty and anxiety she endured for many years.

She revealed the ongoing fear that gripped her whenever her phone rang, worried about her children’s safety:

“Every day if the phone rings you’re, like, ‘Is he alive? Is she alive?’ I went through that for so many years with both of them.”

—Robin Wright

Despite these hardships, Wright confirmed their current wellbeing, sharing a hopeful update:

“They’re both in a really good place right now.”

—Robin Wright

Following in Their Parents’ Footsteps While Facing Industry Stereotypes

Dylan and Hopper Penn have both pursued careers in acting, continuing the family legacy but also navigating criticisms often faced by star children. Hopper has notably distanced himself from the “nepo baby” label, addressing it with pragmatism in a 2023 interview with E! News.

He stated,

“I’m like, ‘If you like it, cool. If you don’t, great. And if you think that there’s nepotism going on, I really don’t care because I’m gonna do the work just as professional as everybody else.”

—Hopper Penn

This approach highlights their commitment to establishing independent identities while acknowledging their hereditary ties.

Insights from Other Celebrities on Coparenting After Separation

Setting Priorities Around Children: Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green

Actors Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green have shared their experience coparenting their three sons, Noah, Bodhi, and Journey. Green emphasized the importance of focusing on the children’s experiences post-separation, cautioning against expecting former partners to have the same personal connection as before. He told E! News in April 2024:

“The number one is always make sure that everything is centered around the experience of the kids.”

—Brian Austin Green

“The person that you were with that you’re now separated from, you guys are separated for a reason, because you didn’t get along. So, you can’t expect to then get along after the fact in raising your kids. So, you have to decide, ‘OK, it’s not about us getting along anymore. It’s about us co-parenting, which is a totally different situation.’

—Brian Austin Green

Fox agreed, sharing on The Drew Barrymore Show in 2023 the necessity of maintaining respect for the other parent:

“I think it’s really important when people separate to never ever disparage the other parent or even in a passive aggressive way make remarks. I don’t let anything in my energy like that when I’m around my kids. Because if I don’t accept and love their father, I’m rejecting a part of them because he’s a part of who they are always. He’s in their blood, and he’s in their psyche, and they exist because of him.”

—Megan Fox

A Positive Dynamic: Josh Duhamel and Fergie’s Coparenting Relationship

Actors Josh Duhamel and Fergie have maintained a notably supportive and amicable coparenting bond following their 2019 divorce. Duhamel praised Fergie for welcoming his current wife, Audra Mari, into the family, describing the atmosphere as much better than expected. On The Jess Cagle Show in 2023, he said:

“Fergie is an amazing woman. She really is. She’s taken Audra in. And it could be much worse. That’s the thing—you never know how these things are going to go.”

—Josh Duhamel

He further explained Fergie’s genuine happiness about Duhamel’s expanding family:

“Because she’s such a kind-hearted person, she really truly is, she only has love for Audra and is excited as—well, I can’t believe how excited she is for us. Like I said, it could be a lot worse. I’ve seen it, I’ve lived it. Thankfully, we have a really civil situation.”

—Josh Duhamel

Irina Shayk and Bradley Cooper Emphasize Unified Parenting

Model Irina Shayk, mother to daughter Lea with Bradley Cooper, rejects the idea of separating parenting roles into categories. In a 2021 interview with ELLE, she said,

“I never understood the term co-parenting. When I’m with my daughter, I’m 100 percent a mother, and when she’s with her dad, he’s 100 percent her dad. Co-parenting is parenting.”

—Irina Shayk

Since their split in 2019, Shayk and Cooper have maintained a cooperative relationship, sharing family vacations and supporting each other. She praised Cooper as,

“He’s the best father Lea and I could dream of. It always works, but it always works because we make it work.”

—Irina Shayk

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon Find Balance in Coparenting Twins

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon, who co-parent twins Moroccan and Monroe, have worked to maintain a friendly and supportive relationship. Cannon described their connection on The Language of Love with Dr. Laura Berman in 2022:

“Mariah and I co-parent very well. We’re really great friends. She’s taught me so much. That’s family.”

—Nick Cannon

Carey echoed this sentiment in 2019, saying,

“I think Nick and I have done pretty well in co-parenting, staying friends with each other so that we can talk.”

—Mariah Carey

Beyond their twins, Cannon shares multiple children with different partners, reflecting the complexities and ongoing evolution of coparenting in modern families.

Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin on Maintaining Respect for Their Children

When Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin coined the term “consciously uncouple” in 2014, they set a tone for their coparenting journey. Paltrow described their commitment on The Drew Barrymore Show in 2020:

“Chris and I committed to putting them first, and that’s harder than it looks. Because some days, you really don’t want to be with the person that you’re getting divorced from. But if you’re committed to having family dinner, then you do it. And you take a deep breath, and you look the person in the eye, and you remember your pact, and you smile, and you hug, and you make a joke, and you just recommit to this new relationship that you’re trying to foster.”

—Gwyneth Paltrow

She acknowledged that although some days are harder than others, their focus remains on unity and love for their children:

“That’s how it will be forever. Some days it’s not as good as it looks. We also have good days and bad days. But I think it’s driving towards the same purpose of unity and love and really what’s best for them. We have this idea that just because we break up we can’t love the things about the person anymore that we loved and that’s not true.”

—Gwyneth Paltrow

Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen Navigate Coparenting with Mutual Respect

Since their 2022 divorce, Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen have managed to share parenting responsibilities for their children Benjamin and Vivian. Bündchen discussed the natural challenges of coparenting in a 2024 interview with ABC News, explaining the adjustments involved with children testing boundaries:

“I think there’s easier days than others. They’re super smart children. They know what they can get away with. So I think it’s natural that it has different rules, and then kids just adapt. And they’re going to try to do what they want. And I can only control what I do.”

—Gisele Bündchen

She highlighted the benefits of their arrangement:

“Tom has time with them, and I have time with them, which I think is amazing because they get to really experience—again, more-enriching for their lives—two different worlds, and they get to learn from two different worlds and that’s wonderful for them I think.”

—Gisele Bündchen

Brady echoed their shared goals on E! News in 2023, emphasizing a unified approach to parenting:

“I’m trying to raise them—we all are, myself and their mom—in a very loving way toward one another, to be very kind, to be empathetic and to have great perspective. Our kids are growing up in different ways than we grew up but also we want to raise them with the right values.”

—Tom Brady

Ben Affleck Commends Jennifer Garner’s Parenting Strength

Ben Affleck has described his ex-wife Jennifer Garner, with whom he shares three children, as a “superhero mom.” Reflecting on their coparenting experience during an E! News interview in 2016, Affleck said:

“She’s an amazing mother, and I’m really lucky to have her as a partner to co-parent these kids with. We try our best, we put them first and that’s what we do.”

—Ben Affleck

Jennifer Lopez, once engaged to Affleck, also praised Garner as an excellent coparent, emphasizing their effective teamwork in raising the children.

Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid Prioritize Their Daughter’s Happiness

Despite their public split in 2021, Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik have maintained a cooperative parenting relationship for their daughter Khai. Malik shared in 2023 on Call Her Daddy:

“We have a really good relationship for Khai. She’s the main importance. So yeah, it’s going well I think.”

—Zayn Malik

Hadid advised other parents to keep the child’s happiness front and center. She told The Sunday Times:

“Just keeping the importance of the child’s happiness at the forefront. You have a long life alongside this person.”

—Gigi Hadid

She added that the fact Khai can spend time with both parents brings her joy.

Khloe Kardashian’s Complex Coparenting With Tristan Thompson

Khloe Kardashian has openly addressed the challenges of coparenting with Tristan Thompson, a relationship marked by repeated public controversies. Speaking to tmrw in January 2024, Kardashian admitted the difficulty of maintaining cordial interactions for the sake of their daughters True and Tatum. She said:

“It’s way harder when you’re really mad at someone, it’s really hard to sit in their face in front of your kids and be like, ‘Hi!'”

—Khloe Kardashian

She elaborated on learning to control her emotions, sometimes regretting impulsive actions on social media, but added:

“But in my opinion, I’ll never regret being a nice person.”

—Khloe Kardashian

Kardashian emphasized her desire for her children to have a meaningful relationship with their father:

“I want my kids to have beautiful relationships with their dad. And if we’re blessed enough to have a dad that wants to be there and wants to show up and be hands-on, why would I prevent that from happening?”

—Khloe Kardashian

Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr Maintain Respectful Co-parenting in Extended Family

Even after Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr’s 2013 split, their shared dedication to parenting their son Flynn continues. This complex family dynamic includes Bloom’s current partner Katy Perry and Kerr’s husband Evan Spiegel. Kerr expressed on The Drew Barrymore Show in 2020:

“I adore Katy, and I just feel so happy that Orlando’s found someone that makes his heart so happy. Because at the end of the day, for Flynn to have a happy father and a happy mother, it’s just the most important thing. So I’m just so grateful that Orlando and Katy found each other and I’m so grateful that I found my incredible husband and just that we all really respect each other.”

—Miranda Kerr

Despite busy schedules and blended family commitments, the group works cooperatively on special occasions, always prioritizing Flynn’s wellbeing:

“When it comes to special occasions when we have to be together, we work it out. So we have compromises that we work out together for what is the best for our whole family? But we really do always think of what is the best thing for Flynn? And I just think that that’s the most important thing at the end of the day.”

—Miranda Kerr

Kate Hudson on Redefining Love Through Coparenting

Kate Hudson has embraced a unique coparenting model with exes Chris Robinson and Matt Bellamy, focusing on the love for her children that transcends former romantic relationships. She shared in 2022 with The Sunday Times:

“Chris and I just need to check in once in a while.”

—Kate Hudson

Discussing Bellamy, she praised his qualities as a father:

“so wonderful—I couldn’t have asked for a better co-parent. For me it’s like, you loved this person. That doesn’t just go away, but you can re-establish a different kind of love. You can have an amazing time with an ex-partner because you’re really only focused on the love of your child.”

—Kate Hudson

Hudson acknowledged her unconventional family structure, calling it a strong unit:

“It might not look traditional from the outside, but on the inside I feel like we’re killing it. The unit that I’ve created with three children with three different fathers is a seriously strong unit, and it’s ours.”

—Kate Hudson

Anna Faris and Chris Pratt Build a Blended Family With Openness

Despite their split, Anna Faris and Chris Pratt have fostered a positive coparenting relationship involving Pratt’s current wife Katherine Schwarzenegger. Faris told People in 2022:

“We’re all getting much closer, and I so appreciate that. They’re very protective of me, and I want to be very protective of them. I so appreciate their support.”

—Anna Faris

She described Schwarzenegger as “awesome” and praised her nurturing care for their son Jack. Faris also expressed relief that their blended family dynamic has improved with time:

“It feels just much easier now that time has passed. It feels really good to not live with that internal churning of unpleasantness.”

—Anna Faris

Mel B and Eddie Murphy’s Growing Friendship Makes Coparenting Smoother

For Mel B, developing a positive coparenting relationship with Eddie Murphy was a gradual process influenced by her personal struggles. Speaking to Us Weekly in May 2025 about overcoming past challenges including PTSD and coercive control, she said:

“I think being in the kind of [situation] that I was in, it was hard for me to step out and have that relationship [with Eddie] flourish. I managed to do it bit by bit.”

—Mel B

Mel B noted their friendship has strengthened, highlighting their shared involvement in their daughter Angel’s life:

“Angel is coming over [to Murphy’s house]. They spend time together. They go on holiday together. He has [10] kids and he’s a proper father.”

—Mel B

Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen Keep Coparenting Peaceful

While their TV show The O.C. featured drama, Rachel Bilson described her coparenting arrangement with Hayden Christensen as steady and positive. She told People in 2024:

“Everything’s in a really good place. She is so beautifully flourishing and has the support completely surrounding her from every side.”

—Rachel Bilson

Bilson’s statement underscores the importance of a stable and supportive environment for their daughter Briar Rose.

Significance of Celebrities Addressing Coparenting Challenges

Robin Wright’s candid reflection on Sean Penn coparenting regret sheds light on the nuanced realities behind celebrity parenting beyond the public façade. Her acknowledgement of inconsistent discipline and its impact highlights the emotional complexities many separated parents face. This conversation also opens a broader dialogue about the importance of balance and joint commitment in coparenting dynamics.

The experiences shared by various stars reveal a spectrum of coparenting relationships—from amicable and collaborative to challenging yet hopeful. Whether coping with personal struggles, public scrutiny, or blended family logistics, these narratives reflect evolving attitudes toward family and parental unity after separation.

As public figures continue to openly discuss their coparenting journeys, it may encourage more honest conversations around parenting challenges for separated families worldwide, emphasizing love, respect, and the best interests of children as central themes.