At the start of 2018, Tana Mongeau dropped the 32-minute video, “finally opening up about growing up/my insane dad.” The video was a recounting of her mom, Rebecca’s, parenting and her dad, Rick’s, embarrassing behavior. “This is definitely a very light-hearted and comedic video,” she began. “I definitely do need to make a dark … video about my childhood.” She shared stories about her parents’ erratic choices, her father cussing at strangers, and the persistent dysfunction in her home.
When she was in her early teens, Mongeau started spending most of her time with her best friend, Imari Stuart’s, family to escape the chaos. Because of their inattentiveness and unreliability, the Vegas native was always taking care of herself, so much so that she had to drop out of high school to do so. Mongeau has credited her best friend’s family for saving her life and said she claimed them as her chosen parents.
In her holiday episode for “MTV No Filer: Tana Turns 21,” Mongeau explained that she had no interest in going home for Christmas because her parents were unfit for parenting: “[I] just want nothing to do with them.” In 2023, the social media star compared her childhood to Jenette McCurdy’s memoir “I’m Glad My Mom Died.” Despite a loveless upbringing, though, she holds out for the possibility of connection. “You’ll always have that irrational hope that [my parents] could one day be people and apologize,” she admitted on the “H3 Podcast.”
