Vanessa Bryant, widow of Kobe Bryant, has been accused of throwing her mother out of the couple's house following the death of the late NBA legend. Vanessa's mother, Sofia Laine, has also accused her of taking away the car given to her by the couple.
Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, along with seven others were on their way to Thousand Oaks, California, to participate in a basketball match, when the chopper in which they were travelling crashed into a hillside in Calabasas, on January 26. All nine members aboard the ill-fated chopper, along with the pilot Zobayan, died on the spot.
Vanessa Told Mother 'She Wants Her Car and Wants it Now'
The startling allegations were levelled against the late NBA legend's widow by her mother during an interview on Univision on Monday. Speaking to the Spanish show 'El Gorda y La Flaca's host Dave Valadez, a teary eyed Laine said: "'She told me, "I need you to get out of this house." She also told me that she wanted her car and she wants it now."
In one of Kobe's previous Instagram posts, Vanessa and her mother were pictured together with Laine's hand placed protectively on Vanessa's pregnant belly. Laine had also celebrated Thanksgiving with the Bryant family last year.
According to the Daily Mail, the reason behind Vanessa's harsh decision was not revealed during the preview which was aired on weekend. The Bryant family owns a number of properties on the Newport Coast and Laine used to live in one until it was sold in 2013, reported the outlet.
Earlier an insider had revealed that Vanessa is incredibly close to her mom and she has been her rock throughout the past few weeks following the fatal crash. "Her mom is always with her and the girls and she's been keeping Vanessa strong and she's the weight of her support system," added the source.
Vanessa Denies Any Support From Her Mother Following Kobe's Death
Kobe is survived by his wife and three daughters, Natalia (17), Bianka (3) and Capri (7 months).
According to The Courier Mail, Vanessa, in statement given to the program, lashed out at her mother for speaking negatively against her despite the tragic turn of events.
"My husband and daughter passed away unexpectedly, and yet my mother had the audacity to do a television interview speaking negatively of me while shedding tears for a car and a house that were not in her name," she wrote.
Alleging that Laine removed all her diamond jewellery, emptied the apartment Vanessa provided, and put away the furniture to make it look like she doesn't have her support, the grieving widow said that the couple have supported Laine financially for the past 20 years, and continue to do so, in addition to providing her monthly alimony. "Contrary to previous reports, she has not been physically present or emotionally supportive of my daughters and me after my husband and daughter passed away," she went on to add.
Stating that she was pained to hear the accusations levelled against her, Vanessa said: "Now I see what is most important to my mother and it's more than painful. I hope that everything that is coming out about our personal relationship ends here."
Twitter Comes Out in Support of Vanessa
Soon after the clip of Laine's interview went viral, social media users came out in support of Kobe's widow. Criticizing Laine for revealing family troubles on national platform the users lashed out against her on the microblogging platform.
"Any parent that takes advantage of your pain to trash you in ANY interview for public gain is a shitty parent. I don't care what the accusations are, it shows exactly why you got kicked to the curb to start with. This applies to Vanessa Bryant's mom," wrote a user.
"Vanessa Bryant's mom is a great reminder that not only can our parent/family relationships be unhealthy but also that you don't owe your toxic family anything," added another.
"I'm 100% positive that Vanessa Bryant's mom said some disrespectful ass shit about her mourning the loss of Kobe and Gigi. Vanessa wouldn't take away her car and kick her out for nothing. That mom is giving me Yolanda Saldivar vibes she's that chismosa tia," tweeted one.
