Carol Burnett scored what had to be a painful victory in court this week when she was awarded temporary guardianship of her teenage grandson. The 87-year-old comedic legend was forced to intervene as her daughter Erin Hamilton’s battle with drug addiction worsens.
Erin Hamilton is the daughter of Burnett and Joe Hamilton, who produced “The Carol Burnett Show” and wrote its theme song. Erin is the youngest of Hamilton’s 11 children, and also Burnett’s youngest of three. She is a singer, like her father, and has even scored some hits on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart.
Carol Burnett has been appointed the temporary legal guardian of her grandson, Dylan Hamilton-West. https://t.co/QHqpxZXVbV
— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) September 2, 2020
Court Awards Carol Burnett Guardianship Of Grandson
Last month, Carol Burnett and her husband Brian Miller filed a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court for emergency custody of her 14-year-old grandson Dylan. Dylan Hamilton-West is the son of Carol Burnett’s daughter, Erin.
Carol Burnett files legal docs to become guardian of grandson Dylan age 13 due to daughter Erin Hamilton’s substance abuse.
Legendary comedian Carol Burnett and her third husband Brian Miller have reportedly filed legal documents to become temporary guardians to her teenage
— Carolyn Storey (@StoreyCarolyn) August 22, 2020
The couple’s request was approved on Tuesday, when it was ruled that Burnett and Miller will be Dylan’s temporary guardians through January 8, 2021.
“The court finds that sufficient evidence has been provided to grant the matter on calendar this date based upon the reading of the moving papers and consideration of all presented evidence,” state court documents obtained by People magazine.
“The Petition – Appoint a Temporary Guardian (Subsequent) filed on 8/18/2020 by Petitioner(s) Carol Burnett, Brian Miller is granted,” the documents added. “Carol Burnett & Brian Miller is/are appointed as Temporary Guardian(s) of the Person of Dylan Hamilton-West until 01/08/2021 and Temporary Letters shall be valid until that date.”
“Temporary guardians have the authority to change Dylan’s school and housing pending the next hearing date,” the court papers continued.
Why Carol Burnett Had To Fight For Guardianship In Court
Last month, Burnett explained in a statement to Fox News why she was filing to become her grandson’s temporary guardian.
“Due to addiction issues and other circumstances that my daughter, Erin, has been struggling with impacting her immediate family dynamic, my husband and I have petitioned the court to be appointed legal guardian of my 14-year-old grandson,” the comedic icon said.
“Guardianship will be for oversight purposes concerning his health, education and welfare and not intended to deny him nor the parents proper visitation with one another,” Burnett added. “We look forward to recovery being the next stepping stone toward normalization and ask for privacy at this time to allow that process to occur.”
The Blast reported that Carol Burnett went into more details about her daughter Erin’s struggles in her initial filing.
Erin Hamilton Threatens Suicide
“Throughout her adult life, and since Dylan’s birth, Erin has suffered from severe substance abuse and addiction issues,” she said in the filing. “In the past 19 years, Erin has been in and out of rehabilitation centers and has been institutionalized a total of eight times for a minimum of 30 days each time.”
Related: Carol Burnett Invited The Elevator Man To Dinner Then Things Got Interesting!
Dylan Hamilton-West’s father Kurt West recently checked into a rehabilitation facility himself. So clearly his dad is also unable to take care of 14-year-old Dylan. That’s why Burnett and her husband felt the need to step up.
The situation was made all the more dire when Erin Hamilton threatened to commit suicide recently.
In July, her family was forced to call the LAPD to have officers conduct a wellness check on Erin. The family just wanted to make sure that she hadn’t harmed herself.
“Dylan’s living environment has long been unstable, unpredictable and unhealthy for a child,” Burnett said. “This culminated in a Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) investigation and juvenile dependency proceedings in 2018 and 2019.”
Burnett’s Late Daughter Carrie’s Battle With Addiction
Sadly, addiction is something with which the Burnett family already has experience.
In a recent interview with AARP The Magazine, Carol Burnett opened up about her late daughter Carrie’s struggles with drug addiction. And how she eventually overcame it.
“My daughter Carrie got into drugs,” she said. “In that situation, don’t be their best friend. We got her into a third rehab, oh, she hated my guts! You have to love them enough to let them hate you.”
Carrie’s story with addiction ended up having a happy ending. Burnett recalled that she “got sober before her 18th birthday, and we had a good 20 years.”
Tragically, Carrie died in 2002 at the age of 38 from cancer.
“We were joined at the hip for a while there,” Burnett recalled. “Carrie died of cancer at 38. But in the hospital, she said, ‘Every day I wake up and decide today I’m going to love my life.’ And that was her mantra.”
Burnett has had more than her fair share of tragedy in her life. And, at 87 years of age, she doesn’t need to be put through anything more.
We hope and pray that her daughter Erin Hamilton is able to get her life back on track. And that she is soon well enough to care for her son again.
Related: Carol Burnett Couldn’t Keep a Straight Face When She Played Mary Worthless!
More About:Celebrity Entertainment TellMeNow