Who Is Carol Burnett's Daughter? Comedian Seeks Custody Of Grandson Over Daughter Erin Hamilton's Addiction Issues
Burnett wants custody of her grandson.
Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock Famous funnywoman Carol Burnett is facing family struggles this week as she seeks guardianship of her grandson Dylan West. West's mom is Erin Hamilton, Burnett's middle daughter who is currently battling addictions that have plagued her for most of her adult life.
Who is Carol Burnett's daughter, Erin Hamilton?
Hamilton is a musician whose promising career was sidelined by her personal struggles over the years. She is the mother of two sons but her older son, Zach, is 23 years and doesn't need legally-mandated assistance from his grandmother at this time. Hamilton, for her part, hasn't commented yet about the legal proceedings but her mother's attorneys have made some dramatic claims about her well-being and how it is affecting her younger son, Dylan West.
Who is Erin Hamilton?
Erin Hamilton is Burnett's middle daughter.
Erin grew up as one of three Hamilton sisters. Jody, a producer and podcaster, is the oldest at 53 years old. Erin, who is now 51, is the youngest. Oldest sister Carrie would be 56 now but she passed away at the age of 38 in 2002 from cancer. Their father is Joe Hamilton, a jazz composer and musician who wrote the theme music and produced The Carol Burnett Show. Joe Hamilton has eight other children from other relationships so the Hamilton sisters grew up with plenty of siblings.
Hamilton loved music from an early age.
With two parents who were both performers, it's little surprise that Hamilton took an interest in the performing arts herself. She grew up visiting the studio where her mother filmed her weekly variety show, which had a live orchestra for accompaniment, not to mention musical guests. Hamilton was drawn to the musicians. "I always wanted to sit in the orchestra pit," she recalls. "I remember being totally star struck watching everyone from Stevie Wonder to Elton John to Ray Charles perform."
Erin Hamilton made music her career.
Hamilton studied music in high school and college on the East Coast before moving back to Los Angeles to try and break into the business. She took it very seriously, auditioning for bands and taking voice lessons to hone her skills. She experimented in several genres including jazz but finally settled on electronic dance music as her passion. In 1999, she scored a major hit with an electronic remix of "Dream Weaver" that climbed to #20 on the dance charts. In subsequent years, she would have other dance chart hits. She even made it to number one twice in 2008 with "The Flame 08" and "Control Yourself."
Erin Hamilton has serious substance abuse issues.
These days, Hamilton is struggling with the same substance abuse problems that have plagued her for most of her adult life. According to court documents, Hamilton has been in and out of rehab at least eight times in 19 years. This wasn't just a few days to detox, either. Hamilton would go in for 30 days at a time, trying to move past the addictions that have been controlling her life.
Erin Hamilton has two sons.
In addition to forging a music career and struggling with addiction, Hamilton has been trying to raise two kids. She had her older son Zach in 1997 with her ex-husband Trae Carlson. Her second son, Dylan, was born in 2006 and his father is Kurt West. It's not totally clear what kind of custody arrangement she and Kurt West have but court filings indicate that he is also working to get sober. He recently checked into rehab and can't care for his son at this time.
This summer Hamilton tried to kill herself.
The crisis in Hamilton's life reached an apex this summer when she made a suicide attempt. She was saved thanks to her mom calling 911 for a wellness check but when authorities reached Hamilton's home, they were concerned enough that they took her for treatment. She was committed to a psychiatric facility on a 51/50 authorization that allows the state to hold a person who is a danger to herself or others. She was released in late July.
Carol Burnett is seeking guardianship of Erin Hamilton's son.
Burnett is trying to do what any good mother and grandmother would do in these circumstances and help her family out. She and her husband filed papers this week asking for custody of Dylan West. Her lawyers were quick to explain that she doesn't want to separate her grandson from his mother, she simply wants to be given the legal right to make sure he is safe and healthy. At the same time, she admits that her own daughter has trouble being a good mother. "Dylan's living environment has long been unstable, unpredictable and unhealthy for a child. This culminated in a Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) investigation and juvenile dependency proceedings in 2018 and 2019," the filing reads.
Carol Burnett in 2018.
At this time, Hamilton hasn't commented on Burnett's petition for guardianship.
Rebekah Kuschmider has been writing about celebrities, pop culture, entertainment, and politics since 2010. She is the creator of the blog FeminXer and she is a cohost of the weekly podcast The More Perfect Union.