Child Protective Services (CPS) was created to ensure every child is being raised in a suitable and safe environment. Each year, CPS intervenes in countless households where a child’s wellbeing is under threat or a parent is believed to be incapable of providing for them. For most parents, their biggest nightmare is having their children taken away from them, even if it’s deemed in the child’s best interest. But not even celebrities are immune from this reality.

There are more Hollywood families than you may think that have been investigated by CPS. In some situations, the investigation was cleared up in only a matter of days and nothing else ever resulted from it. In other cases, the parent(s) in question may have lost custody of their child, or CPS even forcibly removed the child from the home out of fear for their safety. Just because these families are living in Tinsel Town doesn’t mean their lives are anything close to perfect. This is proof that Hollywood families face many of the same challenges that average families face, even when it comes to the power of the law.

In most instances when a child is removed from their parent’s care, it’s done to put their best interest first, even if not everyone agrees with the judgement. It’s never okay for a child to be raised in an unsafe or unsuitable household. If you fear a child you know is being raised in a situation that’s less than appropriate, don’t be afraid to speak out. Even if your suspicions turn out to be unfounded, it’s better to be safe than sorry and risk the alternative. There’s never anything wrong with putting the interests of the child first.

15 Brooke Mueller

Charlie Sheen isn’t the only one in his immediate family who has received criticism for their erratic behaviour. His ex-wife, Brooke Mueller, found her parenting skills under investigation during 2013. Charlie and Brooke were married from 2008-2011, and share twin sons Bob and Max.

The boys were removed from Brooke's home by the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services over safety concerns regarding Brooke’s long-time struggle with substance abuse and a string of bizarre behaviour. At the time, Charlie was beginning what would be several years of crazed behaviour, which was thoroughly documented by the media.

Charlie’s other ex-wife, Denise Richards, stepped up and offered to take care of the twins while both of their parents sorted their lives out. Denise and Charlie had been married from 2002-2006, and have two daughters together, Sam and Lola. Denise told the media she was motivated to take care of the boys because they are her daughter’s half brothers. In the end, Brooke was able to regain custody of her sons almost a year later in 2014. Hopefully things have been smoother for the Sheen family moving forward.

14 Angelina Jolie And Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie shocked the world when they announced their separation in late 2016. The pair were long thought to be one of Hollywood’s invincible power couples, but now it seems they weren’t able to stand the test of time. The two actors share six children together. They have three adopted children: daughter Zahara and sons Maddox and Pax. They also have three biological children together: daughter Shiloh and twins Vivienne and Knox.

After the couple announced their separation, news reports circled that social services were investigating the family. It allegedly had to do with an incident on a private plane between Pitt and his eldest son, Pax. Rumours have swirled that Pitt’s behaviour may have driven Jolie to file for divorce. Jolie’s attorney said the actress made the decision “for the health of the family.” However, several days after the investigation reportedly began, it was closed and officials said they found no signs of abuse. The former couple continue to work through their publicized divorce, including determining an official custody arrangement, which has proven not to be easy.

13 Janine Lindemulder

Porn star Janine Lindemulder gained mainstream fame over her custody battle with West Coast Choppers founder (and Sandra Bullock’s former husband), Jesse James. Janine and Jesse were married in 2002, and welcomed their daughter Sunny shortly afterwards. However, the pair divorced in 2004 after Janine was incarcerated on domestic abuse chargers.

Though James retained custody of their daughter while she served her jail time, the former couple engaged in a nasty custody battle when she was released. Janine’s parenting skills came under investigation at the time as well as her history of drug abuse, arrests, and general violence. She was eventually granted weekly visitation with her daughter, but it wasn’t long before she wound up in prison again. James finally gained full custody of his daughter in 2011, though some have argued this may have been because his then-wife Sandra Bullock testified on his behalf and was very involved in caring for the child.

12 Amber Portwood

Amber Portwood has become a household name since staring on MTV’s reality T.V. shows 16 and Pregnant and its spinoff Teen Mom, both of which followed her life after she welcomed her daughter Leah as a teen. Amber shares her daughter with her ex-fiancée, Gary Shirley, who has had custody of their daughter for most of her childhood. Amber has had her fair share of legal and substance abuse issues, which have led to her being investigated by Child Protective Services on multiple occasions.

Things were particularly bad in 2011 when CPS issued a protective order that prevented Amber from seeing her daughter, though it was eventually dropped. Soon after, the T.V. personality was sentenced to jail time for a domestic abuse incident involving Leah’s father. Since then, Gary has had primary custody of their daughter. For the past several seasons of Teen Mom, Amber has expressed her desire to have joint custody over her daughter, and she has become more involved in the child’s life. Hopefully this means things are going to start looking brighter for Amber and her family.

11 Rich Homie Quan

Rich Homie Quan is a rapper and hip-hop artist who may be better known for his questionable parenting skills than his music. In 2015, it was revealed that the rapper was under investigation by Child Protective Services and the Fulton County Police Department for allegedly exposing his then 1-year old son to marijuana. The rapper has three sons in total: 9-year old Devin, 2-year old Royal, and newborn Khosen.

The Atlanta rapper had posted a video to Snapchat of him smoking what looks like a joint with his young son on his lap. The video obviously received immediate backlash from the public, and is what reportedly spawned the investigation in the first place.

A source told TMZ that authorities wanted to sit down with Quan to question him about why he was smoking in front of the child, and if this was a one-time incident or a common occurrence in his household. The same source said that criminal charges, such as endangering a child and reckless behaviour, could be brought against the rapper. To this day, no formal action has been taken against Quan and he has since issued a public apology over the video.

10 Britney Spears

Britney Spears went through a rough patch in the early 2000s when she was dealing with the dissolution of her short marriage to Kevin Federline. The former couple had shared a whirlwind romance, and quickly welcomed two sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James, now 12 and 11.

In 2006, when the pair were engaged in a heated custody and legal battle, the L.A. Department of Children and Family Services announced they were beginning a formal investigation into Spears’ parenting. It was reportedly over allegations of child abuse and neglect, and fear that the boys were in physical danger while in the custody of their mother. Media outlets reported that Federline was the one who requested the investigation.

At the time, Britney had failed to show-up for a court-ordered random drug test, so her sons were in the full-time care of their father. Many fans also remember this was the time Britney had her infamous meltdown, which included sounding off at paparazzi and shaving her head. Luckily for Britney, she was able to get her life together in the following years. The mom now has primary custody of her sons, and her career is once again booming.

9 John And Jaid Barrymore

Drew Barrymore has been a recognizable name in Hollywood for ages since she got her start as a child actress. However, her childhood was anything but a dream come true. Drew suffered through a notoriously troubled childhood. She reportedly began smoking cigarettes at age 9, began drinking alcohol at age 11, and was using marijuana and cocaine regularly when she was 13. She was also famously living it up in the Hollywood nightlife, often going to clubs and parties even though she was barely a teen.

Unsurprisingly, her parents, John and Jaid Barrymore, also struggled with alcohol and substance abuse, which made the young actress susceptible to the lifestyle. By the age of 14, Drew had already been to rehab multiple times and had attempted suicide. She had various violent incidents with her parents, which were only worsened by her family’s chaotic lifestyles.

Eventually Drew’s parents lost custody of her when she was 15 and applied for emancipation. The investigation into John and Jaid’s parenting skills didn’t need to be very deep to uncover their lack of parenting abilities. Thankfully, Drew was able to navigate a successful movie career afterwards, and is now a mom to two young daughters.

8 Pilar Sanders

Pilar Sanders is another former celebrity wife who sadly lost custody of her children. The personality was married to former professional football player Deion Sanders from 1999-2013, and they share three children: sons Shilo and Shedeur, and daughter Shelomi. During their custody hearings, Pilar was initially given custody of her daughter but not her sons. Yet, only a week later, a judge gave custody of Shelomi to Sanders as well, which devastated the mother.

During the heated custody battle, Pilar alleged on both social media and in interviews that Sanders had been abusive towards her. Sanders filed a Defamation of Character lawsuit in response, for which he was awarded a $2.2 million judgement against his ex-wife. Her parenting skills and mental status were investigated and highly scrutinized during the proceedings.

Since losing custody of her children, Pilar has done little to prove that she is capable of providing for them full-time. She has reportedly been consistently late to drop the children off after visitations. One 2014 instance of this landed Pilar in jail for seven days. In 2016, Pilar revealed she was bankrupt and was pleading with the court to appeal the divorce judgment.

7 Leah Messer

Leah Messer is another Teen Mom alum who has also gotten in trouble with Child Protective Services. The 24-year old is a mom to three young girls. She shares twins Aleah and Ali with her ex-husband, Corey, and a younger daughter, Adalynn, with her other ex-husband, Jeremy.

Rumours have been circling for years over Messer’s questionable parenting skills. Last season on the reality T.V. show, fans saw Messer check herself into rehab for personal problems, which many believe may have been a cover-up for a drug addiction. A former cameraman for the show alleged that her household is a gong show, and she is the worst mother on the show. The source claimed that her house was unsanitary and unsafe, and that she often neglected the girls, such as by not feeding them properly or failing to discipline them. It is also believed Leah has been under investigation by Child Protective Services on numerous occasions throughout the years.

Furthermore, the young mom has had custody issues with both of her ex-husbands. Just last year, the court awarded Jeremy full custody of the twins, even though Leah had always retained primary custody. In mid 2016, Hollywood Life reported that Leah was once again facing an investigation from CPS for child neglect after her “wild behaviour” was shown on screen. The tabloid alleged that it was so serious she may lose custody of her daughters. While there has been no word if CPS is taking any further action, Leah continues to struggle to co-parent her daughters with their fathers.

6 Jada Pinkett Smith And Will Smith

Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith found their parenting skills under investigation after racy photos of their daughter, Willow, found their way online (the couple are also parents to two older sons). The image showed a then 13-year old Willow laying in bed with topless 20-year old actor Moises Arias, who’s best known for his role on Hannah Montana. The photo received immediate criticism from the public who deemed it as inappropriate, and were wondering what a guy that age is doing with a preteen in bed.

Of the investigation, an inside source told Radar Online, “The investigation was formally opened last week and is being taken very seriously by the department. Will and Jada Pinkett Smith have been extremely cooperative with officials. Of course, they aren’t happy that their parenting skills are under scrutiny, but they understand.”

Jada later defended the photo to TMZ, saying, “Here’s the deal. There was nothing sexual about that picture or that situation. You guys are projecting trash onto it. You’re acting like covert pedophiles and that’s not cool.” The investigation never amounted to anything, and the Smith family was back to their regular antics in no time.

5 Tameka Foster

While Tameka Foster has had success as a personal stylist to the stars, she’s perhaps best known for her rocky relationship with rapper and hip-hop artist, Usher. The pair were married from 2007-2009, and they have two sons, Usher Raymond V and Naviyd Eli. A brief investigation took place into Tameka’s parenting abilities when the former couple were trying to work out a custody arrangement.

During their separation, the former couple exchanged a lot of heated words and accused the other of not being a fit parent. Tameka claimed Usher’s hectic travel schedule would make it impossible for him to properly care for their sons. At the same time, the rapper’s lawyer claimed that Tameka was “incapable of being a proper parent” and “she does not have the emotional stability or capacity to bond with them, and therefore is handicapped.”

Usher’s lawyer also brought up the numerous threats that Tameka had said to her former lover in the heat of an argument. Her disturbing words, which included a heated threat that she would “f*ck you [Usher] up”, ultimately led to her losing custody of her sons. Usher is currently the primary caregiver to the former couple’s two boys.

4 Anthony Weiner

No one thought the case of Anthony Weiner could get any worse until it was revealed he was under investigation for child abuse in the fall of 2016. The American politician was previously in the tabloids for several sexting scandals when it was discovered he was sending explicit texts and photos to women who were not his wife. As a result, he had to resign from Congress and it also may have contributed to his unsuccessful campaigns for the New York City mayorship.

Child Services decided to investigate Weiner after an inappropriate selfie of him featuring his 4-year old son, Jordan, laying next to him surfaced. He had sent the explicit photo to a woman he was having an affair with. This incident finally prompted his wife, Huma Abedin, to leave with him for the sake of the safety of their child.

Only several weeks later, the Daily Mail released an article that claimed Weiner had also been sexting a 15-year old girl, which stemmed further investigation into the disgraced politician’s activities. As of January 2017, it has been reported that Federal prosecutors are considering charging Weiner with possession of child pornography.

3 Siohvaughn Funches Wade

Siohvaughn Funches and Dwayne Wade were married from 2000-2007, and share children Zaire and Zion. Her name made headlines in 2007 when the former couple, who had been high school sweethearts, were in the midst of their divorce, and Dwayne was famously awarded sole custody. Siohvaughn was only granted visitation rights for a few weeks each year.

However, in 2013, Siohvaughn almost lost her visitation rights. The famous mother had been protesting on the streets with a sign that read, “NBA Miami Heat star, mother of his children on the streets.” Immediately after the incident, Dwayne filed an emergency motion to withhold her visitation rights until after her mental health status was evaluated. In 2012, the Wade family faced even more drama when Siohvaughn failed to return the boys home after a visit, and Dwayne initially accused her of kidnapping them.

Since then, Dwayne has married Gabrielle Union, and the two are focusing on raising his sons as well as his nephew, Dahveon. In the summer of 2016, Siohvaughn revealed she was suing her former divorce lawyer for malpractice, and revealed she’s not quite over her and Dwayne’s divorce.

2 Tamika Fuller

Ludacris is another successful rapper and hip-hop artist who has had custody issues with the mother of his child. The musician and his long-time friend, Tamika Fuller, welcomed their daughter, Cai Bella, in 2013. At the time, Ludacris had been dating Gabonese model Eudoxie Mbouguiengue for several years, which only added to the drama. After Cai’s birth, Tamika was reportedly not allowing Ludacris to visit his daughter. The rapper took action by bringing Tamika to court and suing for custody, while she began claiming he tried to bribe her into having an abortion.

In a surprising turn of events, the judge decided that Cai was better off in the full time care of her father, citing that Ludacris is “the better parent.” During the trial, Tamika's parenting skills were investigated and brought into question. The judge said he believes Tamika to be a pathological liar and was concerned by the fact that she had abandoned a child two decades earlier. Furthermore, Tamika also lacked a consistent employment history and she had a clear lack of stability in her life. Ludacris was awarded full custody of Cai, but he has remained adamant he still wants her mother to play a role in her life.

1 Courtney Love

Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain had one of the most tumultuous relationships in Hollywood during the ‘90s. The couple had long struggled with alcoholism as well as substance abuse, and led less than conventional lifestyles for raising a child. In 1992, they welcomed their only child, Frances Bean Cobain. However, almost immediately after the child’s birth, rumours started circulating that Courtney had used drugs during her pregnancy. This led to the couple temporarily losing custody of their daughter.

However, this wasn’t the end of Courtney’s custody troubles. Though Kurt infamously died from suicide in 1994, Courtney continued to struggled with drug addiction well into the early 2000s. In 2009, the musician made headlines again when Frances made a series of comments that painted her mother in a bad light, including accusing her of killing several of her childhood pets. Up until that point, Courtney had maintained sole custody of her daughter. But, as a result, the courts temporarily placed Frances in the custody of Cobain’s mother and sister. Courtney later took to Facebook to post her thoughts on the matter: “I hate to sound cold but any kid of mine who pulls this s**t has lost her position. She was deceptive, she lied and she’s lying to herself…My daughter is not always honest.”

Sources: Observer.com, OttawaSun.com, DailyMail.co.uk, TMZ.com, Fame10.com, eOnline.com, HollywoodLife.com