Whoopi’s Daughter Alex Martin Describes What It Was Like “Growing Up” With a Famous Mother

In a recent interview with Cannabis Cactus, Alex Martin, now 50 years old, discussed how her upbringing with her mother, Whoopi Goldberg, was quite unique. It's no secret that Whoopi Goldberg has had an incredibly successful career. In fact, for her role in Ghost, she even won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress; Goldberg was the second African-American woman to get this award. Is it possible, however, that there's more to Goldberg than meets the eye? It seems that way.

Alex confessed that life with Whoopi as a parent wasn't always humorous. She confessed to the outlet, "The funny woman you see on TV is also my mother, and growing up, seeing her on different stages as a comedian and an actor, let’s just say, she’s not very funny when she’s grounding me for sneaking out of the house as a teenager."

Goldberg's first child with husband Alvin Martin, Alex Martin Dean, was born on May 9, 1973. The young Comic Relief star's ex-husband served as her drug counselor when she was only 18, and Goldberg had already dropped out of high school by the time Alex was born, as per Good Housekeeping. Goldberg and her child ultimately relocated to California so that she could pursue acting and stand-up comedy. The process, however, was not simple.

Alex discussed the difficulties she and her family had financially as children in a 2015 interview with The Grio. She explained, "I know what it’s like with the food stamps because my mom has her [Welfare] cards framed. Seriously… I remember that… We didn’t have the money to go to movies. I found friends, I walked down the street, I climbed trees, I did camping."

They didn't stop struggling financially until Goldberg performed in a solo Broadway play, which is when Steven Spielberg himself took notice of the actress. The legendary director's 1985 film, The Color Purple, features Goldberg in her first significant acting role. Alex herself has appeared in films, including Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, Quest of the Delta Knights, American Intellectuals, and Call Me Claus, to name a few. 

Now, however, things are quite different. The two ladies have chosen to go into business together, and Amara Skye, Alex's daughter, will also be joining them, per The U.S. Sun. Martin has big expectations for their new cannabis company, Emma & Clyde. She hopes it continues for many years and provides relief to those who use cannabis for both recreational and therapeutic purposes. She said, "My hope is to leave the footprint of longevity on a family affair, where we can create organic, high-quality products for generations of medical patients and recreational users. We just want to contribute to developing high-quality products that make people feel good and that we also love ourselves."