Mackenzie Phillips, the daughter of The Mamas & the Papas lead singer John Phillips, has publicly shared shocking details about the deeply troubling relationship she allegedly had with her father for over a decade.
While many people know Mackenzie for her roles in television and film, including One Day at a Time, Orange Is the New Black, and American Graffiti, her personal life has been marked by unimaginable pain. Her sister, Chynna Phillips, is a member of the pop group Wilson Phillips, alongside Carnie and Wendy Wilson, daughters of Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson.
John Phillips, a musician widely recognized for hit songs like California Dreamin’ and Monday, Monday, was a major figure in the 1960s music scene. However, according to Mackenzie, behind his celebrated public persona was a much darker reality.
In an emotional interview on Chynna’s YouTube channel, Mackenzie openly spoke about the years of abuse she suffered at the hands of her father. She revealed that John Phillips had a deeply troubling side, something that had been hidden beneath his musical success and fame.
One of the most haunting details she shared was an incident from 1979 when she was about to marry Jeff Sessler. She recalled that both she and her father were heavily using drugs at the time, and on the night before her wedding, she blacked out in his room. What happened when she regained consciousness was something that would change her life forever.
According to Mackenzie, she woke up to find herself being sexually assaulted by her own father. At that moment, she had no recollection of whether this had happened before, but this was the first time she became fully aware of it.
Following that initial incident, she claims that her relationship with her father took an even darker turn. What had started as abuse soon became an ongoing sexual relationship, something she later tried to rationalize as a form of psychological entrapment, similar to Stockholm syndrome.
In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, she described the nature of their relationship, explaining that it took years for her to break away. The final turning point came when she became pregnant and was faced with an agonizing question: who was the father? Overwhelmed by uncertainty and distress, she ultimately decided to terminate the pregnancy.
Throughout the years, Chynna Phillips struggled to come to terms with the truth about her father. In their candid discussion, Chynna admitted that she had always seen her father as a man with two vastly different sides—one full of charisma and joy, and the other an unpredictable and deeply troubled person.
Mackenzie echoed this sentiment, describing John Phillips as someone who could be loving one moment and terrifying the next. His personality was erratic, and his behavior was impossible to predict.
Despite the overwhelming trauma, Mackenzie expressed that she has chosen to embrace forgiveness. Many people have criticized her for showing any sense of compassion toward her father, but she explained that forgiving him was something she did for herself, not for him.
She clarified that forgiving someone does not mean justifying or excusing their actions—it simply means letting go of the burden that the pain has left behind. Although the road to healing has been incredibly complex, Mackenzie insists that she has found a way to make peace with her past.
John Phillips passed away in 2001 at the age of 65. Even after his death, the effects of his actions continue to cast a long shadow over his family. For Mackenzie, sharing her story is not about seeking sympathy, but rather about raising awareness and ensuring that no one else suffers in silence.