Ashley Judd lays bare religious rift with mom Naomi — and fallout over lesbian college professor

See more of our coverage in your search results. Ashley Judd claimed late mom Naomi Judd “threatened to stop paying” her college tuition over a lesbian professor. “She didn’t like what I was learning,” Ashley explained to former Christ Church Nashville Pastor Dan Scott on the first episode of their new podcast, “A Table Prepared,” which premiered Friday. “She didn’t like [that] I had a lesbian theologian professor that was taking me through Hebrew scripture and looking at the women listed as property after the donkeys,” the actress, 58, continued. Ashley Judd said Friday that she had a rift with late mom Naomi Judd over her lesbian college professor. YouTube/@ATablePrepared Ashley told her podcast co-host, former Christ Church Nashville Pastor Dan Scott, that Naomi “didn’t like [that she] had a lesbian theologian professor” at the University of Kentucky. YouTube/@ATablePrepared Ashley went on to allege that Naomi, who died by suicide in April 2022, felt pressured to be politically aligned with the country music industry due to fears of “disapproval and retaliation.” However, Ashley clarified that “in the home,” Naomi was more open about expressing political beliefs, “especially” with her daughter. “She could share all kinds of political and social views that would surprise people if they thought Naomi Judd thought, felt, said that,” Ashley recalled. Naomi (seen here in 2013) died by suicide in 2022. FilmMagic Ashley claimed her late parent was “afraid” of “disapproval or retaliation” if she did not align politically with the country music industry. WireImage Ashley added that Naomi — who battled mental health struggles before she fatally shot herself — specifically had “a lot of compassion” for women who were in the headlines for harming their children. “She would say they need help, not punishment,” Ashley shared, before admitting she was unsure whether Naomi “would have been comfortable in her lifetime saying that.” Ashley confessed, “I’ve debated with myself, is it okay for me to say that posthumously and attribute it to her? I’m still in relationship with my mother, and so I’ve asked her these things. I was up the other morning … and the part of my mother that lives in me said, ‘Honey, I told stories. You tell the truth.’” However, Ashley (pictured here with sister Wynonna Judd in May 2022) told listeners her mom shared different views in the comfort of her own home. Getty Images Her views would “surprise people,” Ashley (pictured in 2005) revealed. WireImage Want more celebrity and pop culture news? Start your day with Page Six Daily. Thanks for signing up! She felt, in that moment, that her mom had “passed [the] baton.” Elsewhere in the episode, Ashley expressed gratitude to her co-host for staying close with Naomi before the country music singer’s passing.“A couple of times, close to the end of her life, when she was in and out of the hospital for various reasons, you would be one of the people I would call, and you always faithfully showed up,” Ashley shared. “She would be so delighted to see you.” Ashley admitted she’s debated whether it’s alright to discuss her mom’s views after her death. YouTube/@ATablePrepared Naomi (seen here at the ACM Awards in the 1990s) died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in April 2022. She was 76. Getty Images The “High Crimes” star, notably, was the one to discover Naomi when the Grammy Award winner died in her Tennessee home at age 76. In last year’s “Judd Family: Truth Be Told” docuseries, Ashley said she held Naomi and talked to her before she died, saying, “It’s OK, it’s OK. I’ve seen how much you’ve been suffering.” If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988. Community Guidelines Welcome to the Page Six Community! Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas in a safe space. In order to do so, we've created a simple set of rules that will improve your experience. Simply put, keep it civil. Your post will/might be rejected if it contains: Spam Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language and threats of any kind Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author User accounts will/might be blocked if we notice: Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected Racist, sexist, or homophobic comments Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk So, how can you be a power user? Stay on topic and share your passion. Feel free to elaborate to get your point across. 'Like' or 'Dislike' when you are filled with emotions! Protect your community. Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules. Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Don't forget, freedom of speech is not the freedom of reach!