Everly Bear Kiedis was welcomed into the world on October 2nd, 2007, in Los Angeles, California. Everly Bear Kiedis is the son of the lead vocalist and founding member of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Ultimately, Everly Bear would find himself in the middle of a custody battle between his parents.
Who is his father?
Anthony Kiedis is the father of Everly Bear Kiedis. On November 1st, 1962, Anthony Kiedis was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is a founding member of the mega rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers and has a long career with the and during the duration of the band, which is still performing today.
Kiedis has undergone a significant amount of trauma in his youth and career and has poured that into his art. He is also a controversial figure but has seemed to mellow out with his age and the arrival of his son. He struggled with addiction issues for a long time but has maintained his sobriety since 2000.
He is of Lithuanian descent and the son of Margaret Nobel and actor John Michael Kiedis, known professionally as Blackie Dammett. John Michael would introduce his son to drugs, leading to Anthony’s addiction issues which plagued him.
Who is his mother?
Heather Christie is the mother of Everly Bear Kiedis. Heather Christie was born in 1986 in Simi Valley, California.
As Heather Christie has seemingly gone private in the years since her custody disputes with Anthony Kiedis, information on her life can be a bit rare.
She was born in Simi Valley and worked as a model for a long time. She was in campaigns for labels such as Mike and Chris and Morphine Generation. She also appeared on the runway for Los Angeles Fashion Week.
How did they meet? How long have they been together?
Anthony Kiedis began dating Heather Christie in 2004. They met at a party, and though she was seeing someone else, Anthony convinced her to go on a coffee date.
They had gotten together within a few months, and Anthony was quite smitten, stating, “when I hung out with her, I didn’t want to hang out with anybody else.”
Despite the apparent speed by which they got together, by 2005, they had already had a falling out, with Anthony dating another model until early 2006, when he and Christie reunited. In 2007, Christie would give birth to their son Everly Bear Kiedis.
The pair would split again, permanently, in June of 2008.
Why did they name him Everly Bear?
Everly Bear Kiedis is a somewhat unusual name that generated questions among Red Hot Chili Peppers fans when it was revealed. As for why his name was given as Everly Bear, it came down to each of his parents choosing a name that carried some sort of meaning.
Everly was derived from Anthony Kiedis’ love of the Everly Brothers, one of his favorite bands.
As for Bear, that came from Heather, who developed it with Anthony’s association with the bear clan. As Anthony put it, “I think it’s nice to have a little bit of earth in your name."
Who has custody of Everly Bear?
Custody of Everly Bear Kiedis fell to Anthony Kiedis due to problematic behavior and absenteeism from Heather Christie.
In 2018, Heather Christie was granted the chance to take Everly Bear to Vermont for the spring. However, Anthony Kiedis was reluctant to allow this, alleging that Christie had several concerning behaviors when 10-year-old Everly Bear was in her custody.
While details on the current custody arrangement’s specifics are hard to come by, the unofficial Anthony Kiedis website implies that the court eventually granted custody to Anthony and that Everly Bear lives with him in Malibu. Photos of the two together seem to confirm as much.
Was Everly Bear Kiedis abused?
The nature of the abuse and concerns Anthony Kiedis had over the role of Heather Christie in his son’s life are sparse, but among some of the claims are grave accusations.
Some of the background of this custody and parental rights struggle revolves around Christie’s history of depression and substance abuse. She also was considered an absentee mother.
Among other serious concerns were allegations of physical abuse, such as slapping and Christie giving wine to Everly Bear as a child. There was even an accusation of Christie locking Everly Bear in a room for hours.
What is his relationship like with his father?
Everly Bear Kiedis has a very positive relationship with his father. The relationship appears to be quite strong, and it seems that Everly Bear has provided Anthony Kiedis with a new perspective on life and has helped him deal with the traumas and addiction of his youth.
In a 2011 article, Anthony Kiedis said this about his relationship with Everly Bear: “As every heroin addict will know, temptation is always there. But becoming a father has given me a reason to live and stay clean for good.”
Everly Bear has been known to go with his rocker dad on tours, even showing up on stage with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, singing with his father.