Feldman had family issues from the get-go, and in excerpts from his memoir, "Coreyography" (via Radar Online), he said his mother "sucked the life out of him" at a very young age when she pushed him into acting. In his book, Feldman recalls her saying, "You're going to sing a song and they're going to go, 'Isn't he cute?'" and then locking him in his room with a record player, telling him not to emerge until he's "learned every word."
Feldman also claimed his mother suffered a wide range of undetermined illnesses and would often retreat to her bedroom for long stints, emerging infuriated. "I was too young to anticipate the high-highs and low-lows of someone with a depressive disorder, or to successfully navigate the unpredictable, violent swings that are born of substance abuse," he wrote. "I just thought she needed my help." He even called her "dangerous," referring to her bizarre behavior as a cry for help. "She would cry and fidget and whine and sometimes scream and fume and kick...Those were the worst days, when her moods became like black holes, sucking the life from every corner of the house into that cold, dark, room."
Fat-shaming was also a part of Feldman's childhood. "I do have round, chubby, cherubic cheeks, but I always thought that I would grow into them," he wrote. "Now she tells me that if I'm not careful, I'll grow up to be a fat, disgusting pig..." In another incident, Feldman reported that his mother force-fed him diet pills.
Feldman was granted emancipation from his parents as a teen. He told ABC News, "I got legally emancipated by going to the [Screen Actors Guild] producers pension, health and welfare plan myself at 14 years old and saying, 'What were my earnings, and what's left?'" After being told that he'd earned $1 million but had only $40,000 left, he decided to take action. According to Feldman, "When I went in for the emancipation trial, my father said, 'Since I spent my time with you on your last film and took it away from my office where I should have been focused, instead I'm going to ask you for that $40,000 back as repayment for the money that I lost in my business." Feldman was reportedly ordered to pay his father the requested money, leaving him in debt and on his own at the age of 15.
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