Vanessa Bryant is denying her mother, Sofia Laine's, claims that she's cutting her off financially.
In an interview on Univision's El Gordo y La Flaca that aired on Monday, Laine claimed that Bryant suddenly asked her to leave the three-bedroom, Irvine, California, house she was living in, that the late Kobe Bryant bought her, though the house isn't under Laine's name. She also claimed that her daughter told her to return the car she gifted her.
Laine is currently living in an apartment that Bryant is paying for, but claimed that once her lease is up in March that she'll be on her own. In a statement to El Gordo y La Flaca, Bryant said she continues to financially support her mother, and that she and Kobe had done so for the past 20 years.
"My husband and daughter passed away unexpectedly and yet my mom has the audacity to do an interview on TV talking negatively about me while shedding tears about a car and home that wasn’t in her name," the statement reads. "She has removed all her diamond jewelry, emptied her apartment that I provide, and put the furniture in storage to appear as though she is without support. My husband and I have financially supported her over the past 20 years, and I continue to do so, in addition to her monthly alimony. Contrary to previous reports, she has not been physically present or emotionally supportive for my daughters and me after my husband and daughter passed away. Going forward, I see what is most important to my mom and it is beyond hurtful. I hope this public airing of our personal relations will stop here."
During Laine's interview with reporter David Valadez, which was conducted in Spanish, she claimed that Bryant as well as her 17-year-old granddaughter, Natalia, asked her to leave her Irvine home suddenly following the tragic deaths of Kobe and her late granddaughter, Gianna, in January.
"I don't know what happened," Laine said. "We were sitting down together one day, Natalia, Vanessa and myself. Natalia can't stay where they lived because every time she would come down the stairs, she would imagine seeing her father and my baby Gigi sitting on the couch together. So, my daughter said, 'Which house should we sell?' And that's when they said grandma's house. After that, she told me, 'I need you to leave the house.'"
"She also told me that she wanted the car and that she wanted it now," she continued to allege. "They took the car and they sold it. That car doesn't exist."
Laine claimed that Bryant is only paying for her current apartment until the end of March but after that, she was told she had to figure things out on her own.
"It's really difficult…. what my daughter did," Laine, who's divorced and has a hurt back, said. "What can I do? I have nowhere else to go."
Laine later got emotional and said that she misses her granddaughters and claimed that she tried to see them in person, though she wasn't able to because they took her off the security list.
She also reflected on the death of Kobe.
"He always told me not to worry, that I was going to be taken care of and that my home was my home," she claimed. "It hurt so much to lose him. I lost a part of myself. That same day [of the helicopter crash] I told my daughter, 'Why didn't I go first instead of them?'"
On Tuesday, Bryant shared a message originally posted by Kobe's sister, Sharia, on her Instagram Story about being "let down" by people.
"We are often most let down by the most trusted people and loved by the most unexpected ones," the message reads. "Some make us cry for things that we haven't done, while others ignore our faults and just see our smile. Some leave us when we need them the most, while some stay with us even when we ask them to leave. The world is a mixture of people. We just need to know which hand to shake and which hand to hold! After all that's life, learning to hold on and learning to let go."
She also shared pictures of Kobe memorabilia, including his sneakers and old jerseys, some of which she said she had to buy back.
Meanwhile, in an Instagram post in August, Bryant thanked her family, friends and fans for their support on Kobe Bryant Day. She shared a picture with her youngest daughter, 1-year-old Capri, alongside her good friend, Ciara, and Ciara's 6-year-old son, Future.
"It takes a village," Bryant captioned her post. "Thank you to all my loving family, amazing friends and wonderful fans for your love and support. One day at a time."
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