Anna Johnston is speaking out about things she says her estranged mother Amber has done over the years, including constantly criticizing her looks and trying to outdo her. During a series of TikTok Lives on Wednesday and Thursday, the former 7 Little Johnstons star also called out Amber— as well as the rest of her estranged family members— for frequently giving away their pets, particularly when the dogs get older.
As fans of the show know, Anna has been estranged from Amber, as well as her father Trent and her siblings— for a while now. While her feud with the rest of the Johnstons provided a huge storyline for the previous season of the show, Anna is no longer appearing on “7 Little Johnstons” and has claimed she will not return to the show, due to the actions of her parents.
Anna— who just last week was expressing her desire to reconcile with her family— called out her mom Amber, in particular, for always allegedly criticizing her in an attempt to make herself feel superior.
“You’re literally competing with your child,” Anna said of her mom’s alleged actions. “She always would! Like, [my] weight, [she would] put me down for how much I weighed and what I looked like, and even my hair and stuff like that. Yeah, always.”
“We still don’t get along,” Anna said of her mom, adding that she also doesn’t speak to her siblings.
“People definitely have to put a front on to act like everything’s OK,” she added.
“It’s not easy stepping away [from my family]… I don’t know why I was always picked on,” Anna claimed.
On Thursday on Live, Anna stated that she hasn’t spoken to her mom or dad since they filmed her final scene for “7 Little Johnstons,” which aired last season but was filmed around November 2024. While she says she did see them at a funeral late last year, she stated that she didn’t speak to her parents.
“It’s been more than a year,” she said.
During her Live on Wednesday, Anna was asked about the Johnston Family’s pets, a question that sparked a conversation about her family’s alleged habit of giving their pets away— particularly their dogs when they get older. She stated that she had to resort to “begging” to get her dog, Cruiser, to live with her instead of her family.
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“Because I knew Cruiser would be given away, like they always do,” she said, adding that the family allegedly gave away their dog Jessie when he was about 10 years old.
“Yes, they got rid of Jessie at an old age. Oh, it was so sad…he died when they gave him away,” she said. “[My sister] Elizabeth got rid of her dogs too. They always get rid of dogs. It makes me so sad because, don’t get dogs if… it’s for the show or you can’t take the time to take care of them.”
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Anna stated that the Johnstons’ alleged habit of discarding animals doesn’t just apply to dogs.
“We literally got chickens and goats for the show,” she said. “So, what they do with that set up is that they drop off the goats at our house, acting like we are keeping them. And then when we’re done filming with the goats scene, then they pick them up and –boom!– they’re gone. We got rid of the chickens because we got chickens and they realized that we can’t keep up with them. It is just for the show.”
Anna added that being at her parents’ house meant “living in a very toxic household.”
Last week, TLC announced that a new season of “7 Little Johnstons” will premiere on March 17— without Anna.
RELATED STORY: Anna Johnston Talks About Not Being on New Season of “7 Little Johnstons” & Expresses Desire to Reconcile with Her Family
7 Responses
As a mum of now grown up girls, there is nothing on earth that would keep me from them. Yes, there have been times I’ve been furious with them and vice versa. I told them, “you’re stuck with me” and “I love you, even when I’m angry with you”. I feel like it’s a parent’s responsibility to maintain lines of communication.
It’s hard to watch a couple that made an amazing choice to adopt, then throw that relationship away. No matter what, they chose her. Everyone makes mistakes, but a parent’s love should be unconditional. Otherwise, how can they feel safe confiding in you.
As they grow, you need to take a small step back and trust that you’ve done a good job. Let them live life as they choose, not feel the need to conform in order to gain your affection. If I think my girls have made a mistake, I offer alternative actions for next time. The result is, they are open, honest, confident women. We are very close and I’m incredibly proud of them.
Families feud, and there are two sides to every story. I won’t pretend to know who is right or wrong, but I hope for everyone’s sake that they eventually reconcile. Selfishly, it’s a shame that Anna won’t be appearing on the show. I always got a kick out of her having a bit of a mischievous streak compared to the other kids when they were younger. While I usually take what I see on reality television with a grain of salt, it’s clear that Anna has legitimately become an independent young woman. Regardless of the issues, I hope that her parents are proud of her.
As a dog lover, I always enjoy seeing the love Anna has for her dogs. I’m so disappointed to learn that Trent and Amber get rid of their pets once they get old. You can learn so much about people by the way they treat their pets. They give us unconditional love. We are the only family they know. I can’t imagine the trauma a dog goes through when they are sent away. I couldn’t live with myself if I turned my back on them when they need me most. One of my biggest fears is dying before my dogs do, and them not knowing what happened and thinking I abandoned them. As painful as it was, I considered it an honor to be there when my late dogs passed, and I pray that I will be alive to do the same when the time comes for our current dogs. The joy they bring us is so much more than the pain of watching them go. They deserve to feel comfort and be with family until their very last breath.
I watch the show, trent is a bully, amber is a control freak. They both control their kids & it’s sometimes hard to watch.
Anna is not a bad person & she is quite right to keep them at arms length.
Trent is well under the thumb by controlling amber & controls the kids because of that.
Good luck Anna
You were always a target for them, and that is WRONG on so many levels. Now to learn how they do their animals is just crazy to me. It sounds like they did you like they did the animals and just let them go. They act like you are the only one with all the issues, and it blows my mind. This show needs to be cancelled especially after learning about the animals. Like who does that???? I always thought they treated you different and it is clear as day that they are so envious of you and your accomplishments and you did that all by yourself, unlike the rest of your siblings. You have done nothing wrong, so please don’t let them get you down. I always thought you were the cutest of all the siblings, and they knew that so they had to bring you down with insults. They don’t deserve to be parents especially the way they do things in that household. It’s all about control to them. I hope you can move on from this mess that THEY created. You are a smart and beautiful young lady who is going to do big things. The network needs to get these fake *ss people off the screen. I would love to see you star in a new show and then watch their reaction when you do…. You could write a book about how your life has been since you were adopted. I wish you nothing but happiness and success !
Amber especially (and others too) are so jealous of Anna it’s ridiculous. Anna is smarter, prettier and has an actual personality.
Team Anna. She’s not perfect, but she’s better than the rest of the chuckleheads. Also team Heidi for sticking by Anna.
I wasn’t a long time watcher of the show. But I watched enough to see that Anna was treated way different than anyone else. Amber seemed to enjoy being cruel to Anna for no reason. Elizabeth acted like a mini Amber with no opinions of her own. Trent is Amber’s puppet. It is unfortunate because I think Anna is a sweetheart. The only relationship that may be salvaged is the one between Anna and Emma but that won’t happen as long as Emma still lives with her parents.