Sylvester Stallone had a very curious yet difficult childhood. His parents, Frank Sr. and Jackie, were in a tumultuous relationship before they decided to file for divorce. The actor had to work his way to fend for himself using the God-given talent he possessed.
Still, the Rocky actor had quite an interesting life. His parents had unique jobs that allowed him to meet several people in the business. In fact, he was constantly surrounded by them.
Sylvester Stallone Called His Mother’s Friends ‘Unemployed Pole Dancers’
In his 2016 interview with The Jonathan Ross Show, The Expendables star Sylvester Stallone responded to a question about his mother, Jackie, who managed a group of lady wrestlers. The actor stated:
“You know, they weren’t really wrestlers. They were kind of unemployed pole dancers, and they said, ‘Oh, lady wrestlers, please.’ They’d slap each other, and do this, and I just frolicked around and did the best I could.”
Stallone also talked about how his mother kept herself busy at the time, mainly focusing on fitness and other rigorous exercises. He continued:
“She’s doing Pilates and tap dancing and things that should be just against the laws of nature.”
Jackie Stallone was a celebrity astrologer, women’s wrestling promoter, and mother to Sylvester and Frank Stallone, and the late Toni D’Alto. She passed away in 2020 at the age of 98. Frank wrote in his Facebook post via The Hollywood Reporter:
“This morning my brothers and I lost our mother. She died in her sleep as she had wished. It was hard not to like her, she was very eccentric and flamboyant person.”
Stallone was one of America’s most prominent psychics, authoring several books on astrology. She also promoted women’s fitness and the wrestling company G.L.O.W. (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling), which was dedicated to female athletes.
As a teenager, she worked as an acrobat for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circuses. Stallone was a very active person, and there is no doubt her son Sylvester inherited this trait from her. As a child, the action star met a lot of his mother’s friends from the industry, hence his statement about lady wrestlers.
Jackie also established women-only gyms and encouraged the media to cover more women’s athletics events on television.
Sylvester Stallone Had A Rocky Relationship With His Parents
In the Unwaxed podcast hosted by Sylvester Stallone’s daughters, the actor revealed his true relationship with his parents. He admitted:
“My parents weren’t exactly brought up like stellar human beings.”
Stallone was dropped off at an old folks home every day for five years when he was young. Because of this, most of his friends were elderly people. He added:
“My average friends were about 90 [years old]. At the time, it wasn’t a big deal. But when you look back at it, it wasn’t exactly a smart choice.”
Still, staying at home with his mother and father was not a good option either. Despite the turbulent relationship he had with them, Stallone was able to find and show the love that had always been there between him and his parents.
