What happened to Michael Ciminella? Meet Ashley Judd's father and their family drama
Michael Ciminella remains alive, living in Kentucky with his wife, Mollie Whitelaw, following years in marketing and broadcasting. Michael is Ashley Judd's biological father and Naomi Judd's ex-husband, whose quiet life contrasts with the Judd family's turbulent past.
Source: UGC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Michael Ciminella is still alive and lives a quiet life in Louisville, Kentucky, with his wife, Mollie Whitelaw.
- He is Ashley Judd's biological father and was married to Naomi Judd from 1964 to 1972.
- He raised Wynonna Judd as his daughter, though she later discovered her biological father was Charles Jordan.
- Ciminella worked in marketing and sports broadcasting, with credits at ESPN, NBC, and CBS.
- Family tensions included lawsuits and paternity revelations, highlighting the Judd family's ongoing emotional struggles.
Michael Ciminella's profile summary
| Full name | Michael Charles Ciminella |
| Gender | Male |
| Date of birth | 1945 |
| Age | 80 years old (as of 2025) |
| Place of birth | Ashland, Kentucky, USA |
| Current residence | Louisville, Kentucky, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Sexuality | Straight |
| Height in feet | 5'9" |
| Height in centimetres | 175 |
| Hair colour | Brown |
| Eye colour | Brown |
| Mother | Bernadine Mary Dalton |
| Father | Michael Lawrence Ciminella |
| Marital status | Married |
| Wife | Mollie Whitelaw |
| Children | Two |
| School | Fork Union Military Academy |
| University | Transylvania University |
| Profession | Businessman, marketing consultant |
What happened to Michael Ciminella?
Naomi Judd's ex-husband, Michael Ciminella, is alive and living a quiet life in Louisville, Kentucky, with his wife, Mollie Whitelaw, whom he married in 2010.
After divorcing country singer Naomi Judd in 1972, he pursued a career in marketing and sports broadcasting, working with major networks like ESPN and NBC Sports.
Source: Original
A look at Michael Ciminella's early life
Michael Charles Ciminella was born in 1945 in Ashland, Kentucky, to Mary Bernadine Dalton and Michael Lawrence Ciminella. He attended Fork Union Military Academy before earning a business degree at Transylvania University and an MBA from UCLA.
What does Michael Ciminella do?
Michael Ciminella is a retired media producer and marketing consultant based in Kentucky. While his father, Michael L. Ciminella, founded Ashland Aluminium Co. in the 1960s, Michael built his career in freelance remote TV sports production.
According to his Facebook profile, Michael has worked with ESPN, CBS, NBC, and ABC, covering events such as the Super Bowl, the Final Four, the Kentucky Derby, and the World Series.
Today, he remains semi-retired and works occasionally with ESPN while living in Louisville with his wife, Mollie Wells Whitelaw.
Inside Michael Ciminella's love life
Source: UGC
Michael Ciminella has been married twice and divorced once. His first marriage was to Naomi Judd (then Diana Ellen Judd) in January 1964, just before her 18th birthday. At the time, Naomi was pregnant with Wynonna Judd, whom he believed was his biological daughter.
The former couple relocated to Los Angeles in 1968, the year their daughter, Ashley Judd, was born. Their marriage lasted until 1972 and ended in divorce. Naomi later married Larry Strickland.
Michael's second marriage came on 8 November 2010, when he wed Mollie Wells Whitelaw. Unlike his earlier relationship, this marriage has remained largely private, with little known about their life together.
Meet Michael Ciminella's children
Source: Getty Images
Michael Ciminella has one biological child, actress and activist Ashley Judd, born on 19 April 1968. He shares Ashley with his first wife, Naomi Judd. Though their marriage ended in 1972, Michael remained a steady presence in Ashley's life and supported her through personal challenges, including her medical emergency in the Congo in 2021.
Michael also raised Wynonna Judd (born Christina Claire Ciminella in May 1964) as his daughter during his marriage to Naomi. Wynonna believed Michael was her biological father until the early 1990s, when she learned her birth father was Charles Jordan.
The truth about Judd family's drama
Source: Getty Images
The Judd family's drama stemmed from generational trauma, fractured relationships, and Naomi Judd's battle with mental illness. Naomi married Michael Ciminella while pregnant with Wynonna, who believed he was her biological father until the early '90s.
Fame amplified tensions between Naomi and her daughters, with Ashley later revealing personal trauma. Legal disputes, including Wynonna suing Ciminella in 2012 over an unpaid loan, and Naomi's self-inflicted death in 2022, deepened the family's complex legacy. The family released a statement following the death of the Judd family's matriarch in April 2022:
We have always shared openly both the joys of being family as well as its sorrows, too. One part of our story is that our matriarch was dogged by an unfair foe. She was treated for PTSD and bipolar disorder, to which millions of Americans can relate.
FAQs
- Who was Naomi Judd? She was a Grammy-winning American country music singer, songwriter, and actress best known as one-half of the iconic musical duo The Judds.
- Is Michael Ciminella still alive? Michael is alive as of now. He lives a quiet life in Kentucky with his wife, Mollie Whitelaw, whom he married in 2010.
- What is Michael Ciminella's net worth? Michael's net worth is publicly unknown, with no verified information online.
- Do Wynonna Judd and Ashley Judd have the same father? No, they are half-sisters. Wynonna's father was Charles Jordan, while Ashley's father is Michael Ciminella.
- Did Wynonna Judd ever meet her biological father? Wynonna never met Charles Jordan. She learned about him as an adult and planned to meet him, but he died in 2000 before they could connect.
- How old was Wynonna Judd when she found out who her father was? She was 30 years old when she discovered that Michael Ciminella was not her biological father.
- Why did Naomi Judd marry Michael Ciminella? Naomi married Michael Ciminella in 1964 after being abandoned by Charles Jordan while pregnant with Wynonna.
- Why did Naomi Judd leave her daughter out of her will? Naomi Judd's will named her husband, Larry Strickland, as sole executor, omitting her daughters without a publicly stated reason.
Michael Ciminella is Ashley Judd's biological father and the former husband of country music legend Naomi Judd. The Judd family's complex and emotional history is marked by early secrets, strained relationships, and eventual healing. Despite past tensions, Ashley credits him for unwavering support.
Yen.com.gh published an article about Gregory LeNoir Allman's children. Gregory is a legendary American singer-songwriter and musician, best known for his role in The Allman Brothers Band.
Despite succumbing to liver cancer in 2017, Gregory LeNoir has left a legacy in the music industry. His fame and ultimate death has generated interest in his personal life, especially details about his five children. What happened to them? Read the full article for more information.
Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
