John Phillips' daughters Mackenzie Phillips and Chynna Phillips recalled the musician being "like a monster" and often "unpredictable."
Mackenzie, 64, and Chynna, 55, sat down together for a conversation shared on YouTube where the half sisters spoke about their childhood and the public reaction to Mackenzie's allegation that she had a consensual sexual relationship with their father.
"Obviously, he's an amazing songwriter and, you know I loved his laugh, and yet there was this whole other side to dad that was, I mean, kind of, like a monster," Chynna said on her YouTube channel. "He was so dark, and you just didn't know who you were going to get. It was very unpredictable."
MACKENZIE PHILLIPS SAYS EXPOSING INCEST WITH FATHER RUINED FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
Mackenzie alleged John had raped her at age 19 in her memoir, "High on Arrival," published in 2009. "I woke up that night from a blackout to find myself having sex with my own father," she wrote. "I don't remember how it started or, thankfully, how it ended."
After the alleged rape, Mackenzie claimed the intimate relationship became consensual and lasted for 10 years before she became pregnant. The incest stopped then, and she had an abortion, according to Mackenzie's memoir.
"Dad was something else," Mackenzie said during their conversation. "I get a lot of criticism and a lot of trolling online for having forgiveness in my heart. Forgiveness, because forgiving is for me, not for the other person. And forgiving doesn't mean I cosign or agree with what I'm forgiving him for."
"It's very complicated. It's very complicated, and yet, I am at peace," she added.
MACKENZIE PHILLIPS DIDN'T EXPECT BACKLASH AFTER REVEALING INCESTUOUS RELATIONSHIP WITH HER FATHER
Mackenzie's memoir wasn't the first time her family had heard allegations of a consensual relationship between the actress and their father. John is the father to multiple children from different wives; Mackenzie, Chynna, Bijou Phillips, Jeffrey Phillips and Tamerlane Phillips.
Bijou, who is 21 years younger than Mackenzie, was removed from John and Geneviève Waïte's care and put into a foster home at about 3 years old due to her parents' drug addiction, the actress previously revealed on social media. John was later given sole custody and took care of Bijou.
After Mackenzie's book was released, Bijou issued a statement claiming she knew about the incest allegation but that the "One Day at a Time" actress later insisted "it didn't happen."
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"When I was 13, Mackenzie told me that she had a consensual sexual relationship with our father," Bijou told "The Oprah Winfrey Show" at the time. "This news was confusing and it was also scary, as I lived alone with him since I was 3. I didn't know what to believe and it didn't help that shortly thereafter, Mackenzie told me it didn't happen."
"Mackenzie's history with our father is hers, but also clouded with 30 years of drug abuse. I hope she can come to terms with this and find peace," she continued. "The life I had with my father was very different. He was Mr. Mom. He was encouraging and loving. The man that raised me would never be capable of doing such things. And if he was, it was heartbreaking for me to think that my family would leave me alone with him. I understand Mackenzie's need to come clean with a history that she feels will help others, but it's devastating to have the world watch as we try and mend broken fences, especially when the man in question isn't here to defend himself."
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John died in 2001 at the age of 65 after suffering from heart failure, ABC News reported. Mackenzie was at his bedside and released a statement.
"We are all mourning the loss of my Dad," she said at the time. "He was a genius and a good man and will be missed. I spent the morning with my sisters, Chynna and Bijou. We are all on our way to the beach, where we will walk and swim and celebrate our father's life."
