Wynonna Judd opens up about grief in first interview since her mother's death
Country superstar Wynonna Judd – in her first television interview since her mother, Naomi Judd, took her own life – talks about grief, going back on tour, and more with correspondent Lee Cowan, in an interview for "CBS Sunday Morning" to be broadcast Sunday, Sept. 25 on CBS and streamed on Paramount+.
Wynonna and Naomi Judd, best known as The Judds, were one of the most successful country music duos in history, selling more than 20 million albums. In April, just a day before they were to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Naomi, who battled depression, took her own life.
"I got the call, and I went over, and I saw her and that was that," Judd told Cowan. "I said goodbye to her in the hospital, and I closed her eyes, and I kissed her forehead and that was that. And the next thing I know, I'm sitting here on the front porch, on the side porch … you know, and I'm just trying to figure out what's next.
"I did not know that she was at the place she was at when she ended it because she had had episodes before and she got better," Judd said. "And that's what I live in, is like, 'Was there anything I should have looked for or should I have known?' I didn't. That's why it's such a shock."
- Naomi Judd had been open about her "severe and treatment-resistant" battle with depression in the past
- Naomi Judd honored by daughters at Country Music Hall of Fame ceremony
In an interview at her home outside of Nashville, Judd talked with Cowan about her relationships with her mother and her sister Ashley; her grief; and how she's honoring her mother by continuing with The Judds' tour they had announced just weeks before Naomi died.
"I feel her nudging me. And sometimes, I laugh," Judd said. "And sometimes, I say, 'I really miss you. Why aren't you here so we can argue?'"
The Emmy Award-winning "Sunday Morning" is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9 a.m. ET. "Sunday Morning" also streams on the CBS News app [beginning at 10:30 a.m. ET] and on Paramount+, and is available on cbs.com and cbsnews.com.
Be sure to follow us at cbssundaymorning.com, and on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
For more info: