The Super Bowl attracted the attention of millions of viewers not only from the States but beyond. In the center of attention were certainly Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, whose love is blossoming in front of the eyes of their many fans, but other celebs also made impressions, including Reba McEntire and Usher, among the rest.
The Charmed star Alyssa Milano and her son were also spotted among the crowd. And as much as seeing a mother and her child bonding and having the time of their life together, their photo at the Super Bowl caused quite a stir on the social media.
The reason why is that just a couple of days prior to the game, Milano started a GoFundMe page to raise money for her son’s baseball team that was supposed to travel to Cooperstown, New York.
“Any amount would be so greatly appreciated. You can read more about the team and make a donation,” she wrote on X.
The fundraiser sought for $10,000 and encouraged people to donate to the “diverse, hardworking and really good” 12U team.
Given her net worth, the backlash of her asking for donation and then posing at the Super Bowl was harsh.
“Alyssa is worth a reported $10 million. And look, having traveled to 3 tournaments last summer in 3 different cities in 3 different states, I get it. It’s beyond expensive. But to ask for donations here given her worth and the fact her husband is a CAA agent is really something,” one user wrote at the time.
“Alyssa Milano needs our help, guys!!! This is serious!! Let’s dig deep,” another user quipped on X.
“I remember when raising money for an extracurricular trip actually meant EARNING money for the trip. You know, car washes, bake sales, recycling drives. Kids actually working for it,” someone else said.
Netizens had a lot to say about Milano’s Super Bowl showing.
“How can he get to the game and you request money to take his team to Cooperstown? How out of touch are you,” one person on Instagram asked.
Another asked: “Is this why you created the Go Fund Me? To get you and your kid to the Super Bowl?”
“Damn. Probably could have spent that money one [sic] your son’s baseball team, huh?” another said. “But what do I know.”
Milano answered back and posted a strongly-worded statement after people started targeting her son’s Instagram.
Every parent raises money for their child’s sports teams and many of them do so through GoFundMe. I am no different,” Milano explained.
“As much as I’d love to pay for the entire team and their families for travel, transportation, hotel, food and beverage, uniforms, trading pins, and all the things teams do for this kind of trip—I can not afford to do so. Maybe someday. Also, if I did pay for everyone—my trolls would find something else to be hurtful about.
“Regardless of how you feel about me, going on to my hardworking 12 year old son’s Instagram page and leaving these kinds of messages is so horrid. Leave the kids alone,” the actress added. “Let them play baseball. If you are against donating—don’t donate. If you’d like to donate to help the team’s families — we appreciate it—the link is in his bio.”
My Stepmom Made Me Sleep in a Shed and Gave My Room to Her Kids — My Mom Immediately Brought Her Back Down to Earth
When my father’s new wife kicked me out of my room and into the shed, I thought I’d hit rock bottom. But Mom’s surprise visit and shocking revelation about the house turned everything upside down, leaving me to wonder if I’d ever feel at home with Dad again.
I arrived at Dad’s house with a knot in my stomach. Something felt off. Kim, my stepmom, opened the door with a fake smile.
“Michelle, honey, come in,” she said, her voice sickeningly sweet.
I stepped inside, dragging my suitcase. Sam and Leo, my college-age step brothers, lounged on the couch, barely acknowledging me. They were both glued to their shiny new laptops – the same ones Dad said he couldn’t afford to buy for me.
“Where’s Dad?” I asked, trying to keep the bitterness out of my voice.
“Working late,” Kim replied. She fidgeted with her necklace. “Listen, Michelle, we need to talk about sleeping arrangements.”
My heart sank. “What about them?”
Kim glanced at her sons. “Well, with Sam and Leo home for the holidays, we’re a bit short on space.”
“Short on space?” I echoed. “But I have my room.”
“Had,” Sam muttered under his breath, not looking up from his laptop.
I whirled to face him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Kim cleared her throat. “Michelle, dear, we had to give your room to the boys. They need a proper place to sleep and study.”
“And where am I supposed to sleep?” I demanded, my voice rising.
Kim avoided my eyes. “We’ve set up a nice space for you in the shed.”
“The shed?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “You’re kidding, right?”
“It’s only temporary,” Kim said quickly. “Just until the boys go back to university.”
I looked around, hoping to see some sign that this was all a cruel joke. But Sam and Leo just smirked, and Kim stood there, lips pressed into a thin line.
“Where’s Dad?” I asked again, my voice cracking. “I want to talk to him.”
“He’ll be home late,” Kim repeated. “Why don’t you get settled in? I’m sure you’re tired from the trip.”
Defeated, I trudged out to the shed, lugging my suitcase behind me. The inside was musty and cramped, with a rickety cot squeezed between boxes of junk. A single bare bulb hung from the ceiling, casting harsh shadows.
I sat on the cot, trying not to cry. How had it come to this? Dad used to dote on me, but ever since he married Kim, everything changed.
A disconsolate teenage girl sitting on a cot in a garden shed | Source: Midjourney
He’d promised to buy me a laptop for school, then said he couldn’t afford it. But he bought new ones for Sam and Leo without hesitation. I remembered the excitement in his voice when he told them about the “surprise” he had for them.
“You boys need good computers for your studies,” he’d said, beaming with pride.
When I’d reminded him about his promise to me, he’d just shrugged. “Times are tough, Michelle. Maybe next year.”
Then there was the lake trip. Dad had planned a father-daughter weekend, just the two of us. I’d been looking forward to it for weeks.
“Sorry, kiddo,” he’d said, not meeting my eyes. “Something came up at work. We’ll do it another time.”
A week later, I saw photos on social media of him, Sam, and Leo at the lake, fishing and laughing. When I confronted him about it, he brushed it off.
“The boys were only home for a short time,” he’d explained. “I wanted to do something special with them.”
And now this. Kicked out of my own room, and banished to the shed like some unwanted pet.
I tossed and turned all night, the cot creaking with every movement. In the morning, my phone buzzed with an incoming video call. It was my mom.
“Hi, sweetie,” she said when I answered. “How’s everything at your dad’s?”
I tried to sound upbeat. “Oh, you know. Same old.”
A girl looking at her cell phone, sitting on a cot in a shed | Source: Midjourney
Mom frowned. “Michelle, where are you? Is that… is that the shed?”
I nodded, unable to speak past the lump in my throat.
Mom’s face darkened. “Why on earth are you in the shed?”
“Kim said there’s no room in the house,” I mumbled. “Sam and Leo are using my room.”
“They are WHAT?” Mom exploded. “Oh, hell no. I’m coming over right now.”
“Mom, no, it’s fine,” I protested weakly. But she’d already hung up.
An hour later, I heard tires screeching in the driveway. Mom burst into the shed, her face like thunder.
“Get your things,” she ordered. “We’re going to have a little chat with your father and his wife.”
I trailed after Mom as she stormed into the house. “John!” she yelled. “Get out here right now!”
Dad appeared from the kitchen, looking startled. “Helen? What are you doing here?”
“Why is our daughter sleeping in a shed?” Mom demanded.
Kim rushed in. “Helen, this isn’t your house. You have no right to barge in here making demands.”
Mom turned on her, eyes blazing. “Oh, I have every right. Didn’t John tell you? This house belongs to Michelle.”
The room went dead silent. I stared at Mom, then at Dad, who’d gone pale.
“What are you talking about?” Kim sputtered.
Mom smiled coldly. “When we divorced, we put the house in Michelle’s name. In a year, she’ll own it outright.”
Kim whirled on Dad. “Is this true? You knew about this?”
Dad nodded miserably. “I… I didn’t think it was important.”
“Not important?” Mom scoffed. “You let your daughter sleep in a shed in her own house!”
Sam and Leo appeared in the doorway, looking confused.
“What’s going on?” Leo asked, still clutching his new laptop.
Mom addressed them all. “Listen up. From now on, Michelle sleeps in her room. In her house. End of discussion.”
“But…” Kim started to protest.
A woman reacts in surprise, while a teenager stands in the background | Source: Midjourney
“But nothing,” Mom cut her off. “Unless you want Michelle to kick you all out when she turns eighteen, I suggest you show her some respect.”
She turned to me, her voice softening. “Come on, honey. Let’s get your things. You’re coming home with me.”
As we packed up my stuff, I could hear Dad and Kim arguing in the other room.
“Why didn’t you tell me about the house?” Kim demanded.
“I didn’t want to complicate things,” Dad replied weakly.
“Complicate things? You let me treat your daughter like garbage!”
Their voices faded as Mom and I walked out to her car. As we drove away, I felt a mix of emotions: relief, vindication, and a little sadness.
“You okay, sweetie?” Mom asked, glancing over at me.
I nodded. “Yeah. Thanks for coming to get me.”
“Always,” she said firmly. “I’ll always have your back.”
We rode in silence for a while. Then I asked, “What happens now?”
A woman drives, talking to the girl seated beside her | Source: Midjourney
Mom sighed. “That’s up to you, honey. If you want to keep visiting your dad, we’ll make sure things change. If you don’t, that’s okay too.”
I thought about it. “I think… I think I want to try. But only if things are different.”
“They will be,” Mom assured me. “Your father may be an idiot sometimes, but he loves you. He just needed a wake-up call.”
Over the next week, I stayed with Mom. Dad called every day, apologizing profusely. He promised things would be different, that he’d make it up to me.
Finally, I agreed to go back for a visit. As we pulled up to the house, I saw Dad waiting on the porch.
“Ready?” Mom asked, squeezing my hand.
He nodded, looking chastened. “I know. Come inside, please?”
We followed him in. The house was quiet – no sign of Kim or the boys.
“Where is everyone?” I asked.
A teenage girl addressing an older man | Source: Midjourney
“I asked them to give us some space,” Dad explained. “We need to talk.”
We sat in the living room, the tension palpable.
Dad cleared his throat. “Michelle, I messed up. Big time. I got so caught up in trying to make Kim and her boys happy that I forgot what was really important.”
“Me,” I said quietly.
He nodded, his eyes glistening. “You. My daughter. The most important person in my life.”
“Doesn’t feel like it lately,” I muttered.
Dad winced. “I know. I’ve been a terrible father. But I want to make it right. If you’ll let me.”
I glanced at Mom, who nodded encouragingly.
“What about Kim and the boys?” I asked.
“They know things have to change,” Dad said firmly. “Your room is yours, always. And I’ve made it clear that you’re my priority.”
“And the laptop?” I couldn’t help asking.
Dad smiled sheepishly. “It’s in your room. Along with an apology letter from Sam and Leo.”
I felt a glimmer of hope. “Really?”
“Really,” Dad confirmed. “And I was hoping… maybe we could still do that lake trip? Just the two of us?”
I hesitated, then nodded. “I’d like that.”
Dad’s face lit up. He opened his arms, and after a moment, I stepped into his embrace.
It wasn’t perfect. There was still a lot to work through. But it was a start.
As we hugged, I caught Mom’s eye over Dad’s shoulder. She smiled, giving me a thumbs up. I knew then that no matter what happened, I had people in my corner. And I’d never sleep in a shed again.
A man hugging a teenager girl in a living room | Source: Midjourney
What would you have done? If you enjoyed this story, here’s another one for you about a stepmother and her daughters who kicked a girl out of the house after hearing her father fell into a coma.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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