Wynonna Judd opened up about her grief in her first televised interview since her mother’s death earlier this year. Naomi Judd passed away unexpectedly following a long battle with mental illness, Wynonna and her sister Ashley Judd confirmed in a statement at the time. She was 76.
Wynonna spoke with Lee Cowan about grief, going back on tour and more in the CBS Sunday Morning interview. It’s set to broadcast at 9 a.m. ET on Sunday (September 25). Viewers can watch the interview on CBS and streaming on Paramount+, CBS announced on Thursday morning (September 22).
“I got the call, and I went over, and I saw her and that was that. 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 tryin’ to figure out what’s next,” Wynonna says in the interview with Cowan. She added: “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. 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.”
Wynonna and Naomi — who made up the iconic mother-daughter duo The Judds — were set to perform on “The Final Tour” this year. Wynonna said during her mother’s televised memorial service, hosted at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, that she “will continue to sing. …I am gonna have to honor her and do this tour because that is what you would want.” Wynonna previously announced that the tour will now include Martina McBride, Brandi Carlile, Ashley McBryde, Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town, Trisha Yearwood and Faith Hill on select tour dates. Naomi died just one day before The Judds were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Wynonna spoke with Cowan at her Nashville-area home, including about her relationships with Naomi and Ashley. Ashley has previously spoken about her mother’s death and the family’s grief, including in an emotional interview and a heartbreaking op-ed.
“I feel her nudging me. And sometimes, I laugh,” Wynonna said of Naomi in the CBS Sunday Mornings interview. “And sometimes, I say, ‘I really miss you. Why aren’t you here so we can argue?’”
Find more info from CBS here. Watch Wynonna's interview preview below.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide or is in emotional distress, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.