INSIDE EDITION spoke to Mickey Rooney's step-son, Chris Aber, who claims that the Hollywood legend was abusive.
Did the late Mickey Rooney physically abuse his wife? That's the stunning accusation from the Hollywood legend's stepson, the man Mickey once accused of abuse in an unforgettable hearing at the nation's Capitol.
But Chris Aber told INSIDE EDITION’s Jim Moret it was Mickey who was the abuser.
Moret asked, “Did he ever hit your mom?"
He replied, "Yes, but we just took it in stride."
Chris said he took a disturbing photo of his mother's injured leg and said it happened after Mickey and wife Jan had been arguing.
Chris said, "My mother was having a disagreement with Mickey and he pushed her. He'd always grab her very hard! Like he didn't mean to do this, he grabbed her and pushed her out of the way and said 'Shut up, Jan, you don't know what you're talking about!"
See What Else Aber Told INSIDE EDITION
He said Mickey told Jan to ‘Shut up’ so often, the family parrot picked up the words.
Chris said, "His favorite word was ‘Shut up Jan! Shut up Jan!’ Because that was one of Mickey’s favorite words. He loved to say "Shut up Jan!"
Jan Rooney was not the only target of Mickey’s volatile behavior, according to Chris.
"He was very physically and mentally abusive to everybody around him. But that was him! We all grew up, 'That's Mickey! That's Mickey!' He always demanded attention, and if you didn't give it, he'd be physical with you,” said Chris.
Mickey could be cold and uncaring toward his family, according to Chris’ wife, Christina. When his grandson Hunter was 15 months old, Mickey’s dog attacked the boy, scarring his face with an injury that required 200 stitches, but according to Christina, "Mickey didn't give a damn." (Source: Mail Online)
When Mickey Rooney died at age 93 last month, he bequeathed his estate, valued at only $18,000 to Chris’ brother, Mark, who was Mickey’s final caretaker.
Meanwhile Chris, who'd worked for Mickey for decades, makes his living as a grocery store manager, tainted forever by charges of abusing an old man that he says just aren’t true.
Chris said, “People come to my supermarket and say, ‘I just came here to see the guy who beat up Mickey Rooney.'"
Moret asked, "How does that make you feel?"
Chris replied, "It makes me sick to my stomach."
