Jenna Ortega might be the queen of Netflix these days, thanks to her spot-on role in Wednesday, but that doesn't mean her family treats her any differently. Jenna has been working in the industry since she was quite young, but over the years, her parents and siblings have kept her grounded.
In fact, Jenna's mom isn't even shy about throwing shade toward her daughter on social media, when the situation calls for it.
Jenna Ortega Has Five Siblings
Much like her Disney character on Stuck in the Middle, Jenna Ortega is one of many siblings, and she's somewhere in the middle age-wise. Her older siblings include Isaac, Mariah, and Mia, while the younger siblings are Aaliyah and her twin Markus.
Jenna has even said that becoming Wednesday was serendipitous as she often joked she was Wednesday, the middle-of-the-week child. And being part of the Ortega household did mean that Jenna was very busy and that a lot was expected from her.
Even though she began acting at a young age, Jenna explained that her parents still had requirements for their teen daughter; she had to do her chores, and if she missed taking care of business before leaving for work, the chores multiplied.
It was worth it, though; Jenna's early gig on CSI: NY helped her break into the industry and find the massive success she enjoys today.
What Do Jenna Ortega's Siblings Do?
Despite their sister's wild success in the industry, it doesn't seem as if her siblings are very interested in pursuing the same type of fame. The oldest Ortega sibling, Isaac, is said to have earned a degree from Grand Canyon University, but not much is known about his career plans.
The same is true of Mariah, whose personal life isn't well-documented online. Mia, however, has a solid Instagram following (over 44,000 followers as of May 2023) and also sells clothing on DePop. She posts tons of selfies, but also the occasional sibling photo.
The youngest Ortega siblings, Aaliyah and Markus, are also quite private; though Markus has a solid following on Instagram, he doesn't post often.
Jenna Says Her Parents 'Don't Care' About Her Work
Jenna Ortega's parents are very supportive of her, but they also couldn't really care less about what she does. In an interview, Ortega called her family "supportive" but explained, "They sacrificed a lot so that I could do what I do. Another thing I love about them is that they don't care at all about what I do."
Ortega said that her mom and dad, Natalie and Edward Ortega, "have no interest whatsoever in this world or in the film industry" and don't often ask about their daughter's projects or the famous folks she's worked with.
And even when she would "come home from work with cool people, prominent people, people I looked up to, and they weren't interested," Jenna elaborated. Yet her parents sometimes asked about a specific actor when it was someone they admired.
In those cases, Jenna said, she would go to bed "with a smile" on her face.
In another interview, Jenna spoke more about her experiences as a child and teen in the industry, pointing out that it wasn't all roses in terms of not having a normal childhood.
I’m luckier than most kids in the sense that I haven’t really lived a normal lifestyle. And I’ve been working. I’m fortunate to even be working during a time like this. I feel for the kids who are missing their prom or missing the opportunity to graduate or can’t have that high school experience they typically would or go to the birthday parties that they wanted. Because I think that’s such an important part of life that I missed out on and wish I had had. And not to say that I’m not very fortunate for everything else that I’ve experienced, but I think that it’s got to be weird for people who are unable to work or go out or do what I do.
Of course, in other interviews, Ortega clarified that her parents never pushed her into acting, but were supportive when she shared her dreams. It's also likely that her parents influenced the type of acting roles their daughter takes on; Ortega told Cosmopolitan that she never plans to take on "disrespectful" roles as a Latinx person.
Jenna noted, "I never want to play a maid and I never want to play a cartel leader’s daughter. I would much rather play a person of power, a powerful character in a positive way."
Jenna Ortega's Parents Are Just Like Any Other Mom And Dad...
There's one thing that proves Jenna Ortega's parents are just like any other mom and dad out there: the shade Jenna's mom threw on social media after discovering her daughter was smoking.
Jenna was snapped in now-viral photos smoking while out in public.
Shortly after the photos began circulating, Jenna's mom Natalie hopped on Instagram to share a series of images that many took as a direct reply to Jenna smoking.
In one image, Natalie captioned an image of Gollum with "Don’t believe those lies about cigarettes being bad for you. I’ve been smoking for most my 21 years and I feel great!"
She also shared various posts pointing out the health impact of smoking, some lighthearted and some rather serious, leading fans of Jenna to either cringe or applaud, depending on their stance.
While many agreed the public has no place judging now-adult Jenna's choices, most were on board with her mom's criticisms.
