Mila Kunis Says She Couldn’t Be Open About Her Jewish Faith Growing Up

Mila Kunis is opening up about her connection to her Jewish faith, comparing her childhood experiences to how she practices her faith as an adult. In a heartfelt conversation with Noa Tishby on a Hanukkah-themed web series, Mila, 41, shared her journey.

Born in Ukraine, Mila revealed she grew up without practicing religious traditions. “I grew up doing nothing,” she admitted, explaining that religion was largely suppressed in her home country. When she moved to the United States at age 8, her understanding of Judaism began to shift. “I always knew I was Jewish, but I was told never to talk about it. I think because I was in a country that didn’t allow for religion.”

Now, Mila and her husband Ashton Kutcher have made Judaism a significant part of their family life, sharing traditions with their two children, Wyatt, 10, and Dimitri, 8. Mila explained, “I was raised culturally Jewish, so for me it’s a culture. And as I had kids, and my kids very much identify with the religion aspect of it, I was like, okay, I guess we’ll do [Shabbat] and we’ll do the candles.”

For Mila, Judaism is more than just rituals; it’s about the values and traditions passed down through generations. She joked with Noa about some cultural traits she carries, saying, “Guilt. Guilt. I was raised with a lot of guilt, all the time. Superstition and guilt.”

She also touched on her deep-rooted relationship with food, saying, “I think I have a fear of not having enough food. The worst thing my kids can say to me is, ‘I’m hungry.’ Food fixes everything. You’re tired? Eat some food. You’re cranky? Eat some food.”

Despite acknowledging that her approach to food might not be considered entirely healthy. In her words: “A health person’s gonna say this is unhealthy and we’re doing something wrong, and I understand; I’m working on it. But is it just something that’s embedded in me.”