ELIAS PHOENIX SPEAKS OUT ABOUT ALLEGED CHILDHOOD ABUSE AFTER RISING TO FAME AS A PIANO PRODIGY

LOS ANGELES — Elias Phoenix was just 7 years old when he became known to television audiences as a gifted young piano performer with an energetic personality and a trademark top hat.

He had already performed at Carnegie Hall and appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2014, where his cheerful personality and musical talent quickly made him a memorable child performer.

Now 20, Phoenix is telling a very different story about his childhood.

In an extensive interview with PEOPLE published Sept. 25, Phoenix alleged that he experienced years of emotional and physical abuse involving his late mother and his twin brother, Zion.

His allegations have not been independently verified in full. Phoenix’s mother died from cancer in 2020, and PEOPLE reported that it contacted Zion Phoenix for comment but had not received a response to multiple requests.

FROM CARNEGIE HALL TO NATIONAL TELEVISION

Phoenix’s rise to fame began when he was still a young child.

After performing at Carnegie Hall and competing in the American Protégé International Music Talent Competition, he appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2014.

On the programme, he appeared excited and comfortable in front of the cameras.

Looking back, Phoenix told PEOPLE that the happiness audiences saw was genuine.

“When I went out there, no one told me to act excited and overjoyed,” he said. “I just naturally did.”

He also remembered his encounter with Ellen DeGeneres positively, describing her as one of the kindest celebrities he had met.

For viewers, Phoenix appeared to be a talented child enjoying a remarkable opportunity.

He now says that life away from the cameras was considerably more difficult.

ALLEGATIONS OF ABUSE BEHIND THE CAMERAS

Earlier in September, Phoenix began publicly discussing his childhood through posts and videos on social media.

Among the material he shared was footage he said had been recorded in 2017 while he was preparing for an audition for the Juilliard School.

According to PEOPLE, the footage appears to show his mother shouting at him and using profanity while he was preparing for the audition. Phoenix says the recordings brought back memories of experiences he had previously pushed away.

Phoenix also alleged that he was repeatedly criticized about his weight by his mother and brother.

He said those experiences contributed to anorexia, severe self-esteem problems, depression and suicidal thoughts.

In another social-media post, he described his survival as a “miracle” and said he had spent years dealing with the effects of what he described as emotional and physical mistreatment.

Phoenix has also alleged that his brother once locked him outside the family home and that his mother blamed him for her cancer.

These accounts are allegations made by Phoenix about events from his childhood. They have not been independently established as fact.

A COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS TWIN BROTHER

Phoenix’s relationship with Zion has also become part of his account.

The brothers performed together as children and were publicly associated with their musical careers.

According to PEOPLE, the twins were separated for several years before reconnecting through email in 2023. They later reunited in person in 2025.

Phoenix told PEOPLE that the reunion became extremely difficult for him as he attempted to process his memories and experiences.

He says he ultimately decided that he did not want to maintain contact with his brother.

Zion has not publicly responded to the allegations in PEOPLE’s report.

“I’M FINALLY ELIAS PHOENIX”

For Phoenix, revisiting old recordings has been an emotional process.

He told PEOPLE that some of the footage felt as though it belonged to a completely different life.

The videos allowed him to see moments from his childhood from a different perspective, he said, and helped him process experiences he believes he had previously suppressed.

Rather than returning to the public spotlight as the child star audiences remembered, Phoenix says he wants to define himself independently of that image.

“I’m finally Elias Phoenix,” he told PEOPLE, “and I will always continue to be Elias Phoenix.”

TRYING TO RECLAIM HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH MUSIC

Music remains part of Phoenix’s life, but he says his relationship with it has changed.

As a child, performing meant appearing on television, competing and meeting expectations surrounding his talent.

Now, he says he wants to create music on his own terms.

After spending years away from YouTube, Phoenix returned to the platform this year with new music.

The change represents a different approach to performing: one in which he says he can decide what he creates and how he shares it.

A CHILD STAR WITH A DIFFERENT STORY

The image many people remember is of a smiling 7-year-old pianist performing confidently on national television.

Phoenix now says that image represented only one part of his childhood.

Behind the performances, he alleges that he was dealing with family conflict and experiences that continued to affect him long after he left the spotlight.

His story has prompted renewed interest in what happens to young performers once the cameras stop rolling — and how childhood fame can exist alongside private family struggles that audiences may never see.

For Phoenix, speaking publicly appears to be an attempt to reclaim his identity after years of being known primarily as a child piano prodigy.

His allegations remain allegations, and key claims have not been independently verified. But at 20, Phoenix says he is determined to move forward on his own terms — no longer defined solely by the child audiences once saw on television.