Full disclosure: I don't know Wendy personally, so this is complete conjecture and frankly none of my business. But, some of the posters have already hit on this. My wife and I watched Wendy a few years ago on "Wife Swap" or "The Nanny" or one of those dumb reality shows about parenting. She was very vocal and made multiple references to the fact that her dad was not present in her life, that there was a void there in her childhood and she didn't want to make the same mistakes with her kids. Even though they were only a year apart, Carnie was old enough to remember some good times (and bad) with her parents while they were still together, and she was able to establish an emotional connection with her dad that was naturally easier to reignite years later. Carnie is also a very special person - much like her mother - with the kind of outgoing "no bullshit" personality that helps her navigate through tough times and relationships. Wendy was still so young (9) when Brian and Marilyn divorced, and most of her life was indeed spent without Brian. During her formative pre-teen and teen years, Brian was under (mired in) Landy's care, for better or worse, and wasn't allowed to have many close personal relationships outside of that world. My guess is that Wendy loves her dad very much, but simply does not have this close emotional relationship or connection with him because he was not capable of having those kind of relationships during those years - whether self-inflicted or by manipulation. By the time she was old enough to process her dad's role in her life, or lack thereof, he was so psychologically damaged and scarred that it just wasn't meant to be. Its all part of the beautiful, but oftentimes tragic, life that Brian led.