Sylvester Stallone's mother has claimed he was the victim of "a shakedown" by his half-sister, resulting in him paying her millions of dollars.
New York Post's Page Six has alleged the action hero agreed a multi-million dollar settlement with Toni Ann Filiti at the height of his fame. The agreement was kept confidential and was put in place after Toni Ann - who died last year - claimed Sylvester abused her over a period of several years.
The action star's mother Jackie Stallone was also Toni Ann's mom and has insisted there was no truth to her daughter's claims.
"This was nothing more than a shakedown,” Jackie told the publication. “Toni-Ann was on 65 Oxycontin pills a day, and she threatened Sylvester. A drug addict will do anything. When Sylvester became famous, she didn’t have to hook. He was trying to help her. He caved in."
The newspaper has uncovered documents which show Sylvester agreed to pay his half-sister $2 million 16 years ago. On top of that, he gave her $16,666.66 every month until she passed away following a battle with lung cancer last August.
A trust was also set up to help with her "psychiatric and medical expenses", which the 66-year-old star added $50,000 to annually.
Toni Ann alleged her half-brother had "physically injured" her. Insiders told New York Post Sylvester has always denied the claims and still does to this day.
Jackie claims the agreement was only put in place because Toni Ann blackmailed Sylvester.
"There were too many conflicting stories... At the time [in 1987] he was very hot, and his lawyers said, ‘Give her something just to shut her up,’" she explained.
Toni Ann's son has insisted she was telling the truth, claiming she used to open up to him about the situation.
"They’ve made my mother out to be the black sheep," Edd, 19, said.
Sylvester's representative has also commented on the report: "Unfortunately, celebrities, politicians and athletes frequently find themselves the targets of blackmail efforts by family members and associates who fabricate claims in order to extort payments from them."
