Imagine growing up believing your dad is a legendary progressive rock pioneer, only to realize at age nine that your "real" father is actually the flamboyant frontman of Aerosmith. It sounds like the plot of a messy 1970s soap opera, but for Liv Tyler, it was just Tuesday. Honestly, the story of Liv Tyler and Todd Rundgren is one of the most layered, weirdly beautiful, and slightly heartbreaking tales in Hollywood history. It’s not just about a rock star secret; it’s about what it actually means to be a parent when the DNA doesn't match the birth certificate.
Liv was born in 1977 as Liv Rundgren. At the time, her mother, the famous model and "super-groupie" Bebe Buell, was in a long-term, somewhat open relationship with Todd Rundgren. But there was a complication: a brief, drug-fueled fling with Steven Tyler. When Liv arrived, Bebe made a choice. Steven was deep in the throes of a massive addiction—we’re talking "classic 70s rock star" levels of chaos—and she didn't think he was fit to be a father.
So, she turned to Todd.
How Liv Tyler and Todd Rundgren Became Family
Todd Rundgren knew. That’s the thing people often miss. He wasn’t some guy who got tricked into raising a kid. He looked at the situation, looked at Bebe, and basically said, "I know this might not be mine, but I’m her father." He signed the birth certificate. He gave her his name. He put her through private school. Even after he and Bebe split up just a year after Liv was born, he stayed.
He was the "stable" one. If you can call a man who made A Wizard, a True Star stable.
Liv spent her early years in Woodstock and Maine, fully believing Todd was her biological father. In her mind, she was a Rundgren. She has since described him as a "spiritual father," a man who stepped up when he had absolutely no legal or biological obligation to do so. It’s a level of integrity that’s pretty rare in the ego-driven world of rock and roll.
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The Moment the Secret Cracked
The truth didn't come out through a dramatic confrontation. It happened because of a poster and a sister.
By the time she was eight or nine, Liv started noticing things. She had a poster of Steven Tyler on her wall—standard for a kid in the 80s—and she felt this bizarre, magnetic pull toward him. She’s mentioned in interviews, including a recent 2025 appearance on the Sibling Revelry podcast, that she used to "talk" to the poster.
Then came the 1988 Aerosmith concert.
Liv saw a girl backstage who looked like her mirror image. That girl was Mia Tyler, Steven’s daughter with Cyrinda Foxe. They had the same lips, the same eyes, the same vibe. Liv looked at her mom, saw Bebe bursting into tears, and the jig was up. "Is Steven my dad?" she asked. The answer changed her life forever, but it also complicated the one she already had.
The Painful Reality of Having Two Dads
You’d think finding out your dad is one of the biggest rock stars on the planet would be a pure win. For a kid, though? It’s confusing. Liv eventually changed her name to Tyler, but she never dropped Rundgren from her heart.
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The transition wasn't seamless.
Steven Tyler was finally getting sober in the late 80s, which is why Bebe felt it was safe to let him in. But as Liv grew closer to Steven—even starring in the "Crazy" music video in 1994—her relationship with Todd shifted. In 2025, she admitted that the whole ordeal is "still very hard and painful" for Todd to think about. It makes sense. Imagine raising a child as your own for a decade, only to have the biological father sweep in once he’s cleaned up his act and take the "Dad" title in the public eye.
Liv has been incredibly open about the guilt she feels regarding this. She loves Todd. She has half-brothers through him. She’s part of that family. But she also has this intense, "chemical" connection to the Tyler side. She’s called both men "unicorns or wizards" because of their eccentricities.
Why the Story Still Matters
The connection between Liv Tyler and Todd Rundgren is a masterclass in modern family dynamics. It challenges the idea that "blood is thicker than water." In this case, the water was the daily presence of a man who chose to be there.
- Todd provided the foundation: He was the one who signed the papers and provided the structure while Steven was MIA.
- Steven provided the DNA: The physical resemblance is undeniable, and the musical heritage is part of her identity.
- Bebe provided the protection: While some criticize her for the lie, she maintains it was about keeping her daughter safe from a toxic environment.
What’s interesting is that Liv doesn't seem bitter. She’s gone through therapy to process the "layers" of the shock, but she speaks about both men with a lot of warmth. She recognizes that she basically got a "double dose" of love, even if the road to get there was messy.
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Moving Forward With Complex Families
If you’re looking at the history of Liv Tyler and Todd Rundgren and seeing parallels in your own life or just wondering how people navigate these "nontraditional" setups, there are a few real-world takeaways.
Family is a verb, not just a noun. It’s about the things people do, not just the genes they share. Todd’s decision to be a father figure despite the uncertainty is a huge lesson in stepping up.
If you want to dive deeper into this specific piece of rock history, you should definitely check out Bebe Buell's autobiography, Rebel Heart. It gives a much grittier look at the 70s New York scene than the polished version we see in retrospectives. Also, listening to Liv’s 2025 interview on the Sibling Revelry podcast is a must; she gets really vulnerable about how she tries to balance her time between her two "dads" today.
It’s never too late to acknowledge the people who showed up for you, even if the "official" story changed along the way.