It has been reported that Bale's parents divorced when he was very young and that his mother essentially made him choose who he wanted to live with. He chose his father who became his manager (an interesting aside is his dad got remarried to Gloria Steinem) and there is a great deal of resentment from his mother, which might explain why she would say things in an insensitive manner.
Wow... having the two female authority figures in your life being a circus clown and Gloria Steinem... that's got to lead to some issues.