Billie Lourd sets the record straight on Carrie Fisher's Walk Of Fame ceremony
In a rare public statement, Billie Lourd explains why her aunts and uncle weren’t invited to Carrie Fisher’s Walk Of Fame ceremony.
Carrie Fisher gets her long overdue star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame tomorrow. But not everyone is pleased. As is often the case within the extended families of very famous people, whether they be Skywalkers or Fishers, there are bound to be family troubles. At the behest of Fisher’s only daughter, Billie Lourd, Fisher’s siblings Todd, Joely, and Tricia Leigh were excluded from the ceremony. They let everyone know, speaking to the press and posting their disappointment on social media. Finally, after 24 hours of criticism from the Fisher siblings, Lourd set the record straight.
It’s not a particularly original story; Lourd found her family’s actions following her mother’s and grandmother’s death distasteful and offensive. According to Lourd, days after her mother died, Todd, Joely, and Tricia Leigh Fisher “chose to process their grief publicly and capitalize” on Fisher’s death, exploiting the tragedy for their enrichment. Lourd writes:
Days after my mom died, her brother and her sister chose to process their grief publicly and capitalize on my mother’s death, by doing multiple interviews and selling individual books for a lot of money, with my mom and my grandmother’s deaths as the subject. I found out they had done this through the press. They never consulted me or considered how this would affect our relationship. The truth of my mom’s very complicated relationship with her family is only known by me and those who were actually close to her. Though I recognize they have every right to do whatever they choose, their actions were very hurtful to me at the most difficult time in my life. I chose to and still choose to deal with her loss in a much different way.
After the few invites to the Walk Of Fame ceremony were released, Fisher’s brother Todd told TMZ that his exclusion was “heartbreaking and shocking,” stating that he was “intentionally omitted” from attending. “Frankly, it’s a distressing situation, and I don’t deserve to be put in this position,” he said. “As the only brother of Carrie Fisher, being omitted from this special day is truly hurtful.” Meanwhile, Joely and Tricia Leigh Fisher posted a joint statement on Instagram, calling Lourd’s decision “bizarre” and “misguided.”
Lourd wasn’t having any of it. “I have seen the postings and press release issued by my mother’s brother and sister,” she wrote. “I apologize to anyone reading this for feeling the need to defend myself publicly from these family members. But unfortunately, because they publicly attacked me, I have to publicly respond. The truth is I did not invite them to this ceremony. They know why.”
“The press release Todd Fisher gave to TMZ and the posting Joely Fisher placed on Instagram, once again confirms that my instincts were right. To be clear — there is no feud. We have no relationship. This was a conscious decision on my part to break a cycle with a way of life I want no part of for myself or my children.”
It’s unfortunate that Lourd even had to make a public statement about this. Still, it does seem within her rights as Fisher’s sole heir to exclude whomever she chooses.