On the eve of Carrie Fisher receiving a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the actress’ daughter, Billie Lourd, said in a statement that her mother’s siblings, Todd Fisher, Joely Fisher and Tricia Leigh Fisher, were intentionally excluded from the ceremony because they profited off her mother’s death. Now, Todd Fisher is disputing those accusations.
In a statement provided to TheWrap, Todd Fisher said, “We made every attempt to speak with Billie’s team regarding the invitation prior to making any public comments. Keeping the focus on Carrie Fisher, let’s put our differences aside for the hour long ceremony and move on from there. I was told It was a no go and why would I want to heighten level of emotion for his niece, going further to say if I showed up, she would not.”
Fisher went on to say that “I never capitalized on either Carrie or my mother Debbie’s deaths, and in no way meant to hurt Billie… and that is the truth … As she has finally communicated these deep seeded [sic] feelings publicly and wants no relationship with me, my response is that I’ve finally learned where she stands after 7 years…..BUT could we not stand together for a moment, set aside our differences, and celebrate Carrie Fisher’s legacy in the way she deserves and the way she would have wanted?”
Representatives for Lourd did not immediately respond to requests for comment from TheWrap.
In a statement, first published by The Hollywood Reporter, Lourd called out her uncle and aunts, saying that “they know why” they weren’t invited to the ceremony.
The “American Horror Story” actress said, “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.”
It appears she’s referring to Todd Fisher’s 2018 book “My Girls: A Lifetime With Carrie and Debbie” and Sheila Weller’s “Carrie Fisher: A Life on the Edge,” released the same year.
In his own statement, Fisher said, “Billie’s father was well aware months in advance of my book, which, was a loving and truthful homage to the incredible lives (not deaths) of Carrie and mom and the 60 plus years I spent with them both.”
Carrie Fisher died suddenly at the age of 60 on Dec. 27, 2016; her mother, Hollywood legend Debbie Reynolds, died the next day. Since then, Lourd has been notoriously quiet about her relationship with her aunts and uncle. She was the sole beneficiary of her mother’s estate and it’s been reported there were disagreements among family members over her inheritance.
Fisher’s star will be at 6840 Hollywood Boulevard, near the El Capitan Theatre, per the press release from the the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Fisher was also a prolific novelist and screenwriter. Among her works was the best-selling semi-autobiographical novel “Postcards From the Edge” in 1987, and the screenplay for the 1990 film adaptation that starred Shirley MacLaine and Meryl Streep.
Todd Fisher’s full statement is below:
We made every attempt to speak with Billie’s team regarding the invitation prior to making any public comments. Keeping the focus on Carrie Fisher, let’s put our differences aside for the hour long ceremony and move on from there. I was told It was a no go and why would I want to heighten level of emotion for his niece, going further to say if I showed up, she would not.
Billie saying that she was publicly attacked by me is not the case, I simply expressed my hurt and disappointment in not being invited. And to further say that we were NOT invited and “we know why!” I had no idea what her reasons were.
Clearly, she could have called us and expressed her issues, even if we did not agree. Hearing about the event through a press article and from family friends was disturbing and hurtful, particularly since I was the one who initiated the Walk of Fame nomination for my sister a couple years ago.
I never capitalized on either Carrie or my mother Debbie’s deaths, and in no way meant to hurt Billie… and that is the truth. Billie’s father was well aware months in advance of my book, which, was a loving and truthful homage to the incredible lives (not deaths) of Carrie and mom and the 60 plus years I spent with them both. I was not aware of the permissions needed from Billie, who came along 40 years later.
If Billie took the time to read the book, learning about her mother and grandmother’s history could be of great benefit and possibly assist in her healing process. The book was very cathartic and truly helped heal as it set the truth straight on many counts.
To say that her mother’s very complicated relationship with her family is known only by her and those who are actually close to her, purposely negates my 60 plus years as Carrie’s only brother who lived those years by her side. Before making that inference as if she alone knows something, I ask her to remember that I have all of our family’s archives, letters and personal communications for 70 plus years. If you knew my mother, Debbie, you know she kept everything!
As she has finally communicated these deep seeded feelings publicly and wants no relationship with me, my response is that I’ve finally learned where she stands after 7 years…..BUT could we not stand together for a moment, set aside our differences, and celebrate Carrie Fisher’s legacy in the way she deserves and the way she would have wanted?
You can read Lourd’s full statement below:
I have seen the postings and press release issued by my mother’s brother and sister. 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.
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 effect 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.
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.
The people who knew and loved my mom at Disney and Lucasfilm have made this star on the Hollywood walk of fame to honor her legacy possible. This moment is about Carrie Fisher and all that she accomplished and what she meant to the world. I’m going to focus on that. May the 4th be with you.
