Billie Lourd tells why Carrie Fisher's siblings weren't on Walk of Fame ceremony invite list
It’s only right that Carrie Fisher take her place on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on May the Fourth. She was the "Star Wars" sweetheart who stole hearts as the fearless Princess Leia Organa.
But according to Fisher’s siblings, it’s not only wrong but also “deeply shocking” that they are being intentionally excluded from the event honoring their sister. The Fisher siblings called out their niece and Carrie Fisher’s only child, actor Billie Lourd, who also starred in the franchise, both on social media and in the press for nixing them from the guest list.
On the eve of the event, Lourd is speaking out to address the family drama.
"I have seen the postings and press release issued by my mother's brother and sister," Lourd said in a statement given to the Hollywood Reporter. "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,” she continued. “I found out they had done this through the press. They never consulted me or considered how this would affect our relationship."
Lourd stated that 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," adding that their actions following the deaths of her mother and grandmother "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."
Lourd, Carrie Fisher's daughter with talent agent Bryan Lourd, concluded the statement by saying, “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.”
The “Star Wars” icon died in Los Angeles at age 60 on Dec. 27, 2016. The next day, Fisher’s mother, Hollywood starlet Debbie Reynolds died at age 84, also in Los Angeles.
Joely Fisher published a memoir, “Growing Up Fisher: Musings, Memories and Misadventures,” less than a year after her half-sister’s death, and in the summer of 2018, Carrie’s only brother, Todd Fisher, published the memoir “My Girls: A Lifetime With Carrie and Debbie.”
The Fisher family laundry was aired publicly Tuesday when Todd Fisher told TMZ that it was "heartbreaking and shocking to me that I was intentionally omitted from attending this important legacy event for my sister."
"Frankly, it's a distressing situation and I don't deserve to be put in this position,” he continued. “As the only brother of Carrie Fisher, being omitted from this special day is truly hurtful."
On Wednesday, Carrie's half-sisters Joely Fisher and Tricia Leigh Fisher posted photos of the three together on Instagram with a lengthy caption saying, ”In response to all of you asking whether or not we will be part of the celebration….Strangely we won’t be in attendance to celebrate our sister, whom we adored. For some bizarre, misguided reason our niece has chosen not to include us in this epic moment in our sister’s career.
“This is something Carrie would have definitely wanted her siblings to be present for. The fact that her only brother and two sisters were intentionally and deliberately excluded is deeply shocking. We have all been grieving the loss of our favorite human for some years now…we have given Billie the space to do that in her own way.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
