The daughter of late actress Carrie Fisher, Billie Lourd, is speaking publicly about a statement that Carrie’s brother, Todd Fisher, and sisters – Joely Fisher and Tricia Leigh Fisher – have made about their invitations to her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony on Thursday.
The three siblings allege that they were not invited to the event. The sisters blame Carrie’s daughter for the snub, while Todd said that he was told that Disney controlled the guest list.
However, with numerous family members speaking out against her, Billie has decided to come forward with a rare public statement to address the statements made by her family after they, in her words, “publicly attacked me.”
Billie Lourd Makes Rare Public Statement After Carrie Fisher’s Sisters ‘Publicly Attacked Me’
“I have seen the postings and press release issued by my mother’s brother and sister,” Billie began in a lengthy statement shared via 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 explained. “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,” she wrote. “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,” she explained. “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,” she added. “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 Hollywood Walk Of Fame website announced that Billie Lourd will accept the star at 6840 Hollywood Boulevard near the El Captain Theatre at 11:30 AM local time on Thursday, May 4.
Carrie Fisher’s Sisters Call It ‘Bizarre’ That They Won’t Be Invited To Hollywood Walk Of Fame Ceremony
On Wednesday, the two sisters released a joint statement on Instagram alongside several photos of the two sisters posing together with Carrie. They began their lengthy statement, writing, “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,” they wrote. “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,” they continued. “We have been nothing but loving and open, consistently. This isn’t about a photo op on Hollywood Blvd…this is about celebrating the permanency of Carrie’s legacy in this industry , taking her place with a star on the iconic walk of fame along side our parents.”
“We thank the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for honoring our sister in this way. May the Fourth Be with you. Joely and Tricia Leigh Fisher,” they concluded. Todd’s remarks to TMZ can be read here.
