'Queen of Versailles' Jackie Siegel Opens Up About Her Daughters Overdose and Fighting Opioid Epidemic
By Liz Walters on September 9, 2019 at 5:10 AM EDT
'Queen of Versailles' star Jackie Siegel has opened up about losing her daughter to a drug overdose, and she says drug testing and prevention may be the key to fighting the opioid epidemic in young people.
Siegel spoke to celebrity divorce attorney Laura Wasser on her popular podcast, "Divorce Sucks," about living with the tragedy and how her other children are now so traumatized by the death they don't even drink.
The opioid epidemic has changed the lives of so many families, and Jackie shares intimate details about losing her 18 year old daughter Victoria to methadone.
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Jackie is married to the founder of Westgate Resorts, David Siegel. and has been featured on several hit TV shows like Bravo's 'Below Deck' and 'Flipping Out', and 'Celebrity Wife Swap'.
Jackie and David have made it their mission to influence parents and kids about the importance of having the conversation about drug addiction and about the opioid crisis.
Jackie and Laura discuss recent projects that they have been involved in to to honor their late daughter Victoria. One is a newly published book, "Victoria's Voice: Our Daughter's Dying Wish To Share Her Diary and Save Lives From Drugs". There is also a documentary about the events following their daughter's death called "The Princess of Versailles".
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In the interview, Jackie Siegel admits to having no idea her daughter Victoria was using drugs.
But, Laura and Jackie discuss the possibility of random drug testing in schools. Obviously, this theory has been challenged by many parents because of the privacy and rights implications.
The couple also launched Victoria's Voice Foundation.
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Victoria's high profile death made headlines and Jackie said during her interview, "we didn't care about the stigma, we cared about saving lives."
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On October 25, 2019, Jackie and David Siegel are hosting a charity event in Las Vegas, Victoria's Voice: An Evening to Save Lives. The event is "a special evening to join in the fight against opioid addiction, an epidemic sweeping our great nation and causing great pain for families".
