As the Walk of Fame prepares to honor Carrie Fisher with a star, her daughter Billie Lourd explained why the Star Wars actress's siblings weren’t invited to the ceremony. She claimed that after her mother’s death, her aunt and uncle “chose to process their grief publicly and capitalize” on their loved one’s death. Now, the late actress’s brother has responded to his niece's claims.
Lourd made it very clear she did not agree with how her mother's siblings dealt with her death, pointing out the books and interviews that came out following Carrie Fisher's death. Then, Todd Fisher responded, telling ET:
I take issue with what she said on every level. There was no money made on anything.
Todd Fisher went on to talk about an interview he did following the deaths of his sister and mother Debbie Reynolds, who passed away one day after Carrie Fisher. He said:
I did one 20/20 interview, and I didn't charge for that. I only did that because the pundits were making a big deal out of the fact that my mother died of a broken heart. And it was really annoying me because I didn't agree with that analysis.
He continued, mentioning his memoir My Girls, which is about his mother and sister, which he wrote in the months following their deaths. Todd Fisher said:
Then, months and months later, I wrote my personal memoir, called My Girls, which is a book about my sister and my mother and our life together over sixty years. That book, it's an homage to them. And it's not about their death, it's about their life. There's less than one chapter about death.
In the end, Tod Fisher noted that he thinks Carrie Fisher would have wanted him at the event. He also said that as the Star Wars movies came out he would always be her plus one at the premieres. He ended his statement by saying that he thinks there is “absolutely no way that Carrie wouldn’t want me there.”
This is not the first time Todd Fisher has spoken out about being “intentionally omitted” from the ceremony. He spoke to TMZ about not being invited, and Carrie Fisher’s sisters Joely and Tricia Leigh posted a joint Instagram statement saying Lourd had “chosen to not include” them, and it was for a “misguided reason.” Due to these public comments, the Booksmart actress also published a statement addressing why she didn’t invite her mother’s siblings, noting both the news story and the social media post, saying later that “they know why” they weren’t invited.
Billie Lourd has always been pretty private, and will occasionally post about her late mother. She’s spoken about how Carrie Fisher’s sense of humor impacted her upbringing, and to honor the Star Wars star’s birthday, she uploaded a candid message. However, she tends to keep to herself, especially when it comes to her family. Through this statement, the actress made it very clear that she did not agree with how her mother’s siblings chose to publicly address the Star Wars icon's death.
When it comes to the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony Mark Hamill called it a “long overdue & so well-deserved,” honor for the actress, and I think anyone who has watched the Star Wars movies in order would likely agree with him. However, in terms of who will be at the event, Lourd clarified why she did not want her mother’s siblings there, and they explained why they thought they should attend.
