Billie Lourd Explains Why She Didn’t Invite Carrie Fisher’s Siblings to Walk of Fame Ceremony

Billie Lourd has issued a public statement saying that the siblings of her mother, Carrie Fisher — Todd, Joely, and Tricia Leigh Fisher — would not be invited to the ceremony commemorating Fisher’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday.

“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 wrote in a statement published by The Hollywood Reporter. Fisher and her mother, Debbie Reynolds, died a day apart from each other on Dec. 27 and 28, 2016, respectively.

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“I found out they had done this through the press,” she continued. “They never consulted me or considered how this would effect [sic] 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,” she continued. “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.”

Todd Fisher issued a statement to TMZ saying, “It’s heartbreaking and shocking to me that I was intentionally omitted from attending this important legacy event for my sister, Carrie.” Todd published the book, My Girls: A Lifetime With Carrie and Debbie, in 2018.

“For some bizarre, misguided reason our niece has chosen not to include us in this epic moment in our sister’s career,” Joely and Tricia Leigh Fisher wrote in a joint statement on Instagram. “This is something Carrie would have definitely wanted her siblings to be present for.” Joely published Growing Up Fisher: Musings, Memories, and Misadventures in 2017.

“Unfortunately, because they publicly attacked me, I have to publicly respond,” Lourd wrote in her statement. “The truth is I did not invite them to this ceremony. They know why.”

Read Billie Lourd’s full statement:

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.

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