Billie Lourd is gearing up to celebrate her late mom, Carrie Fisher, on May 4 as the latter receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Carrie died on Dec. 27, 2016, at age 60, and one day later, her mother (Lourd’s grandmother), Debbie Reynolds, died at age 84. Ahead of Carrie’s big day, Lourd revealed why her mother’s siblings – Todd, Joely, and Tricia Leigh Fisher – aren’t invited to the ceremony.
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter on May 3, Lourd said the trio are not invited and “they know why.” She said in part, “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.”
Lourd continued, “I found out they had done this through the press. They never consulted me or considered how this would affect our relationship. 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.” She also said she was only speaking out now because of the statements the trio have made.
Lourd added that she has “no relationship” with Todd, Tricia Leigh, or Joely, but there is “no feud” between them. “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,” concluded Lourd, who welcomed her second child with husband Austen Rydell in December 2022. Reps for Lourd did not immediately respond to POPSUGAR’s request for comment.
Todd spoke out about his exclusion from Carrie’s ceremony in a May 2 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.” He added that he and Carrie were very close, making the omission “extremely hurtful and distressing.”
In another statement shared with The Wrap on May 3, Todd responded to Lourd’s comments, saying in part, “We made every attempt to speak with Billie’s team regarding the invitation prior to making any public comments. Keeping the focus on Carrie Fisher, let’s put our differences aside for the hour long ceremony and move on from there.” He added, “I was told it was a no go and why would I want to heighten level of emotion for his niece, going further to say if I showed up, she would not.” Todd also claimed he “never capitalized” on his sister’s and mother’s deaths. He also did not immediately respond to POPSUGAR’s request for comment.
A day earlier, on May 2, Joely and Tricia Leigh issued a joint statement on the former’s Instagram page and wrote, “For some bizarre, misguided reason our niece has chosen not to include us in this epic moment in our sister’s career.” They added that they thought Carrie would want everyone to be together. POPSUGAR reached out to reps for the two but did not receive any immediate response.
In addition to Lourd, Carrie’s Walk of Fame ceremony guests include her Star Wars costar Mark Hamill. The event is being held on May 4 in honor of Star Wars Day. Lourd was Carrie’s only child, whom she shared with ex-husband Bryan Lourd.
Related: Billie Lourd Honors Mom Carrie Fisher 6 Years After Her Death: “Life Can Be Magical and Griefy”
