Todd Fisher admits he has not seen or spoken to his niece Billie Lourd for several years.
“It’s been a long while,” he told Pvnew exclusively.
Todd intimated that the estrangement began after his sister Carrie Fisher’s death on Dec. 27, 2016, at the age of 60. (Carrie and Todd’s mother, Debbie Reynolds, died the following day at age 84.)
“We had no explanation for the blackout, which is kind of not good,” he continued. “But we respected the fact that we were being told that she was really struggling with the loss of her mother. That’s what was being told.
“And so, therefore, I respected that was her feelings,” he added. “We now know that it really isn’t about it. It might be entangled in this notion that somehow somebody is exploiting the death of her mother in some fashion.”
Two years after the death of his only full sibling and mother, Todd published a book titled “My Girls: A Lifetime With Carrie and Debbie.”
“We find out the entire reason is that she’s mad that I wrote the book or that somehow I made money out of this, which is, of course, not true,” he told us.
The ugly family feud was laid bare this week with the “Scream Queens” actress, 30, releasing a statement to explain why Todd and her mother’s half-siblings, Tricia and Joely Fisher, were not invited to Carrie’s posthumous Hollywood Walk-of-Fame ceremony on Thursday.
“I have seen the postings and press release issued by my mother’s brother and sister,” Lourd said.
“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,” Lourd continued.
“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.
“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 concluded.
Todd told us that he is hurt by the charge that he monetized his sibling and mother’s death, calling it “horribly untrue.”
“I have a unique story. But it is my story. I don’t need to ask permission,” he said, noting that Reynolds nor Carrie sought permission to write their books.
“We all have our stories and therefore, we can tell the stories that we tell them. People might be inspired by them and find value and pay for it. Well, you know, that’s the way that works,” he explained.
Tricia and Joely also released a joint statement on Instagram, expressing their hurt and disappointment over the exclusion.
“The fact that her only brother and two sisters were intentionally and deliberately excluded is deeply shocking,” they wrote, alongside photos of themselves with Carrie.
“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. We have been nothing but loving and open, consistently.”
Todd characterized his niece’s objections as a “philosophical difference between the notion of how you express yourself and whether you want to check with her and give permission or not. That’s a fundamental philosophical difference.”
As a response to her mother’s siblings, Lourd further told The Hollywood Reporter, “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.”
Lourd’s publicist did not reply for comment.
