Todd Fisher emphatically denies his niece Billie Lourd’s allegations that he tried to “capitalize” on his late sister Carrie Fisher’s death.
“I never capitalized on either Carrie or my mother Debbie [Reynolds’] deaths, and in no way meant to hurt Billie … and that is the truth,” the director insists in a statement to Pvnew.
Lourd, 30, slammed Todd, 65, and her aunts Joely Fisher and Tricia Leigh Fisher on Wednesday for how they handled the aftermath of her mother’s death in December 2016.
“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,” the “Booksmart” star told PvNew.
Lourd also denounced her aunts and uncle for not having “consulted” with her or “considered how this would affect our relationship” before speaking publicly about Carrie’s death, noting that she chose to deal with her mother’s loss “in a much different way.”
However, Todd, who released “My Girls: A Lifetime with Carrie and Debbie” in 2018, now claims Lourd’s father, Bryan Lourd, “was well aware months in advance” of his book.
The cinematographer notes to Pvnew that the biography was simply a “loving and truthful homage to the incredible lives (not deaths) of Carrie and Mom and the 60-plus years I spent with them both.”
He adds, “I was not aware of the permissions needed from Billie, who came along 40 years later.”
Billie also confirmed Wednesday that, as a result of her aunts and uncle’s actions, she chose not to invite them to her mom’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony Thursday.
Her statement was given in response to Todd speaking to TMZ about being left out and Joely, 55, and Tricia Leigh, 54, releasing a joint statement on Instagram about the omission.
The Fisher sisters claimed in part on social media, “This is something Carrie would have definitely wanted her siblings to be present for. The fact that her only brother and two sisters were intentionally and deliberately excluded is deeply shocking.”
Todd clarifies to Pvnew that he made “every attempt” to speak with his niece’s team prior to the issue becoming public.
“I was told it was a ‘no go’ and why would I want to heighten [the] level of emotion for [my] niece?” he asks.
The producer also points out that “hearing about the event through a press article and from family friends was disturbing and hurtful, particularly since I was the one who initiated the Walk of Fame nomination for my sister a couple years ago.”
Billie previously apologized in advance for making her own public statements, explaining that she felt “the need to defend myself publicly from these family members.”
The “Scream Queens” alum added, though, that because she felt “publicly attacked,” she had to respond and said her aunts and uncle “know why” they were ultimately not invited.
“Billie saying that she was publicly attacked by me is not the case; I simply expressed my hurt and disappointment in not being invited,” Todd says in response.
“And to further say that we were NOT invited and ‘we know why!’ I had no idea what her reasons were.”
The disgruntled uncle also denies Billie’s claims that he had a “complicated” relationship with Carrie, stating that the remark “purposely negates my 60-plus years as Carrie’s only brother who lived those years by her side.”
“Before making that inference as if she alone knows something, I ask her to remember that I have all of our family’s archives, letters and personal communications for 70-plus years,” he adds.
In what then appears to be one final plea to attend the “Star Wars” actress’ Walk of Fame ceremony, he concludes, “Could we not stand together for a moment, set aside our differences and celebrate Carrie Fisher’s legacy in the way she deserves and the way she would have wanted?”
Billie’s rep did not immediately respond to Pvnew’s request for comment.
Carrie died at the age of 60 after suffering a heart attack and going into a coma. Her mother, “Singin’ in the Rain” star Reynolds, died the next day at age 84.
