Billie Lourd and Carrie Fisher.Robert Smith/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images/Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
- Billie Lourd isn't inviting Carrie Fisher's siblings to the late star's Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony.
- Lourd said she has "no relationship" with her estranged family and accused them of trying to "capitalize" on Fisher's death.
"Star Wars" fans rejoiced over the news that Princess Leia actor Carrie Fisher is posthumously being given her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on May 4 — also known as "Star Wars" Day.
The actor passed away on December 27, 2016, after suffering a heart attack on a plane a few days earlier. Her mother, actor, and singer Debbie Reynolds, died just a day later, following a stroke, on December 28, 2016.
However, her family is now divided after her daughter, Billie Lourd, chose not to invite her mother's siblings to the ceremony.
Todd Fisher said it is "heartbreaking" that he wasn't invited to Carrie Fisher's posthumous Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony, which takes place on May 4 — "Star Wars" Day.
Carrie Fisher and Todd Fisher attend the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 7th Annual Governors Awards at The Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center on November 14, 2015, in Hollywood, California. Araya Doheny/WireImage
Reports of the family feud first surfaced on Tuesday when the late actor's brother, Todd Fisher, spoke to TMZ.
The 65-year-old filmmaker and producer said he was shocked that he wasn't invited to the ceremony celebrating his late sister.
"It's heartbreaking and shocking to me that I was intentionally omitted from attending this important legacy event for my sister, Carrie," he said.
Todd pointed out that he was heavily involved in Carrie's career, which is why he's so upset he wasn't invited.
He added: "Frankly, it's a distressing situation and I don't deserve to be put in this position. As the only brother of the Carrie Fisher, being omitted from this special day is truly hurtful."
Todd also told TMZ that when he first discovered he wasn't invited, he reached out to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, the organization in charge of the Walk of Fame, to see if he could get information about who was running the event.
He was apparently told that Disney was in charge of the guest list and that they had already filled the 30 seats they were allotted.
Representatives for neither the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce nor Disney immediately responded to requests for comment.
Todd subsequently appeared on"TMZ Live" on Wednesday to discuss the situation, heavily insinuating that Billie was the one who shut Fisher's siblings out of the event.
He said: "We're on a blackout. We've been canceled, and we're in a full blackout. We can't communicate with Billie, and haven't been able to communicate with her for quite some time."
However, Todd said he won't show up to the ceremony uninvited because "that's not classy."
He explained: "Yeah, sure, I have every right. I could make a scene. You know, I could go down there and get on the red carpet and throw my weight around. But I'm not interested in causing a scene, I don't want to detract from the event."
Joely and Tricia Leigh Fisher took to Instagram to criticize Billie Lourd for not inviting them.
Joely and Tricia Leigh Fisher on "Good Morning America" in 2017. Matt Petit/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
It wasn't long before Joely and Tricia Leigh Fisher, Carrie's sisters, also issued a statement about the situation.
The pair took to Instagram on Wednesday to post a picture of themselves with Carrie, while writing that Lourd has a "misguided reason" for leaving them out of the proceedings.
"Strangely we won't be in attendance to celebrate our sister, whom we adored. For some bizarre, misguided reason our niece has chosen not to include us in this epic moment in our sister's career. This is something Carrie would have definitely wanted her siblings to be present for," they said.
Joely and Tricia also added to Todd's claims that there has been a divide in the family for quite some time, noting that they have "given Billie the space" to grieve after Carrie's death.
They added: "The fact that her only brother and two sisters were intentionally and deliberately excluded is deeply shocking. 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."
Joely and Tricia stressed that they're not interested in a "photo op," and that they just want to celebrate their sister's legacy.
"This isn't about a photo op on Hollywood Blvd…this is about celebrating the permanency of Carrie's legacy in this industry , taking her place with a star on the iconic walk of fame along side our parents," they said.
"We thank the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for honoring our sister in this way. May the Fourth Be with you. Joely and Tricia Leigh Fisher."
Billie Lourd issued a statement confirming that she didn't invite the siblings because they tried to "capitalize" on her mother's death.
Carrie Fisher and daughter actress Billie Lourd attend the premiere of Walt Disney Pictures and Lucasfilm's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" on December 14, 2015, in Hollywood, California Barry King/WireImage
On Wednesday, Billie Lourd issued a lengthy statement to The Hollywood Reporter, confirming that she did not invite the Fisher siblings to the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony, and that "they know why."
The "Scream Queens" actor claimed that the siblings tried to "capitalize" on the deaths of Carrie and their mother, Debbie.
"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 wrote.
She added: "I found out they had done this through the press. They never consulted me or considered how this would affect our relationship."
Billie Lourd said that only a few people know about Carrie Fisher's "very complicated relationship" with her family.
Billie Lourd, Carrie Fisher, and Debbie Reynolds pose during TNT's 21st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2015, in Los Angeles, California. Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Lourd, who also appeared in the "Star Wars" sequel trilogy, said that her mother had a "very complicated relationship" with her family, the extent of which "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," wrote Lourd.
Lourd added that there is no feud because she has "no relationship" with her uncle and aunts, and she doesn't want to be part of their lives.
The actor concluded her statement by pulling the focus back to her mother's legacy, and the impact that she had as a result of her "Star Wars" role.
"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," said Lourd.
Todd Fisher later defended his book, saying he didn't capitalize on "either Carrie or my mother Debbie's deaths."
Todd Fisher, Debbie Reynolds, Carrie Fisher, and Billie Lourd pose in the press room at the 21st annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2015, in Los Angeles, California. Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Todd responded to Lourd's statement, saying that he and his sisters "made every attempt to speak with Billie's team regarding the invitation prior to making any public comments," but were told an invitation was a "no go."
Todd went on to defend his memoir, "My Girls: A Lifetime with Carrie and Debbie," by calling it a "truthful homage" to their lives.
He added: "I never capitalized on either Carrie or my mother Debbie's deaths, and in no way meant to hurt Billie, and that is the truth. Billie's father was well aware months in advance of my book, which, was 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."
Todd also told ET Online on Wednesday that he takes issue with "what she said on every level," referring to Lourd, and that "there was no money made on anything."
He then explained why he gave an interview so soon after Carrie and Debbie's deaths, saying: "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."
Representatives for neither Lourd nor the Fishers immediately responded to requests for comment.