Billie Lourd is giving us a masterclass in old Hollywood drama, straight from her own family tree. In a new interview with The Times of London, the actress revealed that her grandmother Debbie Reynolds used to tell the story of Eddie Fisher’s affair with Elizabeth Taylor as a bedtime story. Not a fairy tale. Not a fable. One of the most infamous love scandals in Hollywood history.
For those who need the backstory: Reynolds and Fisher were one of the biggest couples of the 1950s. They had two children, Carrie Fisher and Todd Fisher. But after Elizabeth Taylor’s husband Mike Todd died in a 1958 plane crash, Fisher began an affair with Taylor. Reynolds and Fisher divorced on May 12, 1959, and Fisher married Taylor the exact same day. Taylor later told gossip columnist Hedda Hopper,“What do you expect me to do, sleep alone?”Reynolds, for her part, said she was happily married and in love at the time, while Fisher was not.
The fact that this saga became cozy family lore says everything about the Reynolds-Fisher dynasty. Debbie Reynolds, Carrie Fisher, and now Billie Lourd, three generations of women who turned pain into storytelling. Lourd calling it one of her grandma’s favorite bedtime stories is equal parts heartwarming and absolutely unhinged, and we are here for all of it.
What’s the wildest story your grandparents ever passed down? Drop it in the comments.
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.