Billie Lourd has revealed that her grandmother, Hollywood legend Debbie Reynolds, found a unique way to process one of the 20th century’s most public betrayals: she turned it into a bedtime story. In an interview with The Times published in September 2026, Lourd shared how Reynolds recounted the details of Eddie Fisher’s affair with Elizabeth Taylor to her as a child, stripping the scandal of its tabloid sting and replacing it with family lore.
The 34-year-old actress described the stories as a window into the resilience of the Reynolds-Fisher lineage. Rather than harboring lifelong bitterness over the 1958 scandal that ended her marriage, Reynolds eventually viewed the events with a sense of humor and detachment that she passed down to her granddaughter.
The historical weight of those “bedtime stories” remains significant in Hollywood history. Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher were married from 1955 to 1959, a union that produced Carrie Fisher and her brother, Todd. The marriage collapsed after the 1958 death of Taylor’s husband, Mike Todd, who was Fisher’s closest friend. In the wake of the tragedy, Fisher’s relationship with Taylor became a national sensation. The transition was remarkably fast; Eddie Fisher married Elizabeth Taylor on May 12, 1959, a mere three hours after his divorce from Reynolds was officially finalized.
Lourd’s reflections highlight an evolution from trauma to reconciliation. While the media of the 1950s focused on the “feud” between the two women, Reynolds and Taylor famously repaired their friendship in later years. This reconciliation was cemented professionally in 2001 when the two icons co-starred in the television movie These Old Broads. The project was particularly meaningful for the family, as it was written by Lourd’s mother, Carrie Fisher.
For Lourd, being the steward of these legacies is a role she embraces. She told The Times that she feels fortunate to live under what she calls the “glittery umbrellas” of her mother and grandmother. This perspective allows her to view the family’s more tumultuous chapters—including the intense public scrutiny surrounding her grandfather’s exit from the family—as part of a broader narrative of survival and wit.
By framing the scandal as a lighthearted narrative for Lourd, Reynolds ensured that the next generation would see the family’s history not as a tragedy, but as a series of events that they ultimately overcame. This approach mirrors the late Carrie Fisher’s own writing style, which often utilized humor to navigate personal and family struggles.
