Kitty Kelley
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the actress, see Kitty Kelly
Kitty Kelley (born April 4, 1942) is an American investigative journalist and author of several best-selling biographies of celebrities and politicians, most of them unauthorized. Her profiles are frequently spiced with unflattering personal anecdotes and details.
TIME reported that most journalists believe Kelley "too frequently fails to bring perspective or analysis to the fruits of her reporting and at times lards her work with dollops of questionable inferences and innuendos."[1] In addition, Kelley has been described by Joe Klein as a "professional sensationalist"[1] and her books have been described by some journalists as "Kitty litter."[2]
Although Kelley has been criticized by some mainstream journalists, she has never been successfully sued for libel and has never been forced to retract a written statement.
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[edit] Books
[edit] Jackie Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor and Frank Sinatra biographies
Kelley's first biography was Jackie Oh! (1978), a life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, which was written on the request of Lyle Stuart, an independent publishing maverick who promoted Kelley's 'Washington insider' angle and launched the book into the New York Times Best Seller list, where it remained for three months in paperback. In the book, Kelley describes J.F.K.'s womanizing and personal revelations about Jackie Kennedy's psychological treatment.
This book was followed by Elizabeth Taylor: The Last Star (1981), which was also a New York Times Best Seller in paperback and hardcover.
In Kelley's next book, His Way: The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra (1986) she discussed Sinatra's tumultuous marriages, and alleged affairs and links to the Mob. Sinatra started a $2 million lawsuit to prevent it from being published. Sinatra accused Kelley of character defamation and misrepresenting herself as his authorized biographer. He later withdrew his lawsuit. The book was number one on the New York Times best seller list, and was also a huge international best seller, selling millions not just in his native U.S. but all over the world too.
[edit] Nancy Reagan biography
In 1991 Kelley published Nancy Reagan: The Unauthorized Biography. The book stated that the First Lady had been involved in White House trysts with Frank Sinatra, that she frequently relied on astrology, and that she had a very poor relationship with her children. Kelley appeared on many news shows and interviews promoting the book, many of which were very critical. Media coverage included an article in Time magazine, entitled "Is She Really That Bad?" (speaking about Mrs. Reagan), articles in Newsweek, Entertainment Weekly ("The Kitty and Nancy Show") and People magazine ("Inside Kitty's Dish"). Kelley was also spoofed on Saturday Night Live.
Former President Ronald Reagan issued a brief statement, in which he said, "While I am accustomed to reports that stray from the truth, the flagrant and absurd falsehoods cited in a recently published book clearly exceed the bounds of decency. They are patently untrue–everything from the allegation of marijuana use [by Nancy and me] to marital infidelity to my failure to be present at the birth of my daughter Patti. Many of my friends have urged me to issue a point-by-point denial of the book's many outrages. To do so would, I feel, provide legitimacy to a book that has no basis in fact and serves no decent purpose."[3]
Partly in response to this book, Kelley was herself the subject of a critical book, Poison Pen (1991), by journalist George Carpozi, Jr.
In September 1997, Kelley turned her attention to the British Royal Family in The Royals. In the book, Kelley stated that the Windsors obscured their German ancestry and described scandals surrounding the members of the Royal Family. The book was not published in Great Britain due to concerns about libel laws.
Kelley's most recent book, The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty, was published on September 14, 2004, less than two months before the 2004 U.S. Presidential election. Kelley announced plans for the book shortly after George W. Bush's election in 2001 and worked on it for four years. In "The Family", Kelley claimed that George W. Bush snorted cocaine with his brothers at Camp David during his father's presidency. Kelley cites Sharon Bush as her source for these statements, but Mrs. Bush denied making the allegations. [2]
[edit] Planned biographies
On December 13, 2006, Crown announced that it will publish a biography of Oprah Winfrey, written by Kitty Kelley. The Oprah tell-all will follow the Kitty Kelley modus operandi and be unauthorized.
[edit] Political views
On March 19, 2007 The Los Angeles Times ran an op-ed by Kelley. In it she wrote that President George H. W. Bush "enlisted at 18 to fly torpedo bombers. He flew 58 missions in two years and returned home a war hero. Since then, no one in his large family has seen fit to follow his sterling example of service and patriotism."[3] Two days later the elder President Bush's grandson George P. Bush announced he had joined the United States Navy Reserve primarily because, as he said, "My grandfather's my hero, and what really sold me on the ultimate decision was having the chance to see the CVN-77 be commissioned under his name"[4]
Kelley is listed on the Republic campaign of the UK's website as a supporter of a republic to replace the British monarchy. [5]
[edit] References
- ^ Books - Time
- ^ Fact or fiction? The incredible world of Kitty Kelley - Americas, World - Independent.co.uk
- ^ Goldberg, Bernard [2005]. 110 People Who Are Screwing up America, paperback, New York: Harper Collins, 99. ISBN 0060761296.
