Dispute between Larry Birkhead, OK! turns ugly

In an ominous statement issued today, OK! Editor-In-Chief Sarah Ivens said her magazine has decided to forego coverage of Dannielynn Birkhead’s upcoming first birthday party on "moral" grounds.  Although the magazine and Dannielynn’s dad Larry Birkhead inked a $1.7 million deal in the spring, their contractual relationship has soured — so much so, in fact, OK! is planning to publish "explosive allegations" about Larry next week, vowing to bring "all of the unfortunate, relevant details to light." 

Newly obtained allegations are detailed, shocking and potentially incriminating. Furthermore, it makes it impossible for OK!, in good conscience, to promote this family’s highly questionable relationship in our pages.

The statement went on to express regret that — in skipping the bash — the magazine would be missing "the next great chapter of Dannielynn’s life," but Sarah said that making the difficult decision was necessary, on a personal level.

First and foremost, we—and I—care dearly about the well-being of the young one, and my moral obligation lies with her. So, it’s unfortunate, but at the moment, my biggest fear is that Larry and Howard (K. Stern) may have tricked us all.

Larry responded to the vague allegations quickly, claiming that OK! is engaging in a smear campaign to punish him after Dannielynn appeared on the cover of US Weekly.  In an email to TMZ, Larry said that he was threatened by a reporter that OK! would "do a negative story on me if I did any stories with any other mags."

Ridiculous!!! I am not sure what planet she’s on but I am not going to be threatened. She blew it!

Dannielynn will turn 1-year-old on Sept. 7. 

Sources:  TMZ, E! Online, OK!

Comments

Hmmm…. Well, okay, then. I really don’t know what else to say. Just something else with this. Can’t leave well enough alone and let Dannielynn and the rest of her family–extended and immediate–be. *shrugs*

- FC on August 30th, 2007

We get it Larry, you love your kid. Now stop “pimping” her out to magazines to make yourself look so great.

She’s cute & all, but I don’t think Anna Nicole would’ve wanted this for her.

- Natasha on August 30th, 2007

While I wholeheartedly believe this is just OK! throwing a temper tantrum because Larry did the layout with US Weekly recently, I also think if Larry would have stopped after the initial photos and interviews with OK! he wouldn’t be in this mess. This tactic seems to be the tabloid way now, a celeb (or in Birkhead’s case the child of a celebrity and her biological father) choose not to play their game and go with a competitor and the tabs throw down the gauntlet. Since when has OK! had morals and convictions? Or did they just find them recently? I know what Rita Cosby is alleging and I also know it’s going to get her sued to high Heaven by Howard and more than likely Larry. I also know that that woman wouldn’t know credible and honest journalism if it walked up and punched her in the face. Anyway, these are the breaks when you choose to over expose a child and sell her pics to the highest bidder. Just last week I complained about Larry hosting this big shing ding for AH (now ET) and OK! and the reason behind it. Maybe this is what he needs to have happen so he’ll have his fill of the photoshoots and move on. I’m sure he adores Dannielynn and wants the absolute best for her but he’s playing a risky game with these tabs that could thrust that precious child into the center of another media firestorm.

- Grayson's Girl on August 30th, 2007

How exactly did both Howard and Larry trick people? Gotta love gossip rags.

As for Larry, I think we get the picture that he loves his little girl. Anymore, it seems like when he poses with her, she’s just an accessory. I thought when he took the child he was going to lay low. I hope it dies down soon.

- J on August 30th, 2007

I feel that he really exploits her (1.7 million, geez!) and maybe this is what Anna Nicole was afraid of. It’s just so unfortunate that this beautiful baby girl appears to be his meal ticket. I’m sure Larry is a decent father otherwise, but he did say that he was going to take her away from the spotlight and he has done the exact opposite. Who is looking out for Dannielynn’s best interest? Very sad.

- S on August 30th, 2007

Natasha- Actually, I think Anna Nicole would be “pimping” Dannielyn MUCH more than Larry is if she were still alive.

That said, I don’t think that Larry is showing off Dannielyn just to make himself look good. He has stated that, being a photographer himself, he understands the need that people (and by people I mean magazines and stuff like that) have for pictures of his little girl right now, and he is trying to satisfy that need.

I also think that he is doing this at least partly to keep the paps off his back. Because he allows these professional photoshoots and interviews, the paps leave him alone.

All of that said, I get the feeling that, once Dannielyn’s first birthday is over with, I have a feeling that all of the interviews and photoshoots will die down for awhile.

- Annoyomus on August 30th, 2007

I don’t get it… what is she alleging he and Howard have done? It sounds deadly ominous but I’m just confused.

- Chloe on August 30th, 2007

Greysons? What did Rita Cosby say or what is she saying?

- preesi on August 31st, 2007

Wow. Messy situation. Well, I hope that for Dannielynn’s sake, that whatever OK is/will be alleging isn’t true.

- Aura on August 31st, 2007

Don’t know what’s going on, but I think larry adores his baby. Anyway dannielynn is beautiful

- gabriella on August 31st, 2007

larry needs to start acting more like a parent and less like a pimp. i had such high hopes that he’d keep that sweet baby out of the public eye, and he’s done the exact opposite. she deserves better than all this.

- Linda on August 31st, 2007

I wish he would keep the baby out of the spotlight, she is clearly the breadwinner of the family now and that is not right.

- Sarita on August 31st, 2007

I don’t think he is “pimping” her out as such. I think by doing these layouts in magazines the press is getting what they want and it is stopping them getting followed by the paparazi. You don’t see any paparazzi photos of Larry and Danielynn, so maybe by doing these layouts it gives them more of a life without being hounded by photogs all the time.

- Michelle on August 31st, 2007

Larry is selling that baby out just for money
It is discusting How much money does he want

- Julia on August 31st, 2007

He should be worrying about his daughter’s needs, not about the needs of the people who want to see his daughter’s every movement.

- meghan on August 31st, 2007

The only thing that’d make this story any more kooky is if Larry and Howard became a couple.

- Lilybett on August 31st, 2007

If Larry lived in LA I’d believe the need to appease the paparazzi with a photoshoot. But he doesn’t and I think it’s become clear that as much as he loves that baby he cannot help making money off her too. Turning your child’s first birthday into a media circus is just sad.

- Anonymous on August 31st, 2007

It really seems like he’s just whoring out Dannielynn so he can get his own 15 minutes of fame. That’s is no way to treat a child. He should be worrying about her and her needs, not how much he can get for their next photoshoot.

And 1.7 million is ridiculous. I can see a magazine paying Brad & Angelina or Tom & Katie that much but not somebody who’s just famous for being famous.

Larry really needs to get his priorities straight and stay away from the spotlight for a while.

- Macy on August 31st, 2007

It seems like Ok! likes to run horrible stories about people. We all know Britney is a mess, but look at the story they did on her after her little flip out. I think it’s wrong either way. If they keep printing negative things about people, no one will give them “exclusive” interviews.

- Tilly on August 31st, 2007

I am *so* incredibly SICK of people using the word “pimping” in relation to Larry Birkhead’s allowing photo shoots of his beloved daughter.

How quickly and completely so many forget that when Larry tried to “end” the photo shoots after all the hullabaloo died down when they returned to the US, he and Dannielynn were hounded by the press so relentlessly and aggressively that Larry rightly made a difficult decision: he would allow photo shoots every few months in order to satisfy everyone’s curiosity about seeing this beautiful little girl.

“OK” magazine has been condemned by celebrities time and again for using made-up “sources”, wildly embellishing and fabricating stories, and engaging in heinously despicable “reporting” practices through deception and outright lies.

I would bet every penny I have that OK’s “explosive” allegations are being carefully fabricated as we speak, and ‘witnesses’ and ‘sources’ are being culled, coached, and paid off. You can bet that if OK! *really* had any truthful morsel of information that made Larry look bad, they would have gone public with it the second they had it- just as they have done with Britney Spears so many times.

Anna Nicole is the one who sold her c-section video and the footage and photos of her son’s death and her daughter’s time in the hospital…that child was on “ET” perched on Anna or Howard’s lap darn near every day! Nobody breathed a word about Anna “pimping” her little girl out then…but Larry does occasional controlled photos and interviews and suddenly he’s ‘pimping’ his infant child and she is the ‘breadwinner’.

This just makes me angry beyond belief…these photos and interviews are unfortunately a necessary evil at this point in Dannielynn’s life. To keep her safe from the crush of paparazzi; to keep them from scaring the heck out of the poor child, he arranges these photo shoots. Now, if people are WILLING to pay him millions of dollars, should he say “no thanks, I’d rather do it for free”? Of course not…he has said that he wants his daughter’s future to be secure and that three quarters of the proceeds from these photo shoots go into a trust for Dannielynn.

From all accounts, Larry Birkhead is an excellent father who is doing the best he can with the circumstances life has dealt him at this point in time.

- Liz on August 31st, 2007

Preesi, someone’s been posting excerpts from what they’re saying is an advanced copy of Rita’s book elsewhere, apparently she’s going to allege that Larry and Howard made a deal during the Florida burial proceedings that essentially Larry would get custody of the baby but they would both reap the benefits of setting up media deals. There’s also a NASTY (and I think ridiculous)accusation she makes about a sex tape of the two that was supposedly used as blackmail. Problem with that is Larry and Howard weren’t even on speaking terms during the burial proceedings and Larry had already signed his million dollar contract with NBC (that’s completely separate from the OK! 1.7 mil by the way—the NBC million is what he’s suing Debra Opri for withholding a large portion of). It also bears pointing out that Rita Cosby is a little ticked off that Larry named her in his lawsuit against Debra Opri. Larry said she was the one who contacted him for the story and promised him she’d get him a great attorney (Debra Opri) in return for inside and exclusive scoops as the case went along–which is unethical by the way. She was also the only reporter on Vergie’s side of the church during the funeral. I think OK! was looking for a way to nail Larry for doing the US Weekly spread and Rita Cosby’s book came out at just the right time for them to throw at him, whether the allegations are true or not.

Finally, yes, I do have a life. Yes, I do have a job, and Yes, I’m embarrassed to be a court case nerd who follows this stuff lol.

- Grayson's Girl on August 31st, 2007

Larry would have done better to have never had a professional photoshoot with Dannielynn. If the paps wanted to get pics of her he should have tried to keep them away. He didn’t handle this very well.

I was very dissappointed to see him pimping her out right after he won custody.

- Charity on August 31st, 2007

Anonymous? Larry does live in LA

- preesi on August 31st, 2007

I’m not sure what happened to my post but here we go again.

Pressi, Rita is alleging that there was a backroom deal between Larry and Howard where they basically bartered the baby for the money. It’s highly unlikely that happened since Larry had already set up the million dollar contract with NBC (separate from the 1.7 mil OK! contract, the NBC money is what he’s suing Debra Opri for withholding) before he and Howard were even on speaking terms. There’s another nasty allegation that after some thought I’m not going to repeat again, but it’s ridiculous and far fetched IMO. Anything Rita Cosby says needs to be attached with the fact that she’s very upset that Larry implicated her for unethical behavior in his suit against Opri. He alleges she was the one who contacted him and offered to set him up with Opri in exchange for insider info on the case and it’s progress.

- Grayson's Girl on August 31st, 2007

I thought Larry DID live in LA. In Anna’s old house (the one she lived in when she did her reality show). I was hoping he would move to Louisville (my home town) to raise her in a less crazy environment and with his family around to help, but the last I’d heard he was still in LA.

- Leigh on August 31st, 2007

Everyone wanted to see Dannielynn and her Daddy Larry together. I had never even looked or cared about OK magazine until Larry did the interviews for us to see. Now I won’t buy one again. How could Larry and Howard have tricked us? I’ve already bought the US magazine.Why does everyone accuse Larry of pimping his daughter out? We all want to keep up with her life because we want her life to be happier than her Moms. Everyone need to back off and remember how much we wanted Larry to be the real Dad. So he wants to have a big celebration for her birthday what parent does’nt? All the hell he went through to be her Dad give him a break!!! Thanks for the pictures Larry BEAUTIFUL!! Happy Birthday Dannielynn!

- paula on September 1st, 2007

Michelle- ITA! Like I have said before, I really think that, once Dannielyn’s first birthday is over with, we will be seeing a lot less of her in the magazines.

Also, I don’t think it matters that Larry doesn’t live in LA. Sure, the paps are bound to be at their craziest in LA, but several celebs who don’t live in LA get hounded by the paps all the time. One of the best examples I can think of is the Jolie-Pitt family. They have a mob of paps following them practically everywhere they go! Not only that, but their home base is actually in New Orleans, not LA (yes, I do think they own a house in LA, but they have made it clear that New Orleans is their main home)! Granted, Brad has mentioned that, when they are in New Orleans, they don’t get bothered nearly as much as when they are in other places.

Anyway, my point is that, without these photoshoots, Larry would probably get followed by the paps even though he doesn’t live in LA (and actually, didn’t he recently move with Dannielyn into Anna Nicole’s old house in LA?).

- Annoyomus on September 2nd, 2007

Larry should get a job, or go back to work so it doesn’t look like he is banking off his little daughter. Everyone said how bad Mr. Stern was for the same reason. Not working. Wouldn’t it be better for his rep. to be a working father? I am not saying he doesn’t love her, it just make me wonder.

- kat on September 4th, 2007