Harvey Brownstone conducts an in-depth Interview with Deborah Presley Brando, Elvis Presley’s Daughter, Author of “Memoirs of a Starseed Child: Elvis, Marlon, Christian and Me”.
Deborah Presley Brando has lived a life that most of us could never possibly imagine, in the shadow of one of the greatest superstars of all time – Elvis Presley.
Although many people still believe that Elvis had only one child, Lisa Marie, who passed away tragically last year at the age of 54, the fact is – and this has been confirmed by an order of the Tennessee Court of Appeal – Elvis had another child, our guest, born on March 4, 1956.
Deborah Presley Brando’s mother, Barbara Jean Lewis, met Elvis in 1954, before he became famous, through his cousin Gene Smith, when she was 14 years old. She had a romantic relationship with Elvis in the summer of 1955, when she spent several weeks with him on tour in Mississippi. Elvis and Barbara were very much in love, and when Elvis learned of the pregnancy, he invited Barbara to come to Memphis and live with his parents. Barbara did visit Elvis in Memphis, but his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, fearing the impact on Elvis’ career and public image of being seen in the company of a pregnant 16-year-old girl, persuaded Barbara to return home to her family in North Carolina. Barbara married a man by the name of Don Yandel prior to having the baby, and she kept the identity of our guest’s father a secret from her for many years, until 1977, when, at the age of 21, she finally told her daughter the truth.
She also told our guest that Elvis had been a part of her life until she was 4 years old, and that he sent gifts and money throughout her childhood.
In the 80s our guest became good friends with the one person besides her mother, who was able to confirm the details that I’ve just mentioned: Elvis’ cousin and best friend Gene Smith, who was Elvis’ driver and who was with him constantly, including during the time of Elvis’ relationship with Barbara. In fact, Gene Smith provided a crucial affidavit in the court case launched by our guest, leading to the judicial finding that our guest is, indeed, the biological daughter of Elvis Presley.
Deborah Presley Brando has written a fascinating and compelling book entitled “Memoirs of a Starseed Child: Elvis, Marlon, Christian and Me”, in which she shares her heart wrenching and sometimes traumatic journey through a difficult childhood, her quest to learn the truth about her paternity and to be acknowledged and validated for who she is, and several complicated relationships including her marriage to Marlon Brando’s late son Christian.
Deborah Presley Brando has also written a children’s book entitled, “Creations of the Goddess Maylaya: An American Fairy Tale”, and she’s had a varied career, not only as a writer, but as a special education assistant working with autistic children, and as an artist and a curator for an art gallery.
Harvey Brownstone is a retired judge of the Ontario Court of Justice and was the first openly gay judge in Canada. He is also the bestselling author of “Tug of War: A Judge’s Verdict on Separation, Custody Battles and the Bitter Realities of Family Court” and hosted “Family Matters with Justice Harvey Brownstone,” a television talk show on matters involving the family justice system.
After a distinguished legal career, Harvey was appointed a judge at the age of 38 in 1995. He has presided in family and criminal courts. He has been a trailblazer in several ways. He was the first openly gay judge in Canada. He was the first sitting judge in the world to write a national best seller and to host a TV talk show.
Harvey has been a role model and icon in the LGBTQ community. When same-sex marriage was legalized in Canada in 2003, he was the only judge to make himself publicly available to officiate at weddings for lesbian and gay couples travelling to Toronto from all over the world to get married. In 2007, he officiated at the wedding of Edith Windsor and Thea Spyer, the American couple whose marriage triggered the 2013 United States Supreme Court decision overturning the definition of “spouse” in the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
In February 2021, Harvey launched his online talk show “Harvey Brownstone Interviews” on his own YouTube channel. He saw this as an interesting hobby. Within several months, the show attracted hundreds of thousands – and then eventually, millions – of viewers. Because of the overwhelming success of the show, Harvey decided to retire from the judiciary on December 31, 2021 after having presided as a full-time judge for 26 1/2 years. Free from the constraints imposed upon judges regarding the expression of opinions and the endorsement of private enterprise, Harvey now happily devotes his full-time attention to hosting “Harvey Brownstone Interviews” as a regular member of the public – albeit one with a rather illustrious and unique career history.
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