In her long-awaited memoir, Kids, Wait Til You Hear This!, showbiz icon and EGOT winner Liza Minnelli, who celebrates her 80th birthday on March 12th, offers an unflinching look into a life lived with remarkable intensity and public scrutiny. Spanning over 400 pages, the book delves into Minnelli’s personal triumphs and tribulations, touching upon her celebrated career in films like Cabaret, her extensive network of famous friends, passionate romantic entanglements, deeply felt family wounds, and the often chaotic backstage realities of the entertainment industry. The Hollywood Reporter has meticulously reviewed the memoir, extracting its most compelling anecdotes and candid confessions. Among the revelations are a detailed account of a mortifying experience at the 2022 Academy Awards, an insider’s perspective on a drug-fueled affair with director Martin Scorsese, and previously undisclosed details surrounding two of her marriages.
The 2022 Oscars: A Night of Discomfort and Alleged Manipulation
Minnelli recounts a deeply unsettling experience during her appearance at the 2022 Academy Awards, an event that was already overshadowed by the Will Smith-Chris Rock altercation. She describes the moments leading up to her presentation of the Best Picture award, alongside Lady Gaga, as a personal ordeal. Scheduled to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Cabaret, Minnelli states that she was informed just minutes before taking the stage that her requested director’s chair would not be available.
According to Minnelli’s account in the memoir, Lady Gaga then expressed a condition for her own participation: that Minnelli use a wheelchair and even suggested that Minnelli might be better off departing the event altogether. Minnelli writes of her disbelief, questioning the rationale behind such a demand. Further compounding the situation, Minnelli alleges that Gaga subjected her to a series of backstage questions, seemingly to assess her cognitive state, inquiring about the name of the film being honored and the character Minnelli portrayed. In the ensuing confusion, Minnelli states she was positioned onstage in a seated arrangement that made it difficult to read the teleprompter, creating a public perception of both physical frailty and diminished mental acuity. Minnelli expresses her deep disappointment, noting that while Gaga received widespread acclaim for what appeared to be a compassionate gesture, it came at her expense. She further reveals that she has not received an apology for what she describes as a profoundly humiliating episode. This incident occurred against the backdrop of significant media attention on Minnelli’s health, following her public struggles with addiction and other personal challenges over the years. The 2022 Oscars marked a significant public return for the legendary performer, making the alleged circumstances surrounding her appearance particularly poignant.
Marriage to David Gest: Allegations of Financial Exploitation and Deception
Minnelli’s memoir details her marriage to concert promoter David Gest, characterizing it as a detrimental union marked by manipulation and financial exploitation. She claims Gest initially captivated her with promises of revitalizing her career, reportedly telling her, "Liza, you deserve to be the biggest star in the world. And that’s what we’re going to do, together." However, Minnelli asserts that the relationship quickly became transactional once concert revenue began to flow.
She alleges that Gest gained access to her personal finances and proceeded to withdraw funds indiscriminately, stating he "just took whatever he wanted… He threw it away as if we were billionaires." A particularly alarming revelation involves Gest’s alleged attempts to liquidate Minnelli’s valuable art collection. Minnelli writes with alarm, "He was coming for my Warhols!" She recalls that influential friends like Andy Warhol and designer Halston had previously cautioned her about protecting these pieces. When Gest purportedly attempted to sell them during her absence, Minnelli states he discovered he had only access to reproductions, leading her to brand him a "Loser!" The memoir also recounts a visceral reaction to their wedding day, where Minnelli describes an "aggressive public kiss" from Gest as "grotesque," comparing it to a shark’s attack on meat. The period of their marriage, from 2002 to 2007, was marked by Gest’s persistent efforts to leverage Minnelli’s fame for his own ventures, often leading to public disputes and legal entanglements.
Revelation of First Husband Peter Allen’s Sexuality
Minnelli shares a deeply personal and shocking moment from her first marriage to singer Peter Allen. She recounts returning unexpectedly from a shopping trip to find Allen engaged in sexual activity with another man in their shared bed. This discovery, she writes, caused her to feel a profound disorientation: "My center of gravity crumbled. My mind was spinning… all I could do was stand there. Disbelieving and numb."
Allen subsequently approached her in tears, confessing, "Liza, I love you more than anyone in the world… and I’m gay." Minnelli notes that this revelation did not immediately dissolve their marriage. She reflects, "In the end, this didn’t break us. In that sad moment of discovery, we still felt enormous love for each other." Despite the enduring affection, the traumatic image of the encounter remained a persistent source of pain, resurfacing whenever they were apart: "Whenever we were apart, the image of two men having sex in our bed would come racing back into my brain." Their marriage, which lasted from 1967 to 1974, was a significant period in both their lives, and Allen’s subsequent high-profile relationship with actor Barry Humphries (Dame Edna Everage) further cemented his place in the public consciousness.
Childhood as Caretaker to Judy Garland
Minnelli details the profound impact of her mother, Judy Garland’s, struggles with addiction, which forced her into adult responsibilities at an exceptionally young age. By the age of 13, Minnelli states she had effectively become her mother’s primary caregiver. She describes her role as a composite of "a nurse, doctor, pharmacologist, and psychiatrist rolled into one," meticulously monitoring Garland’s medication and administering pills to ensure she could function. "Then I’d watch to make sure she was okay," Minnelli writes, recalling her efforts to secure prescription refills by contacting doctors directly.
This period also ingrained in her a deep-seated fear of volatile behavior. "At 5 years old, I learned that if Mama got angry, she was the most terrifying person in my life," she reveals, attributing her lasting aversion to "a horror of screaming voices" to the chaotic environment of Garland’s addiction. Financial instability was a constant companion, leading to instances where Minnelli and her siblings would sneak out of hotels to avoid unpaid bills. She vividly remembers donning multiple layers of clothing, sometimes five or more, and leaving in secret, often with a sense of grim amusement. Despite these crises, Minnelli observes that Garland was acutely aware of her public image, even actively cultivating sympathy. "Mama wanted people to feel sorry for her. No matter how bad the stories were, she loved playing the victim," Minnelli writes, characterizing it as an early form of "celebrity branding." Garland’s career, marked by immense highs and devastating lows, cast a long shadow over her children’s lives, profoundly shaping Minnelli’s own experiences with fame and personal resilience.
A Cocaine-Fueled Affair with Martin Scorsese
Minnelli’s memoir offers an unvarnished account of her passionate and volatile romantic relationship with director Martin Scorsese, describing their affair as having "more layers than a lasagna." The pair, who collaborated on the film New York, New York, found common ground in their shared Italian heritage and intense artistic temperaments. "We were both Italian. Passionate. Intense. Committed to our craft. We both had volcanic tempers," she writes.
As production on New York, New York progressed, a film that Minnelli found unsettling due to its improvisational nature, Scorsese’s cocaine use escalated. Minnelli states, "It seemed that was no longer recreational for either of us. It was day and night. On the set, in between takes, and when we went out in the evening." They were, she recalls, "constant companions" during this period. Scorsese, according to Minnelli, believed the drug enhanced his creative output. "Marty claimed the drug helped his creative juices. Sure it did. Or is that just one more fabulous lie you tell yourself when you’re in the grip of substance abuse? Only Marty can answer that for himself." The intense creative environment of filmmaking, coupled with the pressures of addiction, created a volatile dynamic that deeply impacted their personal lives and artistic endeavors. The film itself, released in 1977, garnered critical attention for its ambitious scope and powerful performances, though its box office performance did not match expectations, contributing to the complex legacy of both the film and the relationship it fostered.
The revelations within Kids, Wait Til You Hear This! provide a rare and candid glimpse into the extraordinary life of Liza Minnelli. Her memoir not only recounts personal anecdotes but also offers a broader commentary on the pressures of fame, the complexities of familial relationships, and the enduring impact of addiction. As Minnelli continues to be celebrated for her indelible contributions to the arts, her memoir serves as a powerful testament to her resilience and an honest self-portrait of a life lived under the intense glare of the public eye. The book’s detailed narratives offer significant insight into the cultural and personal landscapes of the latter half of the 20th century and the early 21st, solidifying Minnelli’s status as a significant figure in entertainment history.
