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Larry Birkhead Calls Anna Nicole Smith Romance 'Cult-Like' in Rare Podcast Interview

His account revives scrutiny of the tightly managed circle that shaped her private life.

Overview

  • Birkhead, 53, discussed his relationship on Bunnie Xo’s Dumb Blonde podcast on Monday, calling the atmosphere around Smith “some kind of cult.”
  • He said attorney Howard K. Stern was ever-present in daily life, including sleeping on a couch near their bedroom and knocking for routine matters.
  • Birkhead described a paid entourage and house rules that discouraged people from talking, and he said the only person he could confide in was Smith’s shy teenage son, Daniel.
  • He explained why their roughly two-year romance stayed private, saying Smith cultivated an “available goddess” image that cast her as single and approachable.
  • After Smith’s 2007 death from an accidental overdose, DNA testing established Birkhead as daughter Dannielynn’s father, and he has raised her in Kentucky.