Rep says reality star is grieving, but in her own way

Jun 12, 2015 15:15 GMT  ·  By
Jackie Spiegel, aka the Queen of Versailles, at her daughter Victoria's funeral
   Jackie Spiegel, aka the Queen of Versailles, at her daughter Victoria's funeral

Reality star Jackie Siegel shot to fame in 2012 with the documentary “Queen of Versailles,” which focused on the family’s attempt at building their very own version of the French landmark. This week, she and millionaire husband Westgate Resorts CEO David Siegel lost their 18-year-old daughter.

Rumor has it that she either OD-ed or may have taken her own life. Victoria Siegel was weeks out of rehab and was said to have been dealing with bullying online and in real life, and serious self-esteem issues.

At her funeral, her mother posed for smiling selfies and even took photos of the casket, while looking very amused, as you can see in the video below.

Photos hit the web, go viral

A funeral is not the place where you’d imagined seeing people snapping selfies or gathering for smiling group photos. Everywhere else in life you can expect to see situations like this, but not at a funeral, especially not at one where an 18-year-old who died unexpectedly is being laid to her untimely rest.

So imagine the shock of celebrity pundits when they saw Jackie acting outside the funeral home as if she’d just arrived at a party and was already having the time of her life.

Paparazzi photos were the first to end up online, but they didn’t cause half as much outrage as the videos, probably because people assumed (or hoped) the pics were taken out of context.

As you can see in the footage embedded below, there’s little room for misunderstandings: Jackie is not acting as you’d expect a grieving mother to.

Family issues statement, explains

Be that as it may, we shouldn’t jump to conclusions and we shouldn’t be too quick to judge. A rep for the family has issued a statement to Us Weekly explaining the photos, and apparently, whatever we think we’re seeing in them is just a manifestation of pure grief.

“People deal with grief differently. Mrs. Siegel is grieving as we all are. I have been with the family starting from the very first moment they learned of Victoria’s death and I can tell you that she has cried… a lot…and has been on an emotional roller[coaster],” the rep says.

We shouldn’t try to impose our own view of mourning on Jackie, because everyone deals with tragedy and loss in their own way.

“The entire family has been sleeping together in the large family room of the house since this horrible tragedy happened. They are talking together, crying together and caring for and loving each other. The family has been through a terrible tragedy and had been hurt enough and the way Mrs. Siegel is being portrayed by some in the media is just adding additional pain not only to her but the entire family,” the rep continues.

The Internet, however, is not convinced that this is grief they’re seeing in Mrs. Siegel. Are you? Let us know in the comments, after you have watched the video.