Howard K. Stern will not fight for custody if Larry Birkhead is the father

15 Responses to “Howard K. Stern will not fight for custody if Larry Birkhead is the father”

1. NausicaaofWind Says:
   April 8th, 2007 at 6:46 pm

   Finally, some decency on Howard’s part! He may have let Anna take drugs while pregnant, but I think that letting Larry have his daughter would be adequate redemption. Despite some definite sleaziness on his part, he would redeem himself in my eyes if he gave up Dannielynn.

   I know that perhaps he’s willing to give her up only because he knows he has no chance. I think he knows Larry’s the father, and that no judge in their right mind would let Howard have custody, given the proof that he stood idly by while Anna overmedicated herself, potentially causing harm to the baby. So this could either be Howard’s way of admitting defeat or admitting/making up for his mistakes. Even so, I’m willing to believe that he loves Dannielynn (who wouldn’t? she’s a doll), and now he’s earned some sympathy from me. The only other time I felt sorry for him was when he spoke at the funeral.

2. Erin Says:
   April 8th, 2007 at 7:29 pm

   I’ll believe it when I see it. I wouldn’t believe a word that comes out of that camp – he’s gone back on his word time and time again. I’ll only believe it when I see her in Larry’s arms, in California.

3. gargoylegurl Says:
   April 8th, 2007 at 7:57 pm

   As someone who has been close to an addict, I can tell you first hand that Howard did not “let Anna do drugs” – she would have done them anyway. Even Larry Birkhead admitted in court that he knew she was doing drugs while pregnant. The responsibility for this was with Anna. I will agree that Howard (and no doubt other people in her life were) were enabling her, but ultimately, Anna was in charge of Anna. A drug addict will go to great lengths to get their fix and will listen to no one.

   It could be argued that he should have done more to stop her. Perhaps he should have called the police? But he probably knew that by doing so, they could risk losing custody of Dannielynn. He was also probably well aware that the press would have gone nuts with the knowledge that Anna was an addict, especially on the heals of Daniel’s death. And, as crazy as it sounds, he was probably most afraid of angering Anna and being cut out of her life. Unless you have loved and lived with an addict, it’s hard to understand. It’s a sick disease that effects not just the user, but everyone that loves them. I’m not a huge Howard fan, and I’m positive that Larry is the biological father of Dannielynn, but I think people need to realize that Anna took drugs because Anna wanted to.

4. Heavenly_hibiscus Says:
   April 8th, 2007 at 8:35 pm

   The media have behaved like absolute scoundrels in this sad saga. I hope they are held accountable for the stories they have made up.

5. ang Says:
   April 8th, 2007 at 9:24 pm

   i’m not following this story that closely, just reading it from time to time, but if he is the father, he doesn’t need to “hope”(scuse the pun), does he?

6. Anne Says:
   April 8th, 2007 at 10:15 pm

   Howard knows that it is time to put this whole paternity issue to rest. He has too many legal issues to continue to hold on to Dannielynn when he knows the girl is not his child. He was with Anna and Birkhead, and he knows who slept with Anna during the time period in which she was impregnated. By holding on to Dannielynn, he is trying to hold on to Anna and her legacy. But unfortunately, he has to find something else. If he is planning to hand over the Baby to Larry, I think that it is the best decision that he has made since Anna’s death. I believe that had he made this decision earlier, he and Birkhead could have worked something out. He is according to Larry Birkhead’s testimony, Dannielynn ‘s adopted uncle. This is what Anna wrote in her diary. If Howard is trying to do the proper thing, I think that the public should encourage him to do what is right. However, he should allow Larry to handle Virgie. Larry is not a weak person by any means. It was Larry who waged the paternity war, and he seems that his day has finally come. He is strong enough to wage the war against Virgie. He has proven that he has an iron will. Howard can offer his legal advices if he wants to, but I do not feel it is in the best interest of the child to try and stop Virgie from seeing her grandchild. Howard must realize that drugs fueled Anna’s thoughts and feelings, and they may or may not have represented what she truly felt. Virgie has as much right to the child as his father, mother, brother and sister do. His sibling must stop going on “Entertainment Tonight” trashing Virgie, because it might seems that they are trying to vilify the woman to take the heat off Howard. Anna is dead and let all that was negative and destructive about her die too. Anna may have been high on prescription drug; however, it is clear that Howard was high on Anna. He needs counseling. I think one day he will wake up and realize that some of his actions during the years with Anna were not sound.
   Let’s pray for Larry, because the road ahead will not be easy. The world will be watching him as he attempt to raise his daughter in the glare of the public eye. I hope that he and Howard can work out something so that Howard can continue to be in the child’s life. Birkhead said on the witness stand that he was willing to allow Howard a place in the child’s life. But he may have changed his mind since Howard continued to fight him after the hearing. But as I have said many times before, Howard is a young man; he is well educated and will be able to find another young starlet who will need his free legal services. Let’s hope that one day he will meet a woman who will truly love him, and that he will father his own child and love him or her as much as he loves Dannielynn.

7. NausicaaofWind Says:
   April 8th, 2007 at 10:27 pm

   gargoylegurl: I see what you’re saying, and I apologize if I came across as judgmental/hasty. I’ve never known anyone who was an addict, so I’m not passing (or trying not to pass) judgment on those who may or may not be held accountable. I have no doubt that this kind of thing is out of my realm of understanding. I’m sure it must be emotionally draining to care about someone who has substance problems. By no means am I underestimating that issue. Maybe Howard did care for Anna, and maybe he did try to help her; who knows? I’m not ruling that out.

   But when there’s a baby involved, I think that’s when the line should’ve been drawn. Having a baby in the equation changes everything. Something had to be done, and it wasn’t. And have you seen, on the news, the video that Howard took of Anna while pregnant and drugged? She was painted like a clown and just acting all loopy, and Howard was beside himself laughing. Not only was he making light of situation, he was having fun with it, and that’s revolting. At least for the sake of the baby, someone had to put their foot down.

8. yogadaisy Says:
   April 8th, 2007 at 11:35 pm

   Howard has always stood by Anna and looked after her–as an above poster stated, she would have done drugs with or without him there. Anyone who watched the Anna Nicole show would have seen how he loved her.

   I think it will be revealed Tuesday that Larry Birkhead is the father and I hope that Howard will be able to be a part of her life, as well.

   Dannielynn deserves a chance at a normal live surrounded by people who love her and will look out for her. I am glad to see that Larry and Howard are working together to keep Virgie Arthur from Dannielynn.

9. gargoylegurl Says:
   April 8th, 2007 at 11:58 pm

   NausicaaofWind – I didn’t think you’re being judgmental, I’ve just heard a lot of people say that Howard “allowed” Anna to take drugs, which in a sense he did, but I know it can be a losing battle trying to get an addict to stop.

   You raise a very valid point, in that were there’s a baby involved, it changes things. I haven’t seen that video you referenced in your last post – it sounds disgusting! I am really not sure what to think about Howard? On one hand I think he really loved her, but on the other, something about him doesn’t seem right, and I get a weird feeling about him. I wonder if the rumors are true that Daniel hired a PI to investigate him? It’s all very strange, I doubt we will ever know the truth.

   I also can’t help being shocked that Anna would use drugs while pregnant. For all her crazy ways, she did seem like a good mother to Daniel, so I’m surprised she did drugs while pregnant, but again, addicts are extremely selfish people.

   I think Danielynn will be better off with Larry, he seems like a much more stable person than Howard. I just hope this all blows over soon so that Danielynn stands a chance of growing up with somewhat of a “normal” life, although I have a feeling the press will forever be interested in this little girl. It’s just a sad, sad situation. I don’t mean to be rude and speak ill of the deceased, but in my opinion, Anna has caused so much of this. There was a media circus surrounding the paternity of Danielynn well before she was even born. I can remember commenting on here last summer that Anna was doing it for publicity and financial gain, I still believe this to be true, sadly Danielynn is going to bear the brunt of some of the poor decisions her mother and Howard made.

10. misluciemae Says:
    April 9th, 2007 at 3:12 am

    It’s good news if it’s true. Unfortunately, I think Howard is up to something. All of his actions seem to be calculated and I cannot believe that all of a sudden he plans to hand over the baby.

    I was watching Entertainment Tonight last week and I saw that he was not in this charade alone. His mother, father, sister and brother are in the Bahamas cheering on his bad behavior. The Stern family are all cut from the same ugly cloth.

    Now, after fighting tooth and nail, and spending many thousands of dollars, to keep a child that is not his, he is just going to give up and turn the baby over to Larry? Nope…. something else is going on here.

    Not only that, I’m suspicious because his press release is riddled with untruths. How can he say that he “believes and hopes” that he is the natural father. He knows good and well that he is not. Remember, Howard, that is why you are in the Bahamas in the first place. Also, did you “believe and hope” that the baby was your when Anna asked G. Ben Thomson to put his name on the birth certificate?

    Why malign Vergie in your press release? Why not simply do the right, moral thing without putting down someone else.

    I will believe it when it actually happens. Not before.

11. kimmie Says:
    April 9th, 2007 at 9:27 am

    Good! Stevie Wonder can see that isn’t his baby. It’s a shame (if the baby is Birkhead’s) that he has been denied the first few months of her life, but she will not remember that time and he seems like a stand-up guy. I hope he sells photos to People so he can pay his friggin’ legal bills off. I would have no problem with that and no one else should either. Stern should be made to pay also. He has known all along. Ford Shelly has a video of him and Anna arguing over a fense about the house in which she claims his father in law is the father (G. Ben Thompson who had a vasectomy and can’t be the daddy). I also hope he allows the grandmother to see the child. Anna was estranged from her mother and a laundry list of other people when they don’t agree with her lifestyle. Most mother and daughter’s have battles; doesn’t me love isn’t there.

12. LAILA Says:
    April 9th, 2007 at 9:31 am

    Call me cynical but I find the timing of this suspect to say the least. A few days before the paternity results could be made public HKS suddenly has a change of heart a will hand over the baby if LB is proven to be the father? I wonder if HKS knows there’s no way he could be the father and is making a pre-emptive move by announcing this?

    At any rate I hope that LB is the father he seems the most sincere, grounded and normal of all the players involved here. I also hope that if he is the father that he takes steps to keep his daughter away from HKS once he secures custody of her. No way should the man who stood around and enabled ANS drug use and shamelessly exploited her, literally to her grave, be any way involved in her daughter’s life. I’m sorry to say the same for Virgie who seems like a greedy opportunist more than a concerned Grandma, JMO of course.

13. Natalie S. Says:
    April 9th, 2007 at 1:12 pm

    I really don’t care who’s the father, I think what’s more important is who’s looking out for the baby. As long as Dannielyn’s being taken care of and being exploited for any personal gain. NausicaaofWind never apologize for voicing your opinion. Everyone has a different point of view and I like reading everyone’s take on things.

14. Carrie Jo Says:
    April 9th, 2007 at 3:00 pm

    I have a feeling Howard’s announcement was a preemptive movement because he already knows that Larry’s the father. We all know that the results have been in for some time. It makes sense that they would inform the people involved of the results before the official public announcement…

15. wild Says:
    April 9th, 2007 at 4:03 pm

    Ok ,here’s what I think. A person who does drugs is gonna do them , I agree with that.But NausiccaofWind has a very valid point.Not only did Howard not try to help her,,and here’s where it kicks in,,,he got prescriptions in his name for her,and got her illegals as well,,and sometimes made a joke out of her and taped her while she was doped up.That’s going beyond enabling to the point of feeding them to her. He was giving her injections for goodness sake.

    I don’t know if Larry Birkhead will be the best person either. I can only hope.

    And NausicaaofWind,,your not being judgemental of him ,,you are just stating very true facts and I thought you did a very nice job of saying what you said ,,with insight and thought

    PEACE AND LOVE FOR DANNIELYNN HOPE SMITH

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