celebrity memoir

Liza Minnelli is getting ready to tell her story, her way. The legendary singer and actress is preparing a memoir for the spring 2026 that the 78-year-old EGOT icon said in a statement comes after a lifetime of requests to spill the tea.

“Since I was old enough to put pencil to paper, people asked me to write books about my career … my life … my loves … my family,” said Minnelli in an announcement on Tuesday (August 6) from the book’s publisher, Grand Central Publishing. “Absolutely not! ‘Tell it when I’m gone!’ Was my philosophy. So, why did I change my mind? A sabotaged appearance at the Oscars, in front of billions of people … a film with twisted half-truths … a recent miniseries that just didn’t get it right. All made by people who didn’t know my family, and don’t really know me. Finally, I was mad as hell! Over dinner one night, I decided, it’s my own damn story … I’m gonna share it with you because of all the love you’ve given me.”

The memoir was written with contributions from two Pulitzer Prize winners, two-time George Polk Award winner Heidi Evans and veteran Los Angeles Times correspondent and arts/entertainment/politics reporter Josh Getlin, as well as Tony winner and Minnelli’s longtime friend performer and music historian Michael Feinstein.

“I turned to my most beloved friend, Michael Feinstein and yelled: ‘Help!’ We’ve been joined at the hip for 40 years. As Ambassador of the Great American Songbook and my absolute favorite collaborator, Michael’s one of the greats, he’s razor-sharp and, and he tells the truth,” Minnelli continued. “That’s important because, as I fly towards my eighth decade of living, memories differ… This tome has a unique place in history. Most of you don’t know how far back we go. The Minnellis have been in show business for literally hundreds of years!”

The book promises to trace Minnelli’s path from her early years in the spotlight as the daughter of the beloved singer/performer Judy Garland and film director Vincent Minnelli, through her Oscar-winning rise to global fame as Sally Bowles in the 1972 movie musical Cabaret. It will also touch on Minnelli’s long career as an interpreter of the Great American Songbook, her struggle with drugs and alcohol and serious illness and a late-career resurgence as the belovedly daffy Lucille “Lucille Two” Austero on fourth season of the sitcom Arrested Development.

A description of the book from “one of the most iconic and enduring figures in entertainment history,” describes a journey from Minnelli’s early days as a teenage stage performer through her “high-octane marriages and struggles with substance abuse, this memoir offers an intimate look at the star we cherish. It reveals the raw and triumphant experiences that have solidified her status as one of the most compelling performers ever in entertainment history.”

The book, which will be published in hardcover print, e-book and audio editions in spring 2026, will pull back the curtain on what GCP senior vice president and editor-in-chief Colin Dickerman said is a fascinating life that has long transfixed Minnelli’s fervent fans. “From the moment she was born, people have been telling Liza’s story,” Dickerman said. “She is now, after a life of many dizzying triumphs and some terrifying lows, finally ready to tell it herself. Grand Central is absolutely thrilled to help bring this book into the world.”

Tony winner Feinstein’s contribution is described as highlighting Minnelli’s most significant contributions to the American Lexicon, with an audio edition that will feature bonus content with never-released autobiographical “recordings and musings” that the longtime friends have been working on for 15 years. In addition to her Grammy-winning recordings, Minnelli also made her mark in movies (New York, New York, Arthur) TV (Liza With a ‘Z’: A Concert For Television) and her legendary stage runs at New York’s Carnegie Hall and Radio City Music Hall.

“Today, after incredible events and life-threatening battles … I am truly ‘Lady Peaceful, Lady Happy,’” said Minnelli in a lyrical nod to “Maybe This Time” from Cabaret. “Thank you all for loving me so much … being concerned about me. I want you to know I’m still here, still kickin’ ass, still loving life and still creating. So, until this book arrives, know that I’m laughing, safe in every way, surrounded by loved ones, and excited to see what’s right around the curve of life. Kids, wait ’til you hear this!”

For her next act JoJo is telling all. The “Leave (Get Out)” singer born Joanna Noëlle Levesque announced on Tuesday (June 4) that she is releasing a “raw” memoir entitled Over the Influence through Hachette Books on Sept. 17.

“Welp. Wow. So… I’ve been working on this like a madwoman in my little emotional cocoon the past 18 months… and it feels surreal to share this with you today: my very first book- a memoir,” the singer wrote on Instagram along with the cover image: a close up of her face. In a typewritten page posted alongside the cover, the singer explained, “this book is for anyone who has ever felt disillusioned, disconnected, but underneath it all DETERMINED to find themselves and a new way of being.”

The note added that she began working on the book a couple of hears ago when she realized the 20th anniversary of her self-titled debut album was coming up this year, at which point she began jotting down a framework for what would become her life story. “This is a story of addiction, generational trauma, fame on a developing brain, lies, love, stamina, spirituality, resilience, and reinvention,” her statement reads. “It’s insight into the evolving music industry over the past two decades and a cautionary tale that I want to be the one to tell.”

She continued, saying that it has been “a trip” to look back and see the “blind spots and patterns and the fear that was the driving force behind many decisions. But also the unbelievable blessings.” She said that her definition of success has gone through a number of revisions since she began her career at age six. Today it is about “happiness and connection. Getting to be a part of things that make me proud and allow me to earn a good living.”

She stressed that she wrote “every single word” of the memoir, and admitted, “I’m nervous. It’s the most challenging yet meaningful project I’ve taken on.”

The singer appeared on shows including Kids Say the Darndest Things, America’s Most Talented Kids and Destination Stardom before getting signed to Blackground Records and Da Family Entertainment and releasing her 2004 debut album, which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 album chart thanks to debut single, “Leave (Get Out).” Her third album was then repeatedly held up amid a dispute with her record label, leading to her leaving and signing with Atlantic Records in 2014, which released her third LP, Mad Love, in 2016. Over the years she has also guested on a number of TV shows, including American Dreams, Hawaii Five-O and Lethal Weapon.

After releasing her 2021 album Trying Not to Think About It, JoJo made her Broadway debut as Satine in Moulin Rouge! The Musical in 2023.

Hachette describes the memoir as “breathtakingly candid,” saying it “holds nothing back as she brings her against-the-odds story of adversity and triumph to center stage. From being raised by parents who were both battling addiction and depression, to emerging victorious in a never-ending lawsuit with her record label, to putting the fragmented pieces of herself together after a maddening period of rebellion and self-betrayal, she takes the reader through the turbulent years that led her to where she is now: releasing new music under her own imprint, performing in shows and festivals around the world, headlining a Broadway show, and beyond.”

Check out JoJo’s Over the Influence announcement below.