Chapter 2 Summary: The Time Debbie Reynolds Called My Mother
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
Leslie Jordan is invited to participate in a major AIDS benefit honoring designer Bob Mackie. Backstage, he volunteers to model a Cher French-maid costume from The Sonny and Cher Show and struts down the runway to rapturous applause. A photograph of him in that costume appears in the National Enquirer, and his conservative Southern Baptist mother, Peggy Jordan, is deeply upset. She feels the drag image brings shame to the family, echoing painful memories of Leslie's earlier drag experiences and his coming out at age fourteen. Guilt-ridden, Leslie shares his distress at a recovery meeting, where he sits next to Carrie Fisher. Carrie listens, then hands him her phone: Debbie Reynolds, Carrie's mother, is on the line. Debbie recounts her own mother's disapproval during her divorce from Eddie Fisher, then offers to call Peggy. After a long conversation, Peggy calls Leslie, touched by Debbie's kindness. The talk changes Peggy's understanding of Leslie's career and opens a new era of honesty between mother and son.
Key Events
- Leslie works an AIDS benefit runway show wearing a Cher French-maid costume and army boots.
- A photo of Leslie in drag is published in the National Enquirer.
- Leslie's twin sisters alert him that their mother is furious.
- Peggy Jordan confronts Leslie, telling him such behavior is unacceptable in Chattanooga.
- Leslie recalls coming out to his mother at fourteen; she asked him to “live quietly.”
- At a recovery meeting, Leslie shares his anguish with Carrie Fisher.
- Carrie Fisher gives Leslie her phone; Debbie Reynolds speaks to him and offers to call his mother.
- Debbie Reynolds calls Peggy Jordan and reassures her about Leslie's choices in Hollywood.
- After the call, Leslie and his mother begin having open, honest conversations about his roles and finances.
- The chapter ends with Leslie expressing gratitude to Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher.
Character Development
Leslie Jordan reveals his deep need for his mother's approval, a need rooted in his father's death when Leslie was eleven. He shows vulnerability and a willingness to seek help from friends in recovery. This chapter marks a turning point: instead of hiding his career from his mother, he learns to share his struggles and trust her judgment.
Peggy Jordan evolves from a conservative, scandalized mother into a more understanding parent after hearing from Debbie Reynolds. She begins to see the realities of Hollywood survival—that Leslie often takes roles he doesn't love just to pay bills. Their relationship matures into a friendship.
Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds serve as catalysts. Carrie's kindness in listening and Debbie's willingness to use her own painful history to comfort a stranger illustrate the power of community and empathy in the recovery world.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Mother-son bonds drive the chapter. Leslie's fear of disappointing his mother after his father's death creates a lifelong need for her blessing. The phone call from Debbie Reynolds becomes a bridge between two worlds: Hollywood glamour and conservative Southern values.
Drag as identity and conflict appears throughout. Leslie first came out through drag parties in Chattanooga, and his mother's earlier trauma of seeing him in drag resurfaced with the Enquirer photo. Drag symbolizes both Leslie's authentic self and the source of family tension.
Recovery and honesty are central. The meeting where Leslie shares his story with Carrie Fisher mirrors the recovery principle of “experience, strength and hope.” Sharing leads to a solution—the phone call that heals the rift with his mother.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter provides the emotional core of the memoir. It shows how a celebrity intervention (Debbie Reynolds calling a stranger) can heal a private family wound. More importantly, it demonstrates that Leslie's mother, despite her conservative background, is capable of growth. The chapter reframes Leslie's “messy” Hollywood choices as necessary steps in a career that kept him working, and it underscores the value of open communication. For readers, it offers a universal lesson about parents learning to accept their children's lives, even when those lives look very different from what the parents imagined.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why is Leslie so anxious about his mother's reaction to the Enquirer photo?
Leslie carries guilt from his father's death when he was eleven. His mother relied on him for support, and he felt responsible for her emotional well-being. Her disapproval triggers that old fear of failing her, making the drag photo seem like a betrayal of her trust and values.
2. How does Debbie Reynolds’s own story help Peggy Jordan understand Leslie?
Debbie shares that her mother in Texas criticized her for considering divorce after Eddie Fisher left her for Elizabeth Taylor. Debbie points out that a parent in a conservative hometown often cannot grasp a child's Hollywood reality. This parallel makes Peggy realize that Leslie's choices are not a reflection of her parenting, but a necessary part of his career.
3. What changes in Leslie and Peggy's relationship after the phone call?
They begin talking openly about Leslie's roles, his IRS debt, and his financial needs. Peggy stops judging his choices and instead becomes a confidante. Leslie says he now talks to her “more as a friend than as my mom,” and that having no secrets is freeing.