A new lawsuit claims that John Travolta and his late wife, Kelly Preston, welcomed their son, Ben, using Riley Keough's donated eggs. However, Riley's grandmother, Priscilla Presley, has since denied the speculation. A representative for John Travolta have not yet commented on the filing.
In light of the statement, HELLO! takes an in-depth look at John's longstanding connection with the Presley family, from their shared interest in Scientology to his heartfelt tribute following Lisa Marie's passing in January 2023.
Lawsuit claims
An amended breach-of-contract lawsuit filed by Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko, former business associates of Priscilla Presley, claims that Lisa Marie Presley’s ex-husband, Michael Lockwood, told them John and Kelly Travolta used his late wife's eggs to conceive, though the filing does not allege the eggs produced a child.
Brigitte and Kevin also alleged that Riley donated her eggs in 2010 following the death of John and Kelly's son Jett in 2009, leading to the birth of their son Ben, and claimed Riley was compensated with a Jaguar and $10,000–$20,000.
Michael Lockwood has denied the allegations, calling them "crazy". The court has reportedly seen no evidence supporting these claims, and Priscilla Presley’s lawyers condemned the suit as an unethical attempt to pressure her and her family, stating that Brigitte and Kevin have also targeted Priscilla’s son, cousin, and assistant in an improper effort to undermine her "legitimate" claims.
Presley family
Elvis and Priscilla Presley married in 1967 and welcomed their daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, in 1968. Lisa, who suffered a possible cardiac arrest that resulted in her death in January 2023, was a mother to four children. The singer welcomed her daughter Riley and son Benjamin with her ex-husband Danny Keough. The couple tied the knot in 1988 before they split in 1994.
Elvis' daughter remarried in 2006 and gave birth to twin daughters, Finley and Harper, with her former husband Michael. However, the pair divorced in 2016.
Scientology
Priscilla joined Scientology shortly after meeting John at her daughter Lisa's 10th birthday. In her memoir, From Here to the Great Unknown, Lisa revealed that when she turned ten, her mom arranged for her to meet the actor.
Scientology is a belief system and organization founded by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard in the early 1950s. It teaches that people are spiritual beings called 'thetans' who have lived through past lives and possess unlimited potential. Scientology offers practices and courses, sometimes called 'auditing', that are meant to help individuals overcome mental or spiritual barriers and achieve a state called 'Clear', which is said to free a person from negative influences and emotional limitations.
"He was having a hot moment with Welcome Back, Kotter. He talked to her about Scientology, and a few days later, she joined," Lisa Marie wrote, adding her mom described Scientology as something that "can help you become really powerful".
Lisa shared that Scientology "helped" her feel like she belonged somewhere. "It became my tribe," she explained. "My mom would drop me off after school at their building in Hollywood. I felt like she was dumping me there so they could handle me, and she didn't have to."
After dropping out of school, Priscilla made her daughter move into the Scientology Celebrity Centre. "They made me take care of somebody who came in legitimately addicted to drugs,” she wrote. “I became really close with that girl, really took her under my wing. … I really thrived taking care of her, helping somebody else," she explained.
However Lisa distanced herself from the church in 2013 and called it "too much". "Uncovering the fact that I was surrounded by people who were not well-intended, for one," she told USA Weekend at the time. "Confidants [who were] very, very intimately and closely involved with me and my life. And had been for years. Basically, it was a big sinister situation, where there was like, kind of intel and covert ops going on, and a whole effort to control me that I didn’t know about."
John Travolta's tribute to Lisa Marie
Lisa Marie passed away in January 2023. "Priscilla Presley and the Presley family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved Lisa Marie," the statement read. "They are profoundly grateful for the support, love and prayers of everyone, and ask for privacy during this very difficult time."
John shared a heartfelt tribute at the time. "Lisa baby girl, I'm so sorry. I’ll miss you but I know I’ll see you again. My love and heart goes out to Riley, Priscilla, Harper and Finley," he wrote.
Lisa Marie's comments on John Travolta
In 2003, Lisa gushed over John in an interview with Access Hollywood. "He was really sweet and he's probably one of the sweetest and genuine people you could ever meet, just a huge heart."