Priscilla Presley's Shocking 'Choke Them' Remark About Daughter Lisa Marie Sparks Fan Backlash

Priscilla Presley has left fans questioning her motives after appearing to slam her late daughter Lisa Marie during a recent book tour — whilst simultaneously expressing tender concern for her recovering addict son.

The 80-year-old widow of Elvis was promoting her latest memoir, Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis, at an event in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, earlier this month when she made a series of eyebrow-raising comments that have since ignited fierce criticism from those who once admired the former Naked Gun star.

Whilst Priscilla waxed lyrical about her legendary romance with the King of Rock 'n' Roll, it was her starkly contrasting remarks about her two children that have dominated headlines and social media chatter.

Lisa Marie, who tragically died in January 2023 at the age of 54 from cardiac arrest related to complications from weight loss surgery she'd undergone years earlier, became the unexpected target of her mother's controversial candour.

Though Priscilla admitted she misses her daughter 'every day' and even confessed to missing 'her arguments,' the grieving mother then delivered a shocking statement that left attendees stunned: 'Sometimes you want to choke them!'

The remark, ostensibly about Lisa Marie's headstrong personality, struck many as tone-deaf given the circumstances of her daughter's death just two years prior.

Priscilla Presley's Contrasting Comments About Son Navarone Spark Family Favouritism Row

The disparity in Priscilla's treatment of her children became even more pronounced when she pivoted to discussing Navarone Garibaldi Garcia, her 38-year-old son with ex-partner Marco Garibaldi.

In stark contrast to the 'choking' comment about Lisa Marie, Priscilla's tone softened considerably as she spoke about her concerns for Navarone, a musician who fronts the Los Angeles rock band Them Guns.

'I worry about him. He's a loner. He has a few friends, but I worry,' she said, her maternal anxiety palpable and genuine in a way that seemed notably absent from her Lisa Marie commentary.

The memoir itself has become a lightning rod for controversy, with critics accusing Priscilla of exploiting her daughter's troubled life for commercial gain.

The book delves extensively into Lisa Marie's battles with drug addiction, her brief and tumultuous marriage to Michael Jackson — which Priscilla describes as something she was 'appalled by' — and the devastating aftermath of her 27-year-old son Benjamin Keough's suicide in 2020.

Priscilla even characterises a young Lisa Marie as 'a little terror' during her Graceland upbringing, painting an unflattering portrait of a child who seemed to frustrate her mother at every turn.

Why Priscilla Presley's Tell-All Has Fans Accusing Her of 'Revenge' Against Lisa Marie

It's no secret that the relationship between Priscilla and Lisa Marie was fraught with difficulty, particularly in Lisa Marie's final years.

The pair became estranged during Lisa Marie's protracted and bitter divorce from fourth husband Michael Lockwood, with insiders revealing that Lisa Marie felt betrayed when Priscilla refused to support her custody battle for twin daughters Harper and Finley.

According to sources close to the family, Lisa Marie had asked her mother to sign a deposition supporting allegations against Lockwood, but Priscilla declined, stating she'd never witnessed the behaviour her daughter alleged. 'To her it was a betrayal,' Priscilla later wrote.

Yet despite this troubled history, fans and observers have expressed dismay at what they perceive as Priscilla's willingness to air her daughter's most painful struggles in such a public forum.

'Everyone knows Priscilla and Lisa had an extremely difficult relationship, and some people think the book was her way of getting revenge,' an insider told reporters.

The source added that whilst Priscilla 'denies that and says it's wicked for people to suggest she'd pull such a low stunt on anyone, let alone her own flesh and blood,' the timing and content of the memoir have done little to quell speculation.

Defenders of Priscilla argue that she's simply being honest about her experiences.

'It was never her intention to dishonour Lisa's memory or pull her to pieces for mistakes that she made during her life,' the insider explained to Globe Magazine. 'But at the same time, Priscilla is a brutally honest person. She didn't want to sugar-coat or ignore certain mistakes her daughter made. It was cathartic and important for her to tell everything exactly how she saw it, and that's what she'll continue to do.'

Nevertheless, the contrasting treatment of her two children — slamming one whilst coddling the other — has left many questioning whether Priscilla's 'brutal honesty' is simply an excuse for poor judgement.

As the book tour continues and more revelations emerge, it remains to be seen whether the public will accept Priscilla's version of events or continue to view her memoir as an act of maternal betrayal disguised as catharsis.