Lucie Arnaz Unveils Deal With Mom to Fire Her from 'Here’s Lucy' & Help Her ‘Save Face’

• Lucie Arnaz's mother, Lucille Ball, struggled with parenting because she didn't have proper role models as a child.
• The late actress' daughter was so afraid of being in her famous shadow that she made a deal that would remove her from Ball's show.
• Now Lucie is a doting mother and grandmother still taking acting jobs.

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Sr.'s daughter Lucie Arnaz spent years of her life managing their archives. When she isn't doing that, she works as a television, theater, and movie entertainer, with one of her roles being in "The Jazz Singer."

After her mother passed, the actress stored her famous mother's things. However, when she discovered new films about Ball were being made, she opened the archives and started going through them.

One of the projects was 2022's "Lucy And Desi," a documentary directed by Amy Poehler. From listening to tapes her late mother recorded, Lucie learned more about the actress and enjoyed hearing Ball discuss what she liked, loved, and desired.

The late star's daughter noted how her mother shared much about herself, leaving Lucie feeling "quite impressed." She described Ball as literate and eloquent despite not finishing high school.

The actress shared how her mother loved words and had a great vocabulary she used well. The late celebrity also wrote a lot, including all her introductions, but she also discussed what motherhood meant to her and how she supported her children.

Ball would use her interviews to measure how well she cared for her children, searching for answers by asking other famous women how they did it. Some of her interviews were a way for her to see how she was doing as a parent and housewife.

Lucie always felt her mother thought having children late in life left her without enough time, so she shoved information into their minds.

Some of the men Ball had interviewed in the past told her that they got along with their children by spending time with them, sitting and listening. Lucie noted that was the one thing her mother never found time to do,

The late star's father died when she was only four, and her mother wasn't around often due to work, so she struggled to learn to become a parent as an adult. She stayed with her strict grandparents in the daytime and learned responsibility at a young age, taking care of things and her younger brother, Desi Arnaz Jr.

Ball's childhood wasn't all fun and games, nor did she bond with her mother, and when children came along, the actress had no idea what she was doing.

How Lucille Helped Lucie Protect Her Image

In July 2023, Lucie confessed that she worried so much about being compared to Ball that she struck a "deal" with her famous mother to write her out of "Here's Lucy" if bad reviews started coming in. When the actress was 17, and her younger brother was 15, they were cast as Ball and Desi's Sr.'s children on "Here's Lucy," much to Lucie's hesitation. In fact, she shared:

"I debated about whether or not I should actually do that."

Lucie worried people would think she got the part due to nepotism and knew they were right. Regardless, she obliged her mother but only after striking a deal with her. She told Ball to fire her if people eventually deem her not talented enough. Lucie recalled telling Ball:

"‘Please, if that happens … you got to write me out of this show. You got to help me save face, and I'll go to school, and then I'll start doing something. And she agreed."

Contrary to what she expected, Lucie became part of "Here's Lucy" for its entire duration from 1968 to 1974. She described the experience as something she would've never learned anywhere, and it became a "magnificent opportunity" for her.

In May 2023, her fans saw Eliza with Lucie's other grandchild, George Anthony Luckinbill.

By the time "Here's Lucy" began airing, Ball and Desi Sr. were already divorced. After 20 years of marriage, they ended it in 1960, and it was messy and "horrible," according to Lucie. She recalled growing up in a household where her parents fought and screamed constantly, plus alcohol abuse was also in the mix, leading the couple to call it quits.

Now Lucie is also a parent to her children and lives a life focused on family. The actress also has a new role that she dotes on, which fills her with joy and fulfillment.

Lucie as a Doting Grandmother

Lucie was supposed to do a show in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic postponed it to July 2022. However, after popping her knee from crawling around her living room with her grandson, she failed to do the show, and it was postponed again. The star had required a knee replacement, which took months to heal, so she postponed her show to July 2023.

When not working, Lucie enjoys her time with her grandchildren. In October 2020, the actress showed off her 14-month-old granddaughter, Eliza Grace Luckinbill, whom she described as a "little pink bundle of pure joy."

In May 2023, her fans saw Eliza with Lucie's other grandchild, George Anthony Luckinbill. Ahead of the COVID-19 lockdown, the celebrity appeared in high spirits as she posed with her daughter and grandchild, noting three generations in the special pic.

Lucie was born on July 17, 1951, and was only eleven when she made her on-screen debut in 1962 in "The Lucy Show." She featured in several television shows and movies like "Death Scream," "The Mating Season," "Wild Seven," and more.

In 1985, Lucie was given her talk show and then launched a successful theater career. Ball's only daughter also had the pleasure of having a guest starring role on an episode of the comedy, "Will & Grace."

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